Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 2 Corinthians 11:8

"I robbed other churches, taking wages [of them] that I might minister unto you;" — 2 Corinthians 11:8 (ASV)

Itinerant teachers of the Hellenistic age commonly gained their financial support by charging a fee for their instruction. Traveling teachers who were concerned about their reputation, however, would often work at a trade. Under the influence of example set by Jesus in his instructions to the Twelve (10:4, 7), early Christianity adopted a third method of support: a preacher accepted gifts from the community (something Paul refused to do; see 1 Corinthians 9:3– 18). But the believers at Corinth had been influenced by the pseudo-apostles into thinking that such acceptance of remuneration for teaching was a criterion of true apostolicity. Their thought seemed to be: “If it is the apostles’ right to get their living by preaching the Gospel, why did Paul refuse to accept support for preaching unless he considered himself inferior?” In his defense, notable for its powerful irony, Paul makes two points. (1) He had committed no offense simply by waiving his apostolic right to support (1 Corinthians 9:12, 15, 18); rather, he did not want anyone to charge him with peddling God’s word for profit (2:17). (2) His purpose in “humbling” himself in the Corinthians’ eyes by doing manual labor while ministering to them was to “elevate” them above their inherited idolatry and vicious past (cf. 4:12; 8:9), just as his “robbing” other churches of money they could not really spare was motivated solely by his desire to serve the Corinthians more effectively (v.8).