Back in July of 2023, we started our study of the Corinthian Church, set up in the first century A.D. by Paul. Our goal, as always, is to foster readers’ interest in the Holy Bible, that they may study the scriptures further for themselves.
So as not to lose our readers’ interest, we attempt to keep our articles reasonably short. We also try to choose pithy titles, to help capture the intent of the original author’s subject matter.
For our introductory article to 1 Corinthians, we chose “A church gone wild” as our title to help summarize what 1 Corinthians is all about.
For this introduction to 2 Corinthians, our attempt at a pithy title is “Still Crazy After All These Tears.” Explaining pithiness often takes away from the intended effect, so I generally don’t explain my titles. I’m making an exception this time. Here goes:
As I like to do, I borrow this article title from a song, often adding a twist to the song title. You can figure out the original song title on your own!
The twist to the title for this article is the word “tears.” I use the word tears because of what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:4: “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.”
When reading either of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, it doesn’t take long to figure out that the Apostle to the Gentiles genuinely loves them.
Next, I chose the title because of the word “crazy.” The word has a double meaning in helping to summarize the intent of the 2 Corinthians letter.
First, the Corinthians have learned nothing from Paul’s personal presence with them in the beginning, nor from his first letter to them.
They are even yet still carnal—see 1 Corinthians 3:3. To be instructed with such love as Paul has shown them in Christ and not heed it is just crazy!
The second meaning of the word crazy in the article title, is because Paul literally has a “crazy” jealous godly love for the Corinthian Church. Paul demonstrates his great love towards the Corinthians despite their total disrespect for him. They show their contempt by asking for Paul’s credentials, even though he founded the Corinthian Church. They show additional disrespect by preferring better speaking and more handsome preachers over Paul.
They chose style over substance, all of which we will address later in our 2 Corinthians study. I use the word “crazy” in the article title because of what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:2: “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Paul in the 2 Corinthians 11:2 verse is artistically using both the Old Testament and the New Testament imagery of Christ as the bridegroom and the Church as his purified bride.
Furthermore, he is showing himself to the Corinthians as the bridegroom’s best man—a best man whose job is to make sure the bridegroom gets to the wedding at all cost.
This cost includes the best man’s own self-esteem, to help the bridegroom. A best man is a trusted servant of the groom. The best man rejoices at the wedding of the bridegroom, even to the point of sacrificing his own life.
Paul is stylistically invoking what John the Baptist says in John 3:29-30: “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. [30] He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John the Baptist turned the eyes of the people away from himself to Jesus in John 3:23-36. Likewise, Paul is taking no glory for himself, but rather pointing people to Jesus.