Travel Plans And Personal News
TRAVEL PLANS AND PERSONAL NEWS
1 CORINTHIANS 16:5-12
We must learn to seize open-door opportunities when God gives them.
Verses 5-9 give Paul’s notice of intention to come to Corinth via Macedonia and his promise to stay with the church there for some time (16:7). This reads like a small unimportant detail. In fact, it turned out to be a major issue between the apostle and the Corinthians and a cause of great distress to both parties, because Paul had to revise his plans—and his opponents capitalized on this change by treating it as a breach of good faith and a token of his instability of character (see 2 Corinthians 1:15ff.).
He plans to stay on in Asia Minor until Whitsun, however, for a reason specially dear to his heart (15:8-9). What was it (see Colossians 4:3; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Revelation 3:8 for the imagery of an open door to mean an evangelistic opportunity)?
16:10-11 give a commendation of his assistant, Timothy, who is elsewhere associated with Paul and his mission almost as his “second self” (see 4:17; 1 Thessalonians 3:2). When Paul could not come himself, he sent Timothy as an extension of his own person (Philippians 2:19-24), and at Corinth he anticipates and fends off some criticism by his warm approval and commendation. “Some of the Corinthians were inclined to disregard the authority of Paul himself. They might well show even less respect to Timothy, who was younger in age and junior in status” (Thrall). The same idea underlies 1 Timothy 4:12 when Timothy had to stand on his own feet.
16:12 is an indication that, whatever the Apollos party at Corinth (1:12) might think, their leader and Paul were on cordial terms (4:6); and conversely if there were those at Corinth who labeled themselves as belonging to Paul, this notice that Apollos is encouraged to visit the church with their leader’s approval is a blow to their undue exaltation of the apostle. Whatever rivalries existed at Corinth, there was none between the Christian leaders whose names were being bandied about in this way (3:21-22).