2 Corinthians 12 - When We Are Weak, We Are Strong!
Paul’s Vision and His Thorn
12 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This is Paul's famous "thorn in the flesh" passage. But before that he shares a vision where he was caught up to the "third heaven". Wait, I thought there was just one heaven and one earth. What gives?
The third heaven doesn’t suggest different “levels” of heaven (although this is what some ancient Jewish Rabbis believed). Instead, Paul is using terminology common in that day, which referred to the “blue sky” as the first heaven, the “starry sky” as the second heaven, and the place where God lived and reigned as the third heaven. - Guzik
This is also why the bible will also say, "the heavens and the earth." Paul speaks in the third person, though he is speaking about himself. He has had this exceedingly great vision and revelation, but now he is going to talk about an experience that taught even more about God's power.
Paul says that in order to keep him from being conceited, he was given a "thorn in the flesh". The Greek word for "flesh" is "sarx". In other passages Paul refers to this as the "sinful nature", which we all inherited from Adam. While there is a lot of debate on what exactly is Paul referring to when he mentions his thorn in the flesh, I think it is a struggle he had with his sinful nature.
He talks about this in Romans 7, when he says, "Why do I not do what I want to do but do the very opposite of what I want to do. What a wretched man I am."
This was a messenger of Satan. Like Job, God allowed Satan to tempt Paul.
"Satan probably jumped at God’s permission to afflict Paul and did so with malice towards the apostle. But God had a purpose in it all and allowed Satan’s messenger to successfully keep Paul from being exalted above measure." - Guzik
Paul begged God to take away this thorn, but the message Paul received was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul was a determined and strong willed man. The Lord knew this. God knew that Paul needed this thorn to stay reliant on His grace. Paul learned more about God's grace in his weakness than in his strength. Paul's weakness in the flesh allowed God's grace to be shown more powerfully than in his strength.
I believe we all have a "thorn in the flesh". An area of our lives which we fight but always seem to lose because we fight with only our own will power. It is an area of life where we are "powerless". It is humbling to admit you need help, but unless you admit help, you can never receive the power God wants to give you.
Your thorn in the flesh could be lust, greed, pride, or vanity. We all have a blind spot that the devil loves to use against us. But if we can recognize it, admit we are powerless over it, and surrender this issue to God and His grace, we can show God's power in a way we could never do on our own.
Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians
11 I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. 12 I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles. 13 How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
Paul again laments that he had to get to this point of proving he was truly an apostle. Paul did the same signs, wonders, and miracles that the apostles did following the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out. Paul possessed this same powerful Holy Spirit, which was the real requirement for a true apostle.
If Paul thought his “boasting” was foolish, why did he do it at all? Not for his sake, but for the sake of the Corinthian Christians. They did not defend Paul’s character and standing as an apostle before the most eminent apostles who criticized and undermined Paul. - Guzik
14 Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? 16 Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! 17 Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?
Paul is coming to Corinth a third time and likens it to a parent visiting their child. He doesn't want them to worry about his needs, but he wants to show his love to them. Paul's integrity is affirmed by the men he sent to them including Titus.
This is the testimony of every godly minister. They do not serve for what they can get from God’s people but for what they can give to God’s people. They are shepherds, not hirelings. This is the heart of Jesus towards us. We often think that what God really wants is what we have; but He really wants us. Jesus selflessly seeks our good, and His heart is for us, not for what He can “get” from us. - Guzik
19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening. 20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
Paul's worst fear is that when he comes to them that they will be caught up in worldliness. His prayer was that his earlier letters would lead to godly sorrow, which would lead to true repentance.
"If the Corinthian Christians were mired in their worldliness when Paul came the third time, he would be angry, and he would be firm. But he would also be humbled, and he would also mourn. As much as anything, the worldliness of the Corinthian Christians grieved Paul and made him mourn for many." - Guzik
How would Paul react if he visited our churches, or the church in America in general? What would he say? Would he see a church caught up in worldliness and the desires of the flesh? When sin was present was it accompanied by repentance, or just swept under the carpet?
While we might think of it in terms of Paul visiting our church, what if Jesus visited our church? What would he find? What would he see in your life? It's a fair question to ask.
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