“Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?”
The full verse · 2 Corinthians 12:17 · KJV
Did I make a of of I ?
Asked by
Paul: the apostle writing to the church at Corinth, answering a charge that he took their money through others (2 Corinthians 12:16)
Asked to
Corinthians: the church at Corinth, who had received Titus and others sent by Paul (2 Corinthians 12:18)
The Scene
Paul has just voiced a charge made against him, that although he took nothing in person, "being crafty, I caught you with guile" (2 Corinthians 12:16).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe charge Paul answers is that his free preaching was a trick, and that he got money from Corinth through the men he sent. Barnes and Gill both read 2 Corinthians 12:16 as the words of Paul's opponents, not his own view, though Barnes adds that it is impossible to determine whether they actually made the charge or Paul only anticipates it. Paul does not answer with a long argument. As Barnes says, "Paul appeals boldly to the facts, and to what they knew." Gill says Paul wants them to name one single person of all he had sent who had taken anything from them. If they could not, Gill says, they should see the charge as "a downright slander and calumny."
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe answer is plain, and Paul presses it with more questions: "I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?" (2 Corinthians 12:18). The Corinthians knew how Titus had acted. Paul then adds, "we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying" (2 Corinthians 12:19).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Make a gain" translates the Greek epleonektēsa, from pleonekteō. Barnes says it means properly to have an advantage, and then "to take advantage, to seek unlawful gain." Earlier in this letter Paul says he urged Titus to "finish in you the same grace" (2 Corinthians 8:6), the gift for "the ministering to the saints" (2 Corinthians 8:4), and sent with him "the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches" (2 Corinthians 8:18). Barnes points to 2 Corinthians 8:6 and 8:18 in his notes on 2 Corinthians 12:16 and 12:18. Paul had arranged that collection carefully, "Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (2 Corinthians 8:21).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyPaul's defense rests on a life that can be checked. He does not ask the Corinthians to take his word. He asks them to remember what they saw. In arranging the collection, Paul had handled money so that "no man should blame us" (2 Corinthians 8:20). That care now stands as his answer.
Paul also places it all before God: "we speak before God in Christ" (2 Corinthians 12:19). His concern is not only his reputation but their good, "for your edifying." Integrity is not only about avoiding blame. It protects the people we serve from being hurt or misled.
Look Closer
What accusation is Paul answering with this question?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, is there any part of my life, especially in how I handle money or trust, that You want me to bring more fully into the light?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Paul could point people to the facts. What habits help your conduct speak for itself when you are questioned?
- Tell about a time someone's honesty with money or trust earned your respect.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
When you are falsely accused, you do not always need a clever defense. A life lived openly can answer for itself. Paul could say, in effect, "Name one time." Build that kind of record now: handle money and trust in ways that are "honest... in the sight of men" as well as before God (2 Corinthians 8:21).
This does not mean you must chase down every rumor. Paul's aim was not to win but to build up the people he loved (2 Corinthians 12:19). Answer with facts, then leave the rest with God.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Did Titus make a gain of you? Walked we not in the same spirit? Walked we not in the same steps?”
“For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you?”
“Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?”
“Though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved”