16 Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little. 17 Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool. 18 And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too. 19 After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools! 20 You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face. 21 I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that! 30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.
Foolish people tend to boast or rejoice in “their human achievements” (11:18). However, ourselves being a weak entity compared to the strong entity of Christ, we as believers can boast in the word of God, and in how we carry the cause of Christ in our daily and weak existence, fighting and being victorious over our experiences of doubt and fear.
We may not be able to do some of which that God has the power to do for others, like His infinite power to change and minister to those who are willing or not willing to accept Christ when we cannot (Psalm 44:7 KJV). But even so in our weakness God directs us in infinite ways to help others to their path to Christ.
We must stay close to the true Gospel of Christ, and not stray to foolish thinking which is the reverse from what the Holy Spirit (Christ’s Spirit) instructs us to do. We are not to follow like as fools who allow themselves to be taken advantage of by the adversary and his cohorts. We are to be “too ‘weak’ to do that” (11:21).
Therefore, we can boast or rejoice in our weaknesses in that we can do the work of Christ as we carry out His Word through His strength alone, and carry out His message and teachings from the Gospel when we speak to others of His Gospel so as to take away the foolishness of the world.
Brenda A. McGee has attended New York Theological Seminary in New York, NY, and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA as a Master of Divinity student.