Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

2 Corinthians 12:14

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How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

2 Corinthians 12:13-18

Commentary

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians toward the end, he starts to talk about his intention to visit the church. Paul here is preemptively addressing concerns that he’s just in it for the money. He points out that he didn’t accept money from church. He then uses a real life example to illustrate this. He states that children should not have to save up for their parents, but the other way around. Paul is their spiritual parent, and is willing to spend all he has for them. He even points out that his ministry partners, such as Titus, did not exploit them, but also gave freely as spiritual parents.