What is the meaning of 2 Corinthians 11:26? In my frequent journeys Paul’s life after meeting Christ was a life on the move. Acts 13–21 traces three major missionary journeys that took him from Antioch to Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and back to Jerusalem. Romans 15:19 notes he preached “from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum,” showing constant motion. This relentless travel underscores his devotion to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and sets the frame for the dangers that follow. In danger from rivers Much of Paul’s travel was on foot across Asia Minor’s rugged terrain. Swollen streams with no bridges could sweep travelers away. Isaiah 43:2 promises, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you,” a truth Paul surely clung to. Psalm 124:4-5 speaks of torrents that could have engulfed God’s people, echoing the literal threats he faced. In danger from bandits The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30) shows highway robbery was common. Roman roads were efficient but not always safe. Paul may recall episodes like Acts 16:22-24 where unjust officials beat and jailed him, or the plot of assassins in Acts 23:12-15. 2 Timothy 3:11 reminds Timothy of “persecutions… at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra,” instances that easily could have included robbery or violence on the road. In danger from my countrymen Fellow Jews repeatedly opposed Paul’s preaching that Jesus is the Messiah. Acts 13:45-50 records jealousy and persecution in Pisidian Antioch; Acts 14:19 shows Jews from Antioch and Iconium stoning Paul at Lystra. John 1:11 notes, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him,” and Paul experienced that rejection firsthand. And from the Gentiles Hostility was not limited to Jewish audiences. Acts 16:19-24 tells of Gentile magistrates beating and imprisoning Paul at Philippi; Acts 19:23-41 describes the riot in Ephesus led by the silversmith Demetrius. These episodes fulfill Jesus’ forecast in Acts 9:15 that Paul would bear His name “before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” In danger in the city Urban centers like Jerusalem (Acts 21:30-36) and Corinth (Acts 18:12-17) exposed Paul to mob violence and legal threats. Psalm 55:9-11 laments violence and strife within a city, mirroring what Paul endured in densely populated places where the gospel challenged entrenched powers. And in the country Rural areas offered no guarantee of safety. In Acts 14:6-7 Paul fled to the country towns of Lystra and Derbe, yet even there opponents stoned him. Whether trekking through Galatian hills or Macedonian plains, isolation could amplify danger from both nature and man. In danger on the sea Acts 27 chronicles a harrowing shipwreck on the way to Rome, confirming Paul’s earlier note in 2 Corinthians 11:25 of “three times I was shipwrecked.” Psalm 107:23-30 portrays sailors crying to the Lord in stormy seas, a scene Paul literally lived, reinforcing God’s sovereignty over wind and wave. And among false brothers Perhaps the most painful threat came from those who claimed Christ yet distorted the gospel. Galatians 2:4 speaks of “false brothers secretly brought in.” Acts 15:1 records men teaching circumcision as necessary for salvation, sowing confusion. 2 Peter 2:1 warns of false teachers “among you,” a spiritual peril Paul had to confront alongside physical dangers. summary 2 Corinthians 11:26 catalogs the breadth of risks Paul embraced to carry Christ’s name across the ancient world. Rivers, robbers, ethnic hostility, urban mobs, rural isolation, shipwrecks, and even counterfeit believers were real, literal dangers. Yet through them all the Lord proved faithful, enabling Paul to press on so that we might hear and believe the gospel today. |
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