5 Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). 6 And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. 11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.
Commentary
Vs. 5 "Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia)."
In closing out his first epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul now lays forth his plans to come to the Corinthians when he passed through Macedonia. Now Macedonia (the European land region north of the Greek Corinth) was where the Apostle Paul founded the churches of *Philippi, Thessalonica, Beroea (see Acts 16:1-6). Similarly the churches of Corinth also had their foundations laid by the preaching of Paul during his evangelistic efforts there (see Acts 18:1-18).
Vs. 6 "And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go.
The Apostle Paul was planning to spend some time with the Corinthians after he first passed through Macedonia, saying that he may even spend the winter with them. From there the Corinthians were to send Paul on his way to his next destination, which at the time of his writing them, was not yet decided.
Vs. 7-9 7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
The Apostle Paul did not want to see the Corinthians at this time, since as he states in verse nine, "For a great and effective door as been opened to me..." vs. 9 and that door the Lord opened to him was in Ephesus, where the Apostle was writing this epistle to them from. Therefore Paul did not want to leave Ephesus until Pentecost, likely in the hope of fully establishing the Gospel there, since the Lord was already working mightily through him in Ephesus (see Acts 19-20), and too leave that work undone to come to them would have only been selfish. That said, the Apostle Paul did not leave them to themselves, instead Paul had already dispatched Timothy who was then making his way to them through Macedonia (see 1 Cor 4:17), as well as this epistle which he was writing to them. Thus the Apostle Paul's itinerary was being directed by the Lord's Will, Working, and Power, not his own. And so it is the Apostle Paul though desiring to see them is not presumptuous in any of his plans about doing this, for he says, "if the Lord permits" he himself would visit them, but at this time that was not possible. Now that Paul says there are many adversaries, is not something that is unique to himself, for all the churches had or were experiencing opposition or persecution to various degrees. For so it is whenever and wherever the Lord opens a door for the Gospel to take root in peoples hearts and lives, there Satan will also stir up opposition to it. That said, we should not lose heart as we set out and do the Lord's Will in preaching and teaching the Gospel. For we will all overcome as we also look too and trust in God's Sovereignty over our this worlds, as well as our own affairs (Rom 8:28).
Vs. 10-11 10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. 11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.
The Apostle Paul now mentions Timothy, whom Paul had already sent out to them (see 1 Cor 4:17), who was then journeying through Macedonia, on his way to them (Acts 19:22). And so it is if Timothy comes to them they should receive him as a servant of the Lord, thus he should be without fear amongst them, since Timothy does the work of the Lord just as the Apostle Paul does. From them Timothy was to be sent back by them to Paul in Ephesus because there Paul was waiting for him with the brethren (vs 11).
Vs. 12 "Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time."
The Apostle Paul also mentions Apollos the eloquent preacher who was first ministered to by Priscilla and Aquila, and who himself had a major influence in the early Corinthians faith in the Gospel. Now that the Apostle Paul strongly urged Apollos to come to them at this time indicates again that though the Corinthians had fallen into some internal struggles, Paul had not forsaken them but was doing whatever he could to help them all get straightened out. Now as to the reasons why Apollos was unwilling to come to them at this time is up for speculation, yet his not coming to them at this particular time no way indicates his abandoning them, rather as he knew his own ministry and what were the pressing needs facing him and the brethren with him, he likely felt he could not come to the Corinthians at this time. Nonetheless he said he would come to them when he has a convenient time. And so the Apostle Paul does not overrule Apollos and demand his going to them, instead he respects his decision not to go and leaves it at that. Something we can all learn from, and thus give grace to each other when it comes to choosing where and when we will be involved in ministry work.
Additional Resources Consulted
*Myers, Allen C. The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987.
Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., & Harrison, R. K., Thomas Nelson Publishers (Eds.). (1995). In Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Vs. 10-12 Hindson, Edward E., and Woodrow Michael Kroll, eds. KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994.
