That the Change of Plan Should Not Be Interpreted Unfavorably (2 Cor. 1:15–17)

2 Cor. 1:15. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.

“I wanted”—that is, the hope which he expressed above, that the Corinthians would understand him as one who speaks sincerely; but he means here not that he hoped from the Corinthians, but that the Corinthians would see in him until the end, as he hoped, that is, sincere speech. “I wanted” will mean: in such a disposition, sincerely, truthfully, not deceitfully. When I wished to come to you earlier, this was truly my desire; and when I told you of it, I spoke the truth.

But when was this? Probably the holy Paul, before writing the first epistle in which he writes that he goes to them through Macedonia, had told them through faithful men that he would come from Ephesus directly to them, would go from them to Macedonia, and from Macedonia would return to them again, and from them would depart to Judea. When reports of the discord among the Corinthians, especially concerning the man guilty of incest, reached the Apostle, he changed this plan; he first sent the holy Timothy there, and prepared himself to go through Macedonia afterwards. In the first epistle he wrote of this. Upon hearing this, some began to say: there he is, he changes—today one way, tomorrow another. Concerning these rumors, the holy Titus reported to him upon returning from Corinth, and it is about these that the holy Paul now begins to speak. Such, he says, was my firm wish and intention, to come to you first.

“So that you might have a double blessing.” By “blessing” he means the visit to the Corinthians, both because of the joy and comfort which it would provide them, and because of the spiritual goods which they would receive through it: for with the Apostles always came abundant grace, words of the anointed, overshadowing of believers with the outpouring of grace, or even manifestations of grace-filled healings, deliverance from demons, and the manifestation of other powers. But what does it mean: “so that you might have a double blessing”? According to the meaning of blessing mentioned—that you might receive a second visit from me. But how? Most directly it would be: the first blessing you had in my first stay with you, and this visit would be the second blessing. But our commentators do not take the word in this sense, but understand it thus: the first blessing would be if I came directly to you, and the second would be if, having visited Macedonia, I returned to you again. Theodoret writes: “so that you might have a double blessing,” that is, “double joy from receiving me twice.”

2 Cor. 1:16. And to pass through you to Macedonia, and come to you again from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea.

In order not to see contradiction in these words of the holy Paul with what he wrote in the first epistle, one must keep in mind that such was the plan, as the Apostle states it, before the first epistle; but afterward he changed it and wrote that he goes to them through Macedonia. It is this change that gave some cause to accuse the Apostle of inconstancy. One can only ask why the holy Paul did not mention this in the first epistle? He states the reason for the change in the plan below, namely—the unwillingness to personally deal with the man guilty of incest; and about this, as everyone sees for himself, there was no reason to write. Besides, when he wrote: “I will pass through Macedonia” (1 Cor. 16:5), it seems he wished to say: know that the promise has been cancelled, and for good reason.

2 Cor. 1:17. When I planned this, did I plan it lightly? Or do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no’ at the same time?

This place will not be entirely clear and consistent with what precedes and follows unless we supply the thought that the Apostle is here already speaking of a change in his travel plans. All our commentators do this. Here are the words of Saint Chrysostom for all. “Here the Apostle directly refutes the accusation of not fulfilling his promise to come to the Corinthians. For the meaning of his words is this: I wanted to come to you. Why then did I not come? Not out of frivolity or inconstancy? (For this is what the words mean: ‘did I perhaps act lightly?’) No. Why then? Because ‘that which I deliberate, I do not deliberate’ ‘according to the flesh.’ What does it mean: not ‘according to the flesh do I deliberate?’ Not as a fleshly man;—‘that with me there may be ‘Yes, yes’ and ‘No, no.’ But even this is not clear. What then is he saying? A fleshly man, he says, that is, one attached only to the present, always living in the present and not under the influence of the Spirit of God, can go everywhere and wander where he wishes; on the contrary, one subject to the Spirit of God and guided and ruled by Him cannot always be master of his own will, being dependent on the power of the Spirit. What happens to him is the same as with a faithful servant, who knows only to execute his master’s orders and has no power over himself, and does not know rest even for a short time;—he sometimes promises something to his companions, but later does not fulfill his promise when it turns out to be contrary to the will of his master. This is what the Apostle’s words mean: not ‘according to the flesh do I deliberate,’—that is, I am under the guidance of the Spirit of God and do not have the power to go where I wish: I am subject to the power and commands of the Spirit of God, and His voice guides and directs me. Therefore I could not come to you; for this was not pleasing to the Spirit of God. (Something similar is often said in the Acts of the Apostles, (Acts 16:6–9). In one place the Apostles intended to go, but the Spirit of God commanded them to go to quite another place). So, that I did not come to you, despite my promise, this depended not on my frivolity or inconstancy, but on the Spirit of God, to whom I am subject and must obey. But what? — someone will say. Was not the Apostle’s promise to come inspired by the Spirit of God? — No, not by the inspiration of the Spirit. This promise was an act of his love for the Corinthians.”

The thought of the holy Chrysostom is that he who plans according to ordinary human standards, when he decides to do something, exerts himself by all means to do it so as to carry out his own will, so as to have a yes-yes and a no-no. The blessed Theodoret thus expresses the Apostle’s thought: “I am not enslaved, I say, to passion, to accomplish things one way or another. Whoever follows the desires of the flesh is carried away by his own thoughts, however extremely absurd they might be; and whoever soberly deliberates on something, even if the deliberated thing is good, as soon as he perceives that it does not benefit others, does not carry out his intention. And that we, as soon as we perceive something beneficial for you, eagerly propose it to you without any hesitation—this is testified to by our preaching; because repeatedly proposing this to you, we have not changed our words.” The last words of the blessed Theodoret serve as a transition to the following words of the Apostle.