What does 2 Corinthians 11:1 mean?

Paul has been defending himself against challenges of false apostles, who have come among the believers in Corinth. Apparently, some of the Corinthians have been persuaded that perhaps Paul is not a legitimate apostle. Why? For one thing, Paul is not as strong or impressive in person as he is in his letters. The culture of the day associated performance and speaking skill with wisdom. If Paul was unimpressive in person, was his teaching to be trusted?

Paul will now begin to defend himself even more vigorously. First, though, he asks the Corinthians to bear with a little foolishness from him. Paul seems to feel uncomfortable in the role of self-defense and words that appear to be self-promotion. Ultimately, though, this "foolishness" is about defending Christ and His reputation from the false teaching of Paul's opponents in Corinth. Paul makes no attempt to proclaim his intellect, skill, or power. Rather, he points to all the hardships he's been able to endure on account of the power of Christ.