That Pesky Thorn

Good morning and welcome to another week of church here at the bridge. Happy 4th of July! It is a day that we celebrate the marking of the declaration of independence and is a day that we come together as Americans and celebrate who we are. This is a day that we need to recognize as a country to help form some of that unity that we all share as Americans.

It had me thinking about St. Patricks day though. Now while we were living in KC there was a strong Irish community in the city and of course many people also suddenly become Irish every March weather they are or not. It was not uncommon if you weren’t wearing green on Sr. Patty’s day that you would get pinched. This frustrated me for a couple reasons.

Don’t Pinch me

I am not Irish

I am not Catholic

I came up with the perfect response to anyone i saw coming to try and pinch me. I would simply warn them. If they pinched me for not wearing green i reserved the right to punch them on any American holiday they weren’t wearing Red, White, and Blue.

My thought was as an American we like to escalate things a bit so i was going to upgrade the pinch and also they were required to have three colors not just one. I suddenly stopped getting pinched.

Thinking back on this it got me thinking about being an American and what it means to us and what are some of the common traits that we share and it made me realize is that many of us are unashamed and passionate about our country. That is both a good and bad thing.

Its good because it gives us a sense of pride and unity that we share and we are proud of our nationality. It is a bad thing because that pride also causes us to place a higher importance on our nationality than other things in our life. Like our faith, or relationships with others, and at times we become too brash about our country. There is a healthy balance we can maintain but its that boasting about being an american that stands out and is where i would like to begin this morning.

2 Corinthians 12:1–10 NIV

1 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.

Paul’s Visions

In the first 4 verses in this chapter we see this interesting vision that Paul shares with us. There are some interesting things that we can discuss and learn from this passage.

14 Years ago

This is particularly interesting because if we do some studying then we can learn that this would place the vision several years after his conversion. This isn’t than a reference to his revelation of Christ on the road to Damascus.

The Third Person

Paul speaks regularly in this passage int he third person. “I Know a man in Christ” is how Paul describes the experience. Because of this casting in the third person it is easy for us to assume that Paul is speaking about someone else, or that he is just relaying the experience of another person. However, some scholars would assign the language of

2 Corinthians 12:1 NIV

1 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.

2 Corinthians 12:5 NIV

5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 12:7 NIV

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.

and the thrust language used in these verses suggests that Paul is speaking about himself.

The idea is that the term “A man in Christ” can simply be taken to mean Paul as a Christian.

Third Heaven

This one line

2 Corinthians 12:2 NIV

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.

is one that many people read and start scratching their heads because the concept of a “third” heaven is foreign to us. It is important to note that this is a reference to popular contemporary views of cosmologies at that time. It was not unheard of to think of heaven in three, five, or seven heavens. Further study and time has changed opinions on this and even in this verse i think we see that God has an answer for our understanding on things life heaven. “I don’t know—God Knows”

All of these interesting little things help us to get a better understanding of what is happening in this passage and giving a little more insight into who Paul is talking about and why he says some of the things that he does in this passage. This vision though is about Paul not wanting to Boast or is he boasting? I am not sure lets look a little closer.

Paul’s Boast

As we already talked about Paul seems to be speaking about someone else but he very well be speaking of his own experiences. But V. 5 really capture our attention.

2 Corinthians 12:5 NIV

5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.

He is boasting of about the man from 14 years ago. Recognizing that he is not that same man anymore. He has changed and that he has experienced weakness and trouble since and because of this he can boast about those past spiritual experiences. Yet, Paul does not dwell on it long. He doesn’t really focus in on that past experience and let it overtake the conversation. instead he shifts tot he one place that he know he is safe to boast about and that is his weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:6 NIV

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,

Paul reason for making less of his past experience is that he wants people to not focus on his past experiences and evaluate him solely on those things but instead he wants people to look at the present day and the actions and words that Paul is speaking.

Paul wants people to see that he is a man with weaknesses and that his weakness has humbled him and that is who he wants people to evaluate not the glorified version of a man that they have heard about from the past. it is in his weakness that Paul knows is the true power of God.

Paul’s Thorn

2 Corinthians 12:7 NIV

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.

When we read this passage about Paul’s Thorn there are three broad categories that it has been understood as..

Spiritual hardship.

This could be understood as the limitations from the sin nature, the torments of temptation, or a possible oppression by a demon.

2. Persecution

This would be consistent with the opposition that Paul regularly faced from the Jewish people he would encounter and the mission he was trying to fulfill.

3. Physical or Mental Ailment (probably the most common interpretation.)

This could have been a multitude of things that would keep Paul from ever achieving what he was fully capable of because of some form of ailment or struggle.

While you can find sermons and commentary on this passage and idea of Paul’s thorn there is not simply enough information in the passage or from other sources that helps understand what Paul was really struggling with.

While some might say that means we shouldn’t read too much into it i think it is something that God left open for us to realize that weakness or thorns can be a variety of different things and that we can make the connection back to our own personal weaknesses and struggles.

The Other truth that we must deal with when it comes to Paul’s weakness is it source. The source Paul makes clear as Satan. This is important because in many ways we can see a parallel with Job and the struggles he faced. Satan has no power that God does not allow to happen. God instead uses the plans of Satan against him. He uses the things that Satan would see as a hindrance to Paul’s work and instead helps Paul to see that it is for God’s Glory. This is accomplished because it allowed for Paul to be Spiritually well-balanced.

He was confident in who he was in Christ and at times was bold. Yet, he knew that humbleness was essential and did not claim this glory for himself but instead used it sought it for the furthering of God’s Kingdom.

The Power of Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:8–10 NIV

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.

It is in God’s God’s grace that needs to the source of our strength. it is only in him that we are able to stand before any of the forces of this world. it is only thorugh him that we are able to be the men and women that God has called us to be.

For the longest time i always remember hearing the idea that God loved to use the broken pots. He loved to use the vessels that were broken because only he would be able to put them back together and use them in ways that we couldn’t even begin to imagine.

It is in Paul’s weakness that we learn the message given to Paul that God’s grace is not just the unmerited favor that saves us but a force that also sustains us through out our lives.

It is powerful to think that salvation isn’t the end but God’s grace extends beyond that even 14 years so that we can be confident and recognize God’s work in our lives as we continue to walk in this life.

2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Sums this up best from eariler in the book. We are these simple jars of Clay that are easily broken but God sustains us and it is not our power that keeps us together and functional it is the Work of God. That is something to celebrate and boast about because it is nothing we do it is all the grace of God. AMEN!