🕃 Fore-feast of the Procession of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord; The Holy and Just Eudocimus.
Abstention from meat and foods that contain these ingredients.
2 Corinthians 1:12-20; Matthew 22:23-33.
Read 2 Corinthians 1:12-20
Have You Ever Been Called a Liar for Telling the Truth Too Carefully?
Paul knew what that felt like. He had to change travel plans, and the Corinthians jumped to conclusions. They assumed he’d been double-talking them: saying one thing while secretly planning another. Paul answered with honesty’s only real defense against suspicion: what you see is what you get. He promised his letters matched his life. No hidden agendas. No “private Paul” behind his public persona.
But then a second verse seems to complicate things. Peter, writing about Paul’s letters, admits that some of Paul’s writings are tough to wrap your head around. In fact, they’re complex enough that careless readers twist them out of context.
So, which is it? Was Paul straightforward, or was he complicated?
The answer is both. Honestly, that’s the whole point.
These two verses are answering completely different questions. Paul was defending his integrity, not claiming to be a simple writer. Peter was describing the depth of Paul’s theology, not questioning his honesty. A person—or a book—can be 100% sincere and still take some real work to understand. Honestly, the two usually go hand in hand. The deepest truths are rarely the easiest to digest.
This is a great reminder for whenever we open the Bible and hit a page that feels like a brick wall. Hard to understand does not mean dishonest. St. John Chrysostom looked at Paul and saw a man whose life matched his words. Peter looked at Paul and saw a mind that stretched his audience. They were both looking at the exact same guy: totally unguarded, but incredibly deep.
Maybe that’s just how God chooses to speak to us. He speaks plainly enough for us to trust Him, but deeply enough to keep us searching. God doesn’t water Himself down to make things easy. He shows up fully as He is, and trusts us to do the growing required to understand Him.