Heavenly Secrets and Earthly Thorns
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
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Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 12:9 –
“ … he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
Do you have any acquaintances who are habitual braggarts? Only the hugest of egomaniacs go around squawking about how talented or smart they are, because most people understand that nobody likes or respects a big-headed boaster. So, some folks brag more indirectly: they may rhapsodize about their ski vacation at Jackson Hole, or prattle about the technical wizardry in their new car, or boast about their child’s academic or athletic accomplishments.
Most of us are uncomfortable with the idea of bragging about ourselves, but there are times when a bit of boasting is appropriate. When we fill out a job application or go for an interview, for example, the whole point is to stress our qualifications, our accomplishments, and our fitness for the position.
And sometimes, perhaps, we may find ourselves in a similar situation to that of the Apostle Paul: if someone else seeks to demean or disqualify us by boasting of their superior credentials, a bit of bragging may be necessary to defend our right to lead or to be involved.
An amazing vision (vv. 1-6)
This is where Paul finds himself in the latter part of 2 Corinthians, a section that many scholars believe was originally a separate letter, perhaps the “severe letter” that Paul mentioned in 2 Cor. 2:3-9 and 7:12. [DD] [DD]
Paul was exasperated because he had founded the church in Corinth and considered himself to be the congregation’s spiritual father, but other evangelists had come behind him, preaching a different gospel and besmirching Paul’s reputation, portraying themselves as superior to him. Whether they taught a Judaized faith that demanded circumcision or a gnostic-like system that promised secret knowledge, they promoted it as an advance over Paul’s understanding of the gospel.
Paul found it necessary to defend himself in order to defend the gospel he preached, though he felt foolish doing so. Today’s text is part of what scholars sometimes refer to as Paul’s “fool’s speech” (11:1-12:13), because he urged his readers to listen, even if they thought he was being foolish (11:16). He didn’t like playing his opponents’ game of one-upmanship, but found it necessary. In the speech he exposed their foolishness by similar behavior, then concluded “I have been a fool! You forced me to it. Indeed you should have been the ones commending me, for I am not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing” (12:11).
Evidently, some church leaders – who Paul referred to as “super-apostles,” had portrayed themselves as superior to the church founder, possibly on the basis of visions or revelations they claimed to have received from God. Paul’s term “super-apostles” was clearly sarcastic: earlier he described the same people as “false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (11:13).
Paul could not let his opponents remain unanswered, and so felt compelled to take up the gauntlet: “It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord” (v. 1).
Still, Paul seemed hesitant to boast directly of his own visions, so he began by acting as if he were talking about someone else: “I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows” (v. 2).
As Paul went on, it became clear that he had to be talking about himself, but he was so averse to boasting that he tried couching it in the third person, like Jesus talking about what the “son of man” must accomplish.
“Fourteen years ago” would refer to the early days of Paul’s encounter with Jesus, presumably during the time he claimed to have spent in Arabia (Gal. 1:17) before spending time with the apostles in Jerusalem. Paul claimed to have received his gospel directly from Jesus, and not from the other apostles (Gal. 1:11-12).
And what did Paul experience? He had once been caught up to the third heaven, he said, unaware of whether it was in body or in spirit alone (vv. 2-3). [DD] Some Jewish writings contemporary with Paul imagined seven levels of heaven, while others believed there were three, with the third heaven – also known as Paradise, being the highest.
Paul said nothing of what he saw and little of what he heard, only that they were “things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat” (v. 4). Perhaps Paul’s opponents had claimed that their teachings were the result of specific revelations or visions they claimed to have received, relating in detail what they had seen and heard.
By describing his visit to the third heaven as being too high and too sacred to be shared with mortals, Paul implied that his testimony was more legitimate than that of those who exulted in their own reported visions.
Still claiming that he was not crowing, Paul said if he had wished to brag, he would boast only of his weaknesses – and that anything he said would not be foolishness but truth (vv. 5-6). This comment appears to be a thinly veiled charge that his opponents were less than truthful when they boasted of their experiences.
A painful affliction (vv. 7-8)
Despite the “exceptional character of the revelations” he had received, Paul said he would not call on them to make himself look more impressive. [DD] In fact, recognizing the danger of developing an over-inflated opinion of himself, Paul said he had been given “a thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble: “a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated” (v. 7).
This verse raises many questions. Paul wrote as if he believed his “thorn” was God’s doing, a divine means of keeping his ego in check. On the other hand, he described it as “a messenger of Satan to torment me.” Would Paul have thought that God assigned Satan to afflict him? It’s not common to think of God and the character of Satan, as understood in Paul’s day, as cooperating. It’s likely that Paul was speaking metaphorically, considering anything that hampered his gospel efforts to be “satanic” interference.
Commentators have long speculated on how we should understand Paul’s “thorn.” Was it a physical affliction? Some have postulated poor eyesight, severe headaches, a painful back that left him stooped, or even epilepsy. Was it a psychological malady? Commentators in the Middle Ages speculated that Paul battled sexual temptation, while others have proposed a struggle with depression. Was he plagued by guilt for having persecuted the church, or feeling humiliation from others’ criticism?
We can only guess, because Paul does not offer details of his “thorn,” though he speaks as if it were an obvious physical affliction, a “weakness” that others could recognize. [DD] While the affliction was painful and unwelcome to Paul, he saw it as a sign from God, as visible proof of his apostleship.
An invaluable lesson (vv. 9-10)
Though he found something positive in it, Paul’s handicap was so painful that he asked God to take it away: “Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me” (v. 8). But, Paul’s prayer did not have the effect he initially hoped for, as is often the case with our own prayers. There is no guarantee that God’s ways are our ways. [DD]
Ultimately, Paul came to believe that God had given him something better than an easing of his afflictions by teaching him an invaluable lesson for life. “My grace is sufficient for you,” God had told him, “for power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9a). [DD]
With this deeply significant statement, Paul undercut the criticism of his opponents: his outward weakness was a sign of his internal experience of communion with God, given to keep his ego in hand.
Paul did not mean by this that we should view every trial as an affliction from God and portray ourselves as poor suffering servants. It doesn’t mean we should not seek to be healed of our illnesses. But when we find ourselves in a hard place, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional, we can know that Christ is with us in the midst of it. As Jesus took suffering beyond our imagining and transformed it into our salvation, so God works with us in our weakness, shaping it into unexpected strength.
So, Paul concluded, he could boast “all the more gladly” of his weaknesses, “so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (v. 9b). Paul could boast, indeed, in all kinds of trouble: “I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (v. 10, compare to a longer list of troubles in 11:23-29).
Have you ever felt that life was like a roller coaster? Imagine Paul’s experience: he had known the ecstasy of heavenly transport and the joy of evangelistic success, but also the misery of physical affliction and public humiliation. Paul’s amazing conclusion is that the greatest source of strength was his own weakness, because it forced him to rely on Christ rather than himself.
Here is a lesson we all would do well to learn.
Adult Teaching Resources
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This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
We don’t want our students to be braggadocios. We want our students to be humble. We want our students to stand out, but not make too big of a deal about it. We want them to be the best, or the best they can be, but not tell the world about it. That is until they need to; on college essays, applications for jobs, when trying out for a position. So how are we to tell the world about how good we are without telling the world how good we are? Of course, the best way would be for someone else to tell the world about us. But if that doesn’t work, tell the world about who you are but don’t do it as a comparison to someone else. Be proud of who you are, instead of proud of who are not.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“You Sound Like You’re Bragging” from Listen Up Phillip
via www.youtube.com
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