Why was Paul so heartbroken and distressed in 2 Corinthians 2?
Paul was heartbroken and distressed because Titus had not been able to keep his appointment at Choas. He had no rest in his spirit because he could not find Titus his brother. Yet he left them and went into Macedonia, obedient to the Lord’s call to preach the Gospel there.
Les explains that in 2 Corinthians 2 Paul is under pressure. On one hand, he is heartbroken and distressed because Titus, for one reason or another, has not been able to keep his appointment at Choas. At the same time, the Lord revealed by vision that Paul was to go over into Macedonia, or Greece, and preach the Gospel. Verse 13 says Paul had no rest in his spirit because he found not Titus his brother, so he took his leave and went into Macedonia. Even though he had lost track of Titus and did not know what had happened to him, he was obedient to the Lord’s call to cross the Aegean and begin ministry in Macedonia. Les points out the contrast: Paul was pressed down, distressed, and suffering, yet always triumphant. These are tremendous lessons because Paul was as human as we are, with the same passions, appetites, and feelings; he could get down, and he could get rejoicing.
I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.
More Questions
What does Paul mean by 'no rest in my spirit' in 2 Corinthians 2:13?
When Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:13 that he had no rest 'in my spirit,' the spirit there means his own innermost being.