The third coming of Paul. 2 Corinthians 13.

This chapter marks the end of Paul's letter. I really like this ending. In fact, it's my favorite letter ending for this trip through the New Testament. It follows Paul's fabulous sentiment at the end of Chapter 12:20, "For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me not what you wish." That sentiment is followed by a list of all the areas of their life the Corinthians need to clean up.

And then Paul says, "OK, you want strength, here I come. If that's your measure of whether Christ is in me, then every one who has sinned in the past, no, wait, every one of you who need discipline when I come, none of you will be spared. Your chance is to test yourself in advance, to be already self-disciplined and avoid my discipline."

I love Paul's hard attitude that is in love, for their good. He follows the sentiment in 12:20, with this one in 13:10, put elegantly in the NLT: "I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won’t need to deal harshly with you when I do come." And then he ends with words of encouragement: "... rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you."

We need those reminders to examine ourselves against the standard of Jesus. To rejoice and repent. The Corinthians knew Paul was coming. But we all live in expectation of Christ's return, when everything will be set right, justice and reward handed out. Jesus told us to live with that expectation, to be about he Father's business no matter how long the wait. Paul's words remind us of that, and of the need not to wait until the arrival, but to get our act together, so to speak, right now.