Verses 15-17:

15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”? 

The million dollar question is, why do certain things bring about good or ill responses?  When someone offends me, will I forgive or be filled with rage?  Where will I take my refuge?  In Christ or some other escape.  Is there a source for courage or am I instead running to despair?  You know, the angry words we speak or the steps we take to exact revenge on someone sometimes reveal more about us than they do the other person. 

The Corinthian Christians were showing a lack of seeing what was going on for Paul – a lack of loving concern for him.  He was fighting for his life.  All they could care about was he hadn’t visited them yet.  Paul’s response to all their hate and complaints and accusations is a candid self disclosure to act relationally, to before God assess himself in the mirror of God’s truth, humbly setting Christ before him.

In verses 12-14 there’s one word that sort of stands out of place

The word is boast.  It has an ugly un-Christian almost ring about it.  Some of the people who’d come to Corinth and were part of the group stirring up this trouble were boasting about their credentials and experiences to legitimize their mission.  They were boasting the same way the world does.

Paul instead, wants to boast about his weakness, of trusting the Lord and God’s grace and mercy.  What we catch here is Paul taking the words of these troublemakers and throwing them back at them to assess their lives before Jesus and the arrogance of their hearts.

Look up, see God is faithful to his promises.

Verses 18-20

18  But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”  19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.”  20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

There is no ambiguity about Jesus.  He is the “yes” of God.  From God’s side, as well as ours, everything is focused upon Jesus.  In and through Jesus we find him to be the AMEN of God. 

God speaks to us in Christ and we who have received the message speak back to God through Christ[2]