1Cor 16:10-12 - Church Politics Ab Ovo

10-12 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers. 12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will {Or God’s will for him} to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

We see that Paul had stated his intention to send Timothy already in this letter, {1Co 4:17} and Luke records the fact that Timothy and Erastus did, indeed, go to Macedonia. {Ac 19:22} This visit on the part of Timothy was largely because Paul himself would not be making the journey in the near future.

We know that Timothy was young for a leader. This is why Paul appeals to the responsible elements in Corinth not to let anyone despise Timothy. For sure, there are many elements there that would not hesitate to zero in on any perceived shortcoming in anyone, particularly someone chosen by Paul. The early church in general, and in Corinth as the poster boy, was not a homogeneous bunch of touchy-feely people sitting around a camp fire singing Cumbayah. It was a spiritual battleground then, as now. There were critical, divisive, false, sniping, destructive elements of all stripes - many outwardly wise and loving while, having crept in unawares, they were working to destroy the church from within. Some deceiving and some deceived.

Take the matter of Apollos, for example, who is mentioned in verse 12. Apollos was an Alexandrian, schooled in fine Greek oratory and skilled in its use. He was a smoothie compared to Paul. Some think that because of the "high" Greek used in Hebrews that Apollos was the author of that book, because Paul’s Greek in his general epistles is, by contrast, rather uncultured.

So Apollos would have been just the fellow to appeal to the high-minded factions in Corinth - those who value the outward things rather than content. Many would have welcomed Apollos for the wrong reasons, and it seems that Apollos was aware of this when he refused to go to Corinth. A strong urging from Paul did not move Apollos. We aren’t told specifically why he refused, and Paul does not leave us with the impression that Apollos was being difficult. Apollos was willing to visit and minister in Corinth (he will come when he has opportunity) but just not at that time. Since context is always important, it is no stretch to see his reluctance as an unwillingness to lend his presence to any faction that might take advantage and use it to undermine Paul’s discipline and correction of their chaotic and blameworthy disorder.