In this Chapter we delve into Paul’s Sufferings and the challenge to his authority by the “Super Apostles” of Corinth.
Having established the issue in the previous chapter – namely, that his authority is from Christ, and he will use his authority if required – he now goes into the realm of what he calls ‘foolishness’ in Chapter 11 to establish his point.
The reason that he calls it foolishness is because to him, it is distasteful to have to make comparisons, and to boast about these sorts of things. The Corinthians however, in making such a big issue of challenging his authority, have forced him into a position where now he has to remind them of the things he has done for them, and all the evidences that he has in his favour demonstrating that his authority comes from Christ.