Defense of the change of travel plans

Up to this point, Paul has continued his defense of the changes to his travel plans. To review, at first, he said that he would go to Corinth through Macedonia (Plan A). Next, he made a plan to go directly from Ephesus to Corinth (Plan B). And finally, he changed his plan again so that he would go to Corinth from Macedonia. However, in reality, he traveled as follows: Ephesus to Corinth (this is the “sorrowful visit” mentioned in 2:1), returned to Ephesus, then traveled to Troas, and then to Macedonia. At the time he wrote this letter, he was staying in Macedonia. In today’s passage, Paul explains how he came to Macedonia. (1) He finished his ministry in Ephesus and traveled to Troas. (2) In Troas, he expected to meet Titus, who was returning from Corinth, but he was unable to meet him. (3) Therefore, in order to hear Titus’s report as soon as possible, he left Troas, which was a promising field for evangelism, and came to Macedonia. (4) Paul’s change of travel plans was misunderstood by some as though he were giving priority to Macedonia and treating the Corinthian church as unimportant. However, he had postponed his visit out of “consideration” for them, and now, because of his deep concern for the Corinthian church, he had even left the promising mission field of Troas and come to Macedonia.

Lessons for us

Paul desired the blessing of the Christians in Corinth and sought in every way possible to clear up their misunderstanding. If they continued to distrust Paul, his future ministry could not be effective. Let us also learn a lesson from this. (1) Paul was a human being just like us. When he had something to worry about, he had no rest in his spirit. There is no one who does not feel pain. Let us also pray that we may become sensitive to the pain of others. (2) Looking at the same event, some people interpret it positively, while others interpret it negatively. Some take it in good faith, while others take it in bad faith. Let us pray that we may interpret things in a way that builds others up. (3) When we are misunderstood, if it is necessary for that person’s blessing, let us earnestly strive to clear up the misunderstanding.