Day 50: 2nd Corinthians. Paul writes to the Corinthians again (Beginning)
So after Paul writes a somewhat critical letter to the church at Corinth, he decides not to visit them again just yet, but instead writes to them again. He begins by, again and again, speaking of the comfort of God in times of persecution and trouble. These are verses we not read often at funerals (at least in my Lutheran tradition). Paul is speaking of one who brings the promise of God's comfort in Christ to people and one who has been through trouble and needs comfort himself. He and his companions have been through hardships of many kinds in their missionary journeys. One of the reasons Paul is delaying, though, has to do with that other letter he wrote to Corinth, the one in which he was critical of them. It is clear (and will become clear as this letter goes on) that Paul feels that the Corinthians are unfairly mistrustful of him, and he needs to re-assert his credentials as an apostle. He does have their best interests at heart. He...