A THORNY ISSUE
II CORINTHIANS 12:1-10
INTRODUCTION: Did you know “thorns” are mentioned 57 times in the Bible. Two of the most famous references are here and Jesus’ crown of thorns. A thorn is considered a curse of the ground, yet it is from a thorn bush we pick our most beautiful roses.
The word thorn here is “skolops” which means anything pointed, a stake. It was something painful, physical and humiliating. Paul was suffering. Just think of all that Paul has gone through in dealing with the church of Corinth. And we just think we suffer!
Paul lets us in on a portion of his secret life. We read of his vision and his vexation. He tells us, not only about his strengths, but, also, about his weaknesses. Weakness is not standard “terminator” talk (remember ‘Ah-nuld’? “I’ll be back”). That’s from the Terminator movies for some of you who don’t know. The weak in those movies don’t hang around long. Paul didn’t talk like a terminator here. It looked like he was about to be terminated!
This text was given to us, not to amuse curiosity but for the purpose of instruction. It shows that Paul was no super-human. He was a saint, but also a sinner. He’s not someone to be admired from a distance but someone to be associated with as a fellow Christian. Let’s examine this text.
I. God the Revelator Discloses Paradise (1-6)
Through the revelation of God Paul gets a picture of paradise. He was caught up into glory. Interestly enough, this revelation is mentioned nowhere else in his letters. Why would Paul write about it here? Because the false teaches had invaded the church and captivated the Corinthians with their boastings of dreams, visions and revelations. They were misleading people. Know any TV. preachers like that? Some claim a stupendous, spectacular, electrifