“Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2).
The famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes once solved a murder case by noting a curious incident- a guard dog on duty at the time of the murder did not bark at the presence of the murderer. From this, Holmes deduced that the assailant was known to the dog, thus narrowing his list of suspects and eventually leading him to identify the guilty party. (1)
What does this have to do with our look at this portion of Scripture? Well, 2 Corinthians chapter eight opens a discussion on the subject of financial giving by referring to the example of the regional churches of Macedonia. Macedonia was located in the northern portion of Greece while Corinth was located to the south in an area known as Achaia. Those who are familiar with the New Testament Scriptures will recognize the names of several congregations that met in the cities of Macedonia, a list that included the churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.
Yet much like the dog that didn’t bark in Sherlock Holmes’ murder mystery, the fact that Paul the Apostle never discussed financial issues in his Biblical letters to the churches at Philippi or Thessalonica suggests that the churches of that area had not been exposed to the dangers associated with the love of money. In fact, many commentators note that those who lived in the Macedonian region were impoverished by war and first-century Roman economic policies.
Nevertheless, Paul referred to their example in encouraging the Corinthian church to support the members of the Christian community in Judea, an area that had been affected by a severe famine. Yet despite the fact that the churches of Macedonia were experiencing extreme poverty (CEB) and a severe test of affliction (ESV), they were still extremely generous in their giving (GNT).
The motivating factor behind their response can be explained by Paul’s reference to God’s grace. a word that continually reappears throughout 2 Corinthians chapters eight and nine. Earlier we defined the word grace as “God’s unmerited favor” and much like an image that is reflected in a mirror, God’s gracious favor towards the Christian community in Macedonia was reflected in their generous support of those who were in need. Thus, their response served as an example to the Corinthian Christians (and us) regarding this important virtue.
(1) The Adventure of Silver Blaze https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Blaze