Life Project Blog

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. (12:1)

With this little bit of transition, Paul takes us in to a second subsection in his enhanced defense of his ministry in Corinth; his readers are still in the woodshed. Here, Paul is getting into a subject that he really doesn’t mention much about in his writings, and apparently in his public teaching: visions and revelations he has experienced. We can infer from this that his opponents, those super-apostles, have big claims to special revelation. If that was true, then we know why Paul would talk about something here that he normally avoided. Why would he normally refrain from discussing these subjects? Because there is “nothing to be gained”.

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. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. (12:2-4)

So, Paul knows a guy who, 14 years ago, during the period in Paul’s life we know nothing at all about, who was caught up to the “third” heaven… After the story, Paul has an interesting comment to make:

But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. (12:6b-7a)

It sounds like this guy was really Paul after all, doesn’t it? Now look at 7b:

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

Linking the story with his thorn in the flesh makes it pretty clear that Paul is that man. Yes, the super-apostles make their wild claims and tell their entertaining stories, but Paul, who really doesn’t like to talk about it, has real stories to tell. Yet even though he has such stories to tell that also have the benefit of being true, he refrains because his message is about Christ, not about himself. I’ll lay out what Paul only implied: If the gospel of Jesus Christ isn’t enough for you, if you need entertaining fiction to seal the deal, that’s your problem.

As for the thorn in his flesh, we don’t know what it was. In the old days it was taught that the thorn was lust and burning sexual desire, but that explanation has been pretty well discarded now for lack of evidence. More recently people have theorized that the thorn was some sort of medical problem, possibly his eyesight, or maybe malaria or leprosy or chronic migraines or…?

The truth is that we don’t know, and as always in cases like this, beware the teacher who claims to know for certain that which is not revealed in Scripture. Much more to the point is what our text actually does say:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 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. (12:8-10)

This thorn, this “messenger of Satan”, is something God chose not to take away; it almost reminds one of the story of Job, doesn’t it? God, for reasons of His own, has apparently allowed Satan to torment Paul physically so that Paul would not become prideful and/or arrogant in the pursuit of his mission as the Apostle to the Gentiles, with its crowning accomplishments, signs, wonders and miracles, for such pride and arrogance would surely damage Paul’s ability to carry out this great calling. Instead, in spite of Paul’s weaknesses, which evidently were obvious enough, Paul would overcome his weakness by the power of the Spirit working through him.

Don’t we all have a weakness or weaknesses? I certainly do. In an odd way, as I read these words of shame for the Corinthians who chose to follow false apostles, I find comfort and a great deal of encouragement, for they tell me that even though I am weak, God is strong, and when I serve His purpose as best I can, He provides me with His power to get the job done… in spite of the fact that I am unworthy and inadequate.

2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Paul has been accused of all sorts of things in Corinth. I can fairly say, from the text, that there have been people, false “super-apostles”, who have accused Paul of weakness and inadequacy both real and imagined, and for what reason?

To build themselves up so that they become the “great ones” who should be listened to and followed.

Paul is now doing the very same thing; he’s building himself up so that he will be thought of as a “great one” who should be listened to and followed. The only thing is, he is adopting the tactics of his opponents, i.e. of boasting about himself, but is using a heaping helping of irony and sarcasm in the process, for he is boasting about all of the reasons he is not great: His weakness.

He calls this being “a fool” and says he must be out of his mind to do it.

 I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool.Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast.You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! (11:16-21a)

So then, who is really the fool; is it Paul or his accusers and those who listen to them?

It sure isn’t Paul, he’s taking all of them out to the woodshed.

In the next paragraph Paul mentions the times he has been arrested, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, thirsty, cold, naked, destitute, and rejected. To be sure, he lays it on pretty thick. Then he begins to come around to his real point:

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands. (11:30-33)

Paul brags about how weak he is, how humiliated he has been, how inadequate; all in complete contrast to his would-be great accusers. Yet unlike his accusers, Paul has been faithful to the gospel, and his accusers have been faithful to themselves.

