So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, ESV)
I believe that this passage ranks as one of the most – if not the most -misunderstood passage in all of Scripture. It has lead many Christians to an inaccurate understanding of God’s will regarding sickness and God’s relationship to unclean spirits. Worse, these misunderstandings extend to the nature and character of God’s grace. What’s the thorn? To correct these misunderstandings, let’s start with the phrase, “thorn in the flesh.” Many Christians interpret this literally and think of it as a disease or infirmary of some sort. This is not correct. The phrase is an idiom, an expression that means something else. It is used in the Bible in Numbers 33:55 to describe how the inhabitants of Canaan will vex Israel if Israel does not wipe them out. Paul was certainly familiar with this phrase and its meaning. He was well-trained in Scripture as a Pharisee. Take a look at his credentials in Acts 22:3 and Acts 26:5. Paul demonstrates the quality of this training in Acts 23:6 when he created an argument within the Sanhedrin. So when Paul uses the term “thorn in the flesh” we need to interpret it as he would have understood it, not as we might think of it. This means that the phrase does not refer to a physical ailment. This is why no one can authoritatively say what the problem was. Endless speculation about his hands or his eyes has not reached a conclusion simply because there is no conclusion to be reached. The phrase refers to some group of individuals who are among God’s people and are causing problems for them. In Paul’s case, this was members of the Jewish community. Paul was preaching the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, and was opposed in this message by strict religious Jews who did not accept this teaching. They actually stoned him for his preaching in Lystra as recorded in Acts 14:19. To say this group was causing problems for Paul in preaching the gospel is putting it mildly. They followed him and constantly opposed his teaching. Prayed 3 times? The book of Acts records 3 times that Paul got fed up with this behavior from members of the Jewish community and said “I’m going to the Gentiles from now on!” (Acts 13:46, Acts 18:6 and Acts 19:9). This lines up perfectly with Paul’s statement that he prayed 3 times for God to remove the thorn, that is, the Jews who opposed the spread of the gospel. It’s obvious that Paul loved spreading the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, and it should be just as obvious that Paul loved the Jewish people. He writes in Romans 9:3 that he would give up his own salvation if that would cause his Jewish brothers and sisters to come to Christ. How many of us could honestly make such a statement about any group to which we belong? How many of us share Paul’s great sorrow and unceasing anguish that Jews were rejecting Jesus as their Messiah? The fact that we do not identify ourselves as Jewish is meaningless, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:28 that he has a daily burden of concern for all the churches. Do we have Paul’s level of concern for even our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? This is the “suffering” that God refers to in Acts 9:16 when He tells Ananias that Paul will see how he has to suffer. It’s not physical suffering. Paul is utterly dismissive of that type of suffering as he describes an incredible litany of woes beginning in 2 Corinthians 11:23. The profound suffering of Paul’s soul prophesied in Acts 9:16 mirrors the heart of God, who desires that none should perish but all come to everlasting life. (2 Peter 3:9) Grace is sufficient? Of course, everyone who comes to everlasting life comes by grace alone. This is only the first demonstration of grace in the life of the follower of Jesus Christ, but the concept of grace promoted by interpreting the “thorn” as a physical ailment is utterly bizarre. It brings to mind the image of a horribly beaten boxer crying to surrender as he is being held up by his corner man so the opponent can continue to pummel the disfigured boxer. God certainly gives us strength to endure, but this is a terribly mistaken image. A correct understanding of the “thorn” bolsters an understanding that grace is the only means of salvation. Take a look at the three instances of Paul turning away from the Jews and you will see that he was arguing with them that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Paul’s arguments were based on the incredible revelation he received from God. Paul could not argue these Jews into belief in Jesus because Satan blinded them to this truth. This role of the “messenger of Satan” is precisely described in 2 Corinthians 4:4. It is the reason we cannot argue anyone into the Kingdom of God. If Paul was able to do this successfully, he could have grown pretty boastful. (I know I would if I could do that.) Instead, God says that His grace is sufficient for salvation. Paul’s inability to argue successfully could be interpreted in a worldly sense as a failure, much like an attorney not winning a case is a failure. But God says this failure only serves to highlight the importance and sufficiency of His grace. We get a perfect, or at least improved, sense of God when He does what no one else can do. “Scripture explains Scripture”, and trying to understand it on our own terms can lead to some very wrong conclusions and even worse implications. If we start with a Scriptural definition of the “thorn” in Paul’s flesh we arrive at a coherent, accurate understanding of this passage. We also gain the blessed assurance that no matter how feeble our efforts (on full display with the quality of thought of this essay), grace is always sufficient for the task at hand.
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