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Pride, Pain & Grace “Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak…”
Pride, Pain & Grace “… On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses. For if I do wish to boast I will not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me” (12:1-6).
Pride, Pain and Grace • False brethren were attempting to undermine Paul’s apostolic authority (10:7-18). • Paul began his “boasting” as a means of answering “those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting” (11:12), i.e. they were both claiming apostolic authority and denying Paul’s credentials. • Paul decides to beat them at their own game (11:18, cf. Philippians 3:4). • Although he considers it as “foolishness” his opponents have forced him to engage in such argumentation (12:11).
Pride, Pain and Grace • Paul’s self-imposed limitations regarding his visions are quite revealing. • He refrains from naming himself as the recipient, although he is the one who experienced the vision. • He does not know what state in which he arrived in “paradise,” i.e. the abode of God. • He does not describe what he saw. • He is not allowed to speak the words he heard.
Pride, Pain and Grace • His purpose was two-fold: • Respect of the mystery of the sacred. • Deliberately shaming his rivals by not revealing anything substantive about the revelation itself, but the “mere happening” of the vision (Bultmann, 222). • Note the difference in his approach and his opponents. • His “glorying” was in his “weaknesses” for Christ. • Paul’s boasting is actually rooted in his self-renunciation in contrast to the carnal self-promotion of false brethren (12:5, 6; cf. 10:12, 17-18; 11:21-31). • The criteria of judging him was not “visions” but observable confirmation, “seeing” and “hearing” “signs.”
Pain Prevents Pride:The Thorn That Remains • “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. [8] Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times…”
Pain Prevents Pride:The Thorn That Remains • … that it might depart from me. [9] And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
Pain Prevents Pride:The Thorn That Remains—What Was It? • The entire phrase should be interpreted metaphorically, rather than literally. (Some want to interpret “in the flesh” literally and the term “thorn” metaphorically). • “The term thorn represents something that causes pain in contrast to an illness” (Thorn in the Flesh, 390, VerenaJegher-Bucher, the Strack-Billerbeck Commentary of the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash). • Prominent scholars have argued for every imaginable interpretation: Epilepsy, blindness, sexual desire and a guilty conscience, but in my mind these views fall short of the textual evidence.
Pain Prevents Pride:The Thorn That Remains—What Was It? • “Unless one seizes on a different meaning of the term ‘weakness’ than Paul gives it in the immediate context of 2 Corinthians 12:7 or in any of his correspondence with the Corinthians, there is nothing remotely to suggest this his ‘thorn in the flesh’ is a physical illness…but Paul’s mention of his ‘thorn in the flesh’ is sandwiched between plural forms of the noun which relate to his many tribulations that are listed in 2 Corinthians 11:21-33 and 12:10” (Truth Commentaries, 2 Corinthians, Melvin Curry, 419).
Pain Prevents Pride:The Thorn That Remains—What Was It? • The term “weakness” as used in 11:21-30 and 12:9-10 references the adversities and adversaries mentioned in 2 Corinthians. • Namely, the extremely difficult circumstances and painful persecutions that Satan continually used to attempt to destroy the apostle’s mission. • The only other Biblical references to the term thorn (skolops) occur in the Greek version of the Old Testament (Numbers 33:55; Ezekiel 28:24). • In all of the preceding instances, Israel’s disobedience, as a work of Satan, becomes an occasion for God to demonstrate his power. • In essence Paul is arguing that these false brethren are working for Satan, but used by God to strengthen Paul!
Pain Prevents Pride:The Thorn That Remains—What Was It? • Whatever the “thorn in the flesh” was – Paul wanted it removed and saw it as a hindrance to his work and mission as a gospel preacher and apostle!
Pain Prevents Pride:The Thorn That Remains—What Is It For Us? • We could our “thorns” be? • Sickness • Hardships • Unfaithful Brethren • World • Career • Finances • Family problems
The Thorn Remains:The Battle Is Internal, Not External • Even the persecutions were aimed at the battle of the mind and soul (10:2-6; 2 Timothy 4:6-8).
The Thorn Remains:See God’s Purpose • To the Corinthians, Satan appeared as ‘an angel of light,” (11:14) in order to work darkness. • To Paul, he appeared as an angel of agony in order to work despair. • However, it backfired, God used Satan’s messenger to deliver His own message.
The Thorn Remains:See God’s Purpose • God’s purpose was to ensure that Paul maintained the right view of himself in spite of his spiritual privileges!
The Thorn Remains:See God’s Purpose • The term “buffet” means to “strike with the fist,” literally. • Metaphorically it is variously translated as to “pound away,” “abuse,” or “torment”. • The thorn becomes a fist! • “What a dreadful poison pride is, so that the only antidote to it is another poison”
The Thorn Remains:Gladly Accept It • 12:10 Paul expresses his submission to God’s will for his development. • Came to understand the purpose of trials in the development of patience and humility! • Notice the qualifying phrase, “for Christ’s sake.”
The Thorn Remains:The Great Spiritual Value • Suffiency and Adequacy of God’s Grace (9). • God’s power is perfected in weakness (God’s power is only experienced in the life of one who realizes he cannot save himself by his own strength) (9; 13:4). • Power of Christ May Dwell in Me(9) • To set up a tent for protection! • It is when we need God the most—that we observe the greatness of his power.