If you haven’t read this whole passage in a long time, I would encourage you to do so now; it’s really quite something. Yet Paul isn’t finished just yet; I can’t wait for chapter 12!

2 Corinthians 10

The first thing we are likely to notice when we turn the page from chapter 9 and start reading chapter 10 is that Paul is no longer talking about giving glory to God by experiencing the blessings of giving. It would be an understatement to say that the switch was abrupt; there is no transition whatsoever.

One thing is clear enough in the first six verses: Somebody has been saying that Paul is much bolder when he writes a letter than he is in person, which could be a serious charge if it is coupled with the accusation that he can’t back up what he writes about when he is challenged. There is an alternative possibility as well; he might not be a natural public speaker, a little shy perhaps.

You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present. (10:7-11)

These verses give us a bit more insight into the charges levelled against Paul; his writings are forceful, weighty and seem to contain a little boasting about his authority as an apostle. Come to think of it, he pulled rank a few times in both 1 Corinthians, and earlier is 2 Corinthians, and of course there are at least 2 letters we haven’t seen… Yet in person, he’s “unimpressive”. We have no real way to judge whether or not these apparent allegations are true, but we should be able to see how they might be true. In our time we have social media. Anyone who has had any experience with social media is aware of the fact that people tend to be much more abrasive when typing on a computer at home than they are face-to-face, which is why there are so many more fights on social media than in person.

Back in the days when people wrote letters, the same was true. In fact, don’t some people write a letter or a note, or send a text or email to express something that they would be too uncomfortable saying in person, even an expression of love? Why yes, they do. So, we can see how this charge might have been true, even though we cannot be certain of it.

Having pointed this out, we also know that it is a lot easier to make accusations behind someone’s back than it is to their face.

In 10:12-18, Paul has a charge of his own: His boasting falls within the limits of what he has accomplished in the Lord in his ministry to and for the Corinthians. His boasting speaks to God’s being glorified in their midst, but those who oppose him seem to have the audacity to commend themselves purely by their own standards, not by God’s. They congratulate themselves, they approve of their own actions, while Paul is commended by the Lord and his actions are the Lord’s actions.

For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. (10:18)

As we read through these verses trying to figure out what happened, I’m struck so far with one thing in particular: Over the past two thousand years of human development, nothing much has changed. Humans seem to have a need to criticize others who actually try to do something positive, we want to tear down, to belittle. What’s the point of that?

Maybe Paul will reveal more in chapter 11.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

The final chapter of Philippians is largely personal in nature, and I like to think of it as taking place at a certain stop on a longer journey; Paul is giving some last instructions before heading off, and we are getting set to head off on a different road.  In a way, that’s what was really happening at the time. Paul was going into the final stretch before heading home to glory, but the Philippians still had a long trail ahead before they would attain their reward.

These verses comprise another very memorable bit of advice from Paul, and they are as full of significance today as they were almost 2,000 years ago. As we head off in our journey, Paul reminds us to rejoice in the Lord always.

For emphasis, he repeats his admonition; I can only imagine how that struck the Philippians, aware as they were of Paul’s situation. If Paul can rejoice in his situation, how can we not rejoice in ours?  Then this man who was awaiting the judgment of Caesar that would send him to the executioner’s block tells the Philippians to be sure that their gentleness is evident to all− amazing.

He reminds us that the Lord is near, so we shouldn’t be anxious about anything, and sends us right into His presence as he encourages us to be in prayer. We are to present our prayers and petitions to God with thanksgiving, and the peace of God that “transcends all understanding” will guard our hearts and minds.  I just can’t help but think that this would have made a big impression to the Philippians, as it has to so many ever since.

I would like to suggest that we all spend a little time reflecting on these words while remembering the circumstances that Paul found himself in when he penned them, and to ask our Lord to show us where He wants us to go next on our journey through this life.