Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Corinthians 12:14

"Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a burden to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children." — 2 Corinthians 12:14 (ASV)

Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you. That is, this is the third time that I have planned to come and see you, and have prepared for it. He does not mean that he had been with them twice and was now coming the third time, but that he had twice before intended to go and had been disappointed. See 1 Corinthians 16:5; 2 Corinthians 1:15–16.

He had planned to visit them on his way to Macedonia, and again on his return from Macedonia. He had now formed a third resolution, which he expected to carry out.

And I will not be burdensome to you. I still resolve, as I have done before, not to receive compensation that will be oppressive to you (see 2 Corinthians 11:9–10).

For I seek not yours, but you. I do not desire to obtain your property, but to save your souls. This was a noble resolution, and it is the resolution that should be formed by every minister of the gospel. While a minister of Christ has a claim to a competent support, his main purpose should not be to obtain that support. It should be the higher and nobler object of winning souls to the Redeemer. For Paul's conduct in this respect, see Acts 20:33.

For the children, etc. There is great sensitivity and tact in this sentiment. The meaning is this: "It is not natural or usual for children to provide for their parents. The common course of events and duty is for parents to provide for their children. I, therefore, your spiritual father, choose to act in the same way. I provide for your spiritual needs; I labor and toil for you as a father does for his children. I seek your welfare, as he does, by constant self-denial. In return, I do not ask you to provide for me, any more than a father ordinarily expects his children to provide for him. I am willing to labor as he does, content with doing my duty and promoting the welfare of those under my care."

The words translated "ought not" (ou ofeilei) are to be understood in a comparative sense.

Paul does not mean that a child ought never to provide for his parents, or to set aside anything for a sick, poor, and ailing father; but that the duty of doing that was minor and less frequent compared with the duty of a parent to provide for his children.

The former was a comparatively rare occurrence, while the latter was constant and the ordinary course of duty. It is a matter of obligation for a child to provide for an aged and helpless parent, but usually the duty is that of a parent to provide for his children. Paul felt like a father toward the church in Corinth, and he was therefore willing to labor for them without compensation.