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2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 is no “Ask not what your country can do for you,” kind of moment. Talk about backwards; if Paul is trying to inspire us to answer the call to ambassadorship for Christ, his description may well leave us disinterested, dismayed, or downright disgusted. In fact, while Paul may well be employing irony … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Commentary by Karl Jacobson”

“It’s time to go,” Paul calls, “now is the acceptable time.” Lent is about a journey, the journey to the cross and ultimately to Resurrection and new life. Lent is about Jesus’ walk to Jerusalem and our walk with him. The church, in its wisdom, gives us a time to make that journey and a … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Commentary by Lucy Lind Hogan”

Salvation is reconciliation with God. It is that simple really. And yet the simplicity of this sentence is belied by two things. First, the work of Jesus is a radical paradox. Second, the work of God in the life of God’s servants is also a radical proposition. Both are at the center of this passage. … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Commentary by Eric Barreto”

On a seasonal liturgical calendar, Ash Wednesday is a movable feast, marking the beginning of the season of Lent, which concludes with the joyous reality of Easter. Ash Wednesday is celebrated globally in many ways. Most Americans know of it from public ecclesial indications, whether or not they engage in its forms of worship or … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Commentary by Susan Hedahl”

Having this particular biblical passage as part of the Ash Wednesday lectionary texts is a bit strange for a few reasons. First, the lectionary boundaries start about halfway through a unit that runs from 5:11 through 6:10. Second, the lectionary boundaries ignore the theological foundation of what God has done in and through the death … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Commentary by Richard Carlson”

This week’s epistle reading stands near the end of Paul’s extended defense of his ministry that occupies the first half of an impassioned letter to the Corinthians. In response to accusations that questioned the integrity and legitimacy of his ministry, Paul pours out a stream of images throughout 2 Corinthians to describe his work on … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Commentary by Frank L. Crouch”

Paul had a problem. His way of doing ministry in Corinth was severely criticized by other missionaries who had entered the church from outside Corinth. They were competing with Paul for the church’s loyalty. What were they like and what did they have against Paul? If we believe Paul’s characterization they were uncompromising moralists. In … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Commentary by David E. Fredrickson”

As I read through this passage, I am struck by how many of the verses have been pulled out of context for use as catchy ‘one liners’: “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation”; “. . .in Christ, God was reconciling the world to God’s self”; “We are ambassadors for Christ.” The … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Commentary by Holly Hearon”

In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Paul reminds the Corinthians that God’s new creation has dawned, and they are part of God’s handiwork. As recipients of God’s grace, they are called to share the good news of God’s reconciliation. “Human Point of View” It is unfortunate that most English translations render the Greek phrase kata sarka, literally … Continue reading “2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Commentary by Carla Works”

Why read 2 Corinthians? It is probably one of Paul’s most difficult letters to decipher. For one thing, its tone oscillates widely — from expressing deep love to angry rebuke. For another, it does not seem to proceed in a logical fashion, at least to contemporary readers. Indeed, many modern interpreters have thought it to … Continue reading “6-week preaching series on 2 Corinthians.]

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Commentary by David E. Fredrickson”