John Calvin Commentary 2 Corinthians 10:1

"Now I Paul myself entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you:" — 2 Corinthians 10:1 (ASV)

Having finished his exhortation, he now proceeds partly to refute the slanders with which he had been defamed by the false apostles, and partly to restrain the insolence of certain wicked people, who could not tolerate being restrained. Both parties, in order to destroy Paul’s authority, interpreted the vehemence with which he thundered in his Epistles to be θρασοδειλίαν — (mere bravado,) because when present he was not as impressive in appearance and speech, but was insignificant and contemptible.

“See,” they said, “here is a man who, aware of his inferiority, is so very modest and timid, but now, when at a distance, makes a fierce attack! Why is he less bold in speech than in letters? Will he terrify us, when he is at a distance, who, when present, is the object of contempt? How does he come to have such confidence as to imagine that he is free to do anything with us?” They circulated speeches of this kind in order to disparage his strictness and even make it odious. Paul replies that he is not bold except insofar as he is compelled by necessity, and that the insignificance of his physical presence, for which he was held in contempt, did not diminish his authority in any way, since he was distinguished by spiritual excellence, not by outward display. Therefore, those who mocked his exhortations, his rebukes, or his threats would not escape punishment. The words I myself are emphatic; as if he had said that however much malicious people might blame him for inconstancy, he was in reality not changeable, but remained uniformly the same.

I exhort you. The speech is abrupt, as is frequently the case with speeches uttered under the influence of strong feeling. The meaning is this: “I beseech you, or rather, I earnestly entreat you by the gentleness of Christ, not to compel me, through your obstinacy, to be more severe than I would desire to be, and than I will be, towards those who despise me on the grounds that I have nothing excellent in external appearance, and do not recognize that spiritual excellence with which the Lord has distinguished me, and by which I ought rather to be judged.”

The form of entreaty he uses is taken from the subject at hand, when he says—by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Slanderers took the opportunity to find fault with him because his physical presence lacked dignity, and because, on the other hand, when at a distance, he thundered in his Epistles. He fittingly refutes both slanders, as has been said, but he declares here that nothing delights him more than gentleness, which is fitting for a minister of Christ, and of which the Master himself provided an example.

Learn of me, he says, for I am meek and lowly.
My yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:29–30).

The Prophet also says of him, His voice will not be heard in the streets:
a bruised reed he shall not break, etc. (Isaiah 42:2–3).

Therefore, that gentleness which Christ showed, he also requires from his servants. Paul, in mentioning it, intimates that he is no stranger to it. “I earnestly beseech you not to despise that gentleness, which Christ showed us in his own person, and shows us every day in his servants, indeed, which you see in me.”

Who in presence: he repeats this, as if speaking in the character of his adversaries, by way of imitating them. Now he confesses, as far as words go, what they reproached him for, yet, as we shall see, in such a way as to concede nothing to them in reality.