In closing out his first epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul now lays forth his plans to come to the Corinthians when he passed through Macedonia. Now Macedonia (the European land region north of the Greek Corinth) was where the Apostle Paul founded the churches of *Philippi, Thessalonica, Beroea (see Acts 16:1-6). Similarly the churches of Corinth also had their foundations laid by the preaching of Paul during his evangelistic efforts there (see Acts 18:1-18).
Vs. 6 "And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go.
The Apostle Paul was planning to spend some time with the Corinthians after he first passed through Macedonia, saying that he may even spend the winter with them. From there the Corinthians were to send Paul on his way to his next destination, which at the time of his writing them, was not yet decided.
Vs. 7-9 7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
The Apostle Paul did not want to see the Corinthians at this time, since as he states in verse nine, "For a great and effective door as been opened to me..." vs. 9 and that door the Lord opened to him was in Ephesus, where the Apostle was writing this epistle to them from. Therefore Paul did not want to leave Ephesus until Pentecost, likely in the hope of fully establishing the Gospel there, since the Lord was already working mightily through him in Ephesus (see Acts 19-20), and too leave that work undone to come to them would have only been selfish. That said, the Apostle Paul did not leave them to themselves, instead Paul had already dispatched Timothy who was then making his way to them through Macedonia (see 1 Cor 4:17), as well as this epistle which he was writing to them. Thus the Apostle Paul's itinerary was being directed by the Lord's Will, Working, and Power, not his own. And so it is the Apostle Paul though desiring to see them is not presumptuous in any of his plans about doing this, for he says, "if the Lord permits" he himself would visit them, but at this time that was not possible. Now that Paul says there are many adversaries, is not something that is unique to himself, for all the churches had or were experiencing opposition or persecution to various degrees. For so it is whenever and wherever the Lord opens a door for the Gospel to take root in peoples hearts and lives, there Satan will also stir up opposition to it. That said, we should not lose heart as we set out and do the Lord's Will in preaching and teaching the Gospel. For we will all overcome as we also look too and trust in God's Sovereignty over our this worlds, as well as our own affairs (Rom 8:28).
Vs. 10-11 10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. 11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.
The Apostle Paul now mentions Timothy, whom Paul had already sent out to them (see 1 Cor 4:17), who was then journeying through Macedonia, on his way to them (Acts 19:22). And so it is if Timothy comes to them they should receive him as a servant of the Lord, thus he should be without fear amongst them, since Timothy does the work of the Lord just as the Apostle Paul does. From them Timothy was to be sent back by them to Paul in Ephesus because there Paul was waiting for him with the brethren (vs 11).
Vs. 12 "Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time."
The Apostle Paul also mentions Apollos the eloquent preacher who was first ministered to by Priscilla and Aquila, and who himself had a major influence in the early Corinthians faith in the Gospel. Now that the Apostle Paul strongly urged Apollos to come to them at this time indicates again that though the Corinthians had fallen into some internal struggles, Paul had not forsaken them but was doing whatever he could to help them all get straightened out. Now as to the reasons why Apollos was unwilling to come to them at this time is up for speculation, yet his not coming to them at this particular time no way indicates his abandoning them, rather as he knew his own ministry and what were the pressing needs facing him and the brethren with him, he likely felt he could not come to the Corinthians at this time. Nonetheless he said he would come to them when he has a convenient time. And so the Apostle Paul does not overrule Apollos and demand his going to them, instead he respects his decision not to go and leaves it at that. Something we can all learn from, and thus give grace to each other when it comes to choosing where and when we will be involved in ministry work.
Additional Resources Consulted
*Myers, Allen C. The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987.
Youngblood, R. F., Bruce, F. F., & Harrison, R. K., Thomas Nelson Publishers (Eds.). (1995). In Nelson’s new illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Vs. 10-12 Hindson, Edward E., and Woodrow Michael Kroll, eds. KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994.
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