16:3,4
The gift could not be sent by bank transfer! So a party would travel to Jerusalem. The Corinthians were to choose whom they would send, so it would be people trusted by the Corinthian church. All this was to make sure that everything was above board. Money is an area where individuals and churches can fall, and also an area where accusations, justified or not, will be made. So it is essential that everything is done properly. Paul would provide letters of introduction for the chosen delegates, so that the church in Jerusalem knew that they could trust them. In the end Paul did travel to Jerusalem as well, but at the time of writing this decision had not been made.
16:5
Paul then outlines his travelling plans. Throughout this part there is emphasis on “perhaps” and “if the Lord permits”, i.e. Paul knows he cannot guarantee the plans will be perfectly fulfilled. In 2 Corinthians we learn that this caused some problems. He intended to visit them after going through Macedonia.
No comments:
Post a Comment