2 Corinthians 12:16

What does 2 Corinthians 12:16 mean?

Paul is wrapping up a defense of his character, and this sentence is a bit tricky because he's quoting what his critics were saying about him to show how unfair they were being. They accused him of being sneaky and manipulative, of pretending not to burden the Corinthian church financially while secretly taking advantage of them through deception. What Paul is really doing here is holding up their accusation and saying, "Look how ridiculous this is." He hadn't burdened them directly, so they invented a storyline where he was cleverly exploiting them behind the scenes anyway. He's pointing out that his opponents were so determined to find fault that they were willing to believe contradictory things at once. The deeper point is that he had actually worked hard to support himself and be genuinely selfless with them, yet they still questioned his motives, which must have been painful.