We need to understand why Paul wrote these verses in the way he did. Humanly speaking, Paul had no glory or honor. Moreover, his way of speaking in this chapter seems to be foolish. Paul was in a very difficult environment. He suffered a great deal, and he was even short of food. It seems that God was not with him and did not honor him. Where are the miracles promised in Mark 16? It seems that the Lord did not supply Paul. He even allowed him to be shipwrecked and to spend a day and a night afloat at sea. Why did Paul emphasize things that are neither honorable nor glorious? Paul’s way is the divine way. In contrast, the concept of many Christians is versus God’s way. What Paul writes in this chapter certainly corresponds to the life of the Lord Jesus. When He was on earth, the Lord suffered affliction. Even though He was the Son of God, His life was not a life of prosperity or outward blessing. Apparently, the Lord Jesus was not blessed by God. When He was crucified, the Jews mocked Him and said that if He were of God, God would deliver Him from the cross. But instead of sending angels to rescue the Lord Jesus, God allowed Him to die on the cross. In principle, Paul’s experience was the same.
By writing this chapter in the way he did, Paul made it clear not only to the believers at Corinth, but to all believers in Christ throughout the centuries, what God’s way is. God’s way is seen in the genuine apostles, in the genuine ministers of the new covenant, not in the so-called super-apostles. Those false apostles may be prosperous and flourishing, and they may have no need to escape in a basket. But the real apostles experience adversity and suffering because the entire earth is opposed to God’s economy. Moreover, this present age is not the time for us to prosper and flourish. Rather, it is a time for us to suffer for the sake of the Body of Christ. In the words of Colossians 1:24, we are filling up what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body, the church.
On the cross the Lord Jesus suffered for our redemption. But during His life on earth, He suffered for the building up of the Body. We cannot participate in the sufferings of Christ for redemption. It would be blasphemy to say that we can participate in such sufferings. However, we must share in Christ’s sufferings for His Body. This means that we must follow His way, the narrow way. We must walk in His footsteps and bear the cross. The Lord Jesus lived a life of suffering, and we must do the same. This is to fill up what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ for the building up of the church, His Body.
The Judaizers did not suffer for the Body of Christ. Therefore, Paul wrote this chapter in such a way as to make clear who are the genuine ministers of the New Testament and who are not. This matter is not determined by the prosperity of any minister; it is determined by his suffering.
In chapter eleven we have two secrets of discerning the genuine from the false: enjoying the Lord as our life supply and suffering in following the Lord. On the one hand, we enjoy the Lord Jesus; on the other hand, we follow Him to live a life of suffering. This enjoyment and suffering are determining factors by which we may discern what is genuine and what is false. Anything that helps us to enjoy the Lord and that strengthens us to follow Him in His suffering is genuine. What does not encourage us in these two matters is false.
At the beginning of chapter eleven Paul speaks of the Lord as our dear Husband. Toward the end of this chapter he refers to the churches. The first secret of discernment is related to the enjoyment of Christ as our Husband; the second is related to the proper concern and care for all the churches, a concern that involves filling up the lack of the sufferings of Christ for the Body. These matters are somewhat hidden in this lengthy chapter. Therefore, we need to read this chapter carefully. Otherwise, these crucial points may be concealed from our understanding. Thank the Lord for showing us that we need to enjoy Him as our Husband, loving Him with a pure and single heart and having a mind that is not corrupted by the deceiver. We also thank Him for showing us that we need to follow in His footsteps and be willing to suffer what He suffered for the building up of the church, His Body.