2 Corinthians 12.6-10.
There’s a popularly misinterpreted paragraph Paul wrote about a person he described as “a thorn in the flesh.” Most of the time when you hear people interpret this passage, they claim it’s about some chronic ailment Paul had. Usually they speculate it’s eye damage from when Jesus blinded him that one time;
2 Corinthians 12.6-10 KWL 6 For whenever I want to be proud,- I won’t be a fool,
- for I’ll speak truth.
- I desist lest anyone considers me greater than I am,
- who sees or hears
{something} of me 7 and the amazing revelations.- This is why, lest I get conceited,
- a “thorn in the flesh” was given me—
- Satan’s angel, who might punch me
- lest I get conceited.
8 Thrice I begged the Master about it,- so it might leave me.
9 And the Master told me,- “My grace should satisfy you,
- for
{my} power is perfected by weakness.” - So I will gladly be more proud of my weaknesses,
- so Christ’s power might abide in me.
10 So I’m pleased with weakness for Christ—- in hubris, compulsions, persecutions, difficulties.
- For whenever I am weak,
- then I am strong.
I mean, I get why people presume this is a sickness;
But consider the context of this passage. Paul had just been talking about all the persecution he underwent because he preached the gospel.
So in this text, the “thorn in the flesh” describes a person or people who “gets under our skin”—yep, exactly like a thorn—and just bugs us. Often maliciously, but sometimes not. I’ve had coworkers who were really annoying people; they weren’t trying to be, but they simply didn’t think about anyone but themselves, and naturally this unrelenting selfishness made them an irritant. Lots of people are self-centered like that. I’m betting you can immediately think of at least one.
Sometimes they’re trying to be malicious. They wanna get in our way, wanna see our downfall. Not necessarily political opponents, although that’d be the first thing most people think of nowadays. Sometimes religious opponents—people who have their own inadequate or false religious practices, who don’t want you preaching the true gospel. Or people who would rather they preach the gospel than you; they’re jealous.
Now to be fair, sometimes they don’t want it to be you
In Paul’s day, when freedom of religion was barely a thing, such people who might even want to see us dead, and even think they’re doing this for God. And as Jesus said, no they don’t know God.
Why Jesus’s grace is sufficient.
Hey, many of us we do. And we want nothing to do with them, but we can’t get away from them. They’re an obnoxious coworker whom our boss told us to work with. They’re that neighbor who has no idea his behavior grates on everyone else in the neighborhood; or worse, knows but dosesn’t care; or even worse, somehow got elected to the homeowners’ association board and thinks it gave him immunity and you ain’t seen nothing yet. All his rowdy friends are coming over tonight.
So yeah, you might very well have a thorn in your flesh. Or two. Or dozens. And just be begging God to remove them. Maybe you’re even thinking of David ben Jesse, and all the imprecatory psalms where he wanted the L
And Jesus might be telling you the very same thing he did Paul: No he’s not gonna do that. You’re gonna have to put up with them. You’re gonna have to tap
As you know, people misinterpret this passage and think Paul’s thorn in the flesh is an illness; and if that’s true it means Jesus is refusing to cure an illness. Plenty of people who’ve given up on ever being cured, or who’ve given up on their prayers ever curing a loved one, turn to this passage, misquote Jesus’s “My grace is sufficient for thee,”
“My grace is sufficient” does not mean, “Hey, I realize you’re in agony, but I saved you from sin and death, so just be happy I did that much.” Stop interpreting this passage in a way
“My grace is sufficient” means “I have given you so much grace, you realize can extend some of it to this thorn in the flesh. You don’t have to be bugged by these people. You too can pray, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ ”
Jesus wasn’t refusing to cure an illness; he was refusing to remove someone who annoyed Paul. Because—and I bet you’ve figured this part out on your own—Paul was definitely thinking of this person as an enemy, as “Satan’s angel,”
And if you’re thinking, “But I can’t!”—sure you can. He’s granted you sufficient grace to do it. You just gotta do it.
The usual prayers against opposition.
But of course we don’t wanna do it. We’d rather pray imprecatory prayers, like David did.
The only problem with David venting his spleen in the psalms, is Christians nowadays get the idea it’s okay to indulge violent fantasies about our opponents. We forget Jesus warned us our fantasies can be just as bad as actual sins.
Paul probably wouldn’t have minded at all if Jesus dropped an anvil or two on his opponents, but y’notice in the scriptures he doesn’t beg Jesus to smite this thorn in the flesh; just make it go away. After all, Paul used to be one of those thorns in the flesh. And if it weren’t for Jesus’s amazing grace, he wouldn’t even be an apostle.
But as Jesus told Paul, he did have Jesus’s grace. Which ain’t nothing! We make the mistake of comparing God’s grace with other people’s grace, and having their moral support is nice, but that and a buck still won’t buy a cup of coffee. Whereas God’s positive, supportive attitude towards us is of infinite benefit. It can help us get through anything. Through any opponent, any type of suffering, any hubris, compulsions, persecutions, difficulties. When Paul writes, “Whenever I am weak, then I am strong,” yeah, with God’s grace, we most definitely are.
So when we’re dealing with opposition, we need to ditch praying like David, and pray more like Paul. We can be sympathetic towards David’s prayers; we can recognize that okay, when we’re going through a rough time, it’s far healthier to vent our frustrations to God than take ’em out on other people. But let’s not mimic David’s example of begging God to kill ’em all. He’s gracious to us; he expects us to be gracious to others. Jesus tells us to love our enemies,
