Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Corinthians 11:27-33

"[in] labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for evermore knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to take me: and through a window was I let down in a basket by the wall, and escaped his hands." — 2 Corinthians 11:27-33 (ASV)

Here the Apostle lists the evils he voluntarily undertook, namely, those endured in domestic life. He lists three evils that are opposed to the three goods necessary for life: restful sleep, sustenance from food, and the warmth of clothing.

To restful sleep, he opposes labor and sleepless nights. Concerning this, he says, "in toil," that is, manual labor: You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me (Acts 20:34). He literally made his living with his own hands: With toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you (2 Thessalonians 3:8). Regarding the weakness resulting from labor, he adds "and hardship," that is, a weakness and tiredness that follows from labor or from a natural sickness: My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer (Psalms 32:4). Regarding sleepless nights, he says, "through many a sleepless night," because he devoted himself either to preaching at night or to manual labor. In Acts 20:7, it says that he prolonged his sermon until midnight.

To sustenance from food, he opposes two forms of being denied food. One is due to necessity; therefore, he says, "in hunger and thirst," because he was frequently unable to obtain food and drink: To the present hour we hunger and thirst (1 Corinthians 4:11). The other is voluntary; therefore, he says, "often without food," that is, voluntarily undertaken both for a good example and to tame the flesh: I pommel my body and subdue it (1 Corinthians 9:27). But this seems to be in conflict with Matthew 6:33: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Why then "in hunger and thirst"? I answer that when it is beneficial and for our benefit, temporal things are added; but sometimes it is beneficial to lack them.

To the warmth of clothing, he opposes two things: one due to nature, so he says, "in cold"; the other due to poverty, so he says, "and exposure." I am proved a minister of Christ: We are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless (1 Corinthians 4:11); In afflictions, hardships, calamities (2 Corinthians 6:4).

Next, with the words, "And, apart from other things," he lists the internal evils he undertook, namely, those caused by anxiety of heart because of the activities of the false apostles. A good church leader is concerned about two things affecting his subjects: their safety and their falling away. The Apostle suffered affliction concerning both.

The first is when he says, "and, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches." It is as if he is saying: in addition to what I suffer and have suffered from the outside, the internal affliction is more oppressive—that is, the concern for his subjects. Therefore, he says the daily pressure for all the churches is great and lies heavily upon him, because he was very concerned: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things (Luke 10:41); He that rules, with solicitude (Romans 12:8, Vulgate).

The second affliction he suffered concerned the failings of his subjects, and this he addresses in two ways. First, for spiritual failings, he says, Who is weak—that is, in faith and in goodness—and I am not weak? In heart, grieving over them as though over myself? To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak (1 Corinthians 9:22); O that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people! (Jeremiah 9:1).

Second, for bodily failings, he says, Who is made to fall by the evil of punishment—that is, who suffers afflictions—and I am not indignant—that is, on fire—with the fire of compassion? This is the fire which the Lord came to cast upon the earth (Luke 12:49). Notice that he fittingly uses the word "on fire," because compassion proceeds from the love of God and neighbor, which is a consuming fire. It moves one to alleviate the misfortunes of one’s neighbor, and it cleanses the soul with the compassion it engenders. Furthermore, our sins are loosed, while the charity of that compassion covers a multitude of sins. For a person sometimes falls into sin by himself, and then he is weakened; sometimes by the example of others, and then he is caused to stumble: Woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! (Matthew 18:7).

Next, with the words, "if I must boast," he confirms some of the statements made above. Or, we could say that above he speaks about the evils he commendably endured, but here about the evils he prudently avoided. But because avoiding evils that arise against the faith seems to imply weakness, he first states that he wishes to boast in those things that imply weakness; secondly, he proposes an oath to confirm his statements (verse 31); and thirdly, he shows how he avoided some evils (verse 32).

First, therefore, he suggests the things in which one should boast, if he must boast, saying: If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. It is as if he is saying: others may boast in their race and other worldly things—They glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things (Philippians 3:19)—and I, when compelled, boasted in them. Yet if I must boast, I will boast in my weakness: I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Secondly, he states that he is not lying and is calling on God to witness in the manner of an oath, so that they will believe him, saying, The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for ever, knows that I do not lie. Here he lays down three things. One is to inspire fear; therefore, he says, "God": Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? (Jeremiah 10:7). Another is to stir up love, when he says, "Father": Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17); If then I am a father, where is my love?, or according to another version, my honor? (Malachi 1:6). Thirdly, to inspire reverence and praise, he says, "who is blessed forever": Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3). He, therefore, so revered, so worthy of love, so worthy of fear, knows that I do not lie, that is, in what I have said and will say: Our word to you has not been Yes and No (2 Corinthians 1:18).

Then, with the words, "At Damascus," he shows the evils he avoided, in a specific instance of danger. Here it should be noted that the Apostle first began to preach Christ in Damascus, where he was thrown to the ground and converted to the faith as he was on his way to arrest Christians. Therefore, the Jews appealed to the governor of that city, who was representing King Aretas, to arrest Paul and put him to death. So the governor ordered the city gates to be watched day and night, as it says in Acts, chapter 9. But the Christians who were there, desiring to save Paul, lowered him by the wall in a basket.

The Apostle refers to this escape when he says he is not lying: for at Damascus, the governor under King Aretas—that is, the governor who ruled at Damascus under King Aretas—was persuaded by the Jews to guard the city of the Damascenes to seize me, so that after I was captured, I would be delivered to the Jews and prevented from preaching. But I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped his hands, that is, the governor’s. This was done in keeping with the Lord’s command: When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next (Matthew 10:23). In this way too did Michal let David down through a window to escape from Saul (1 Samuel 19:12), and Rahab let the spies down with a cord out of a window (Joshua 2:15).

But some object to the Apostle’s conduct. First, because he seems to have lacked confidence in the Lord and fled. I answer that as long as human help is available, a person should not run to divine help, because this would be tempting God. Instead, he should use human help as much as he can, and the Apostle was not yet lacking human help.

The second objection is based on John 10:12: He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. Therefore, it seems that Paul was not a good shepherd. I answer that sometimes the person of the church leader alone is sought, and sometimes the leader along with all the people. When the leader alone is sought, then he should entrust his duties to another and remove himself. This is what Paul did. Therefore, a gloss says that although he fled, he still took care of his people by commending them to the Good Shepherd seated in heaven and saving himself for their benefit by fleeing. But when the entire flock is sought, then he should prefer the benefit and safety of the flock to his own bodily safety.

Note that there is a flight inspired by humility, when a person flees honors, as Christ fled when they sought to make him king (John 6:15). In the same way Saul, when chosen, concealed himself at home (1 Samuel 10:22). Another flight is inspired by caution, when a person flees dangers in order to be saved for greater purposes. This is the way Elijah fled from Jezebel (1 Kings 19:3), and the way the Apostle fled from the hands of the governor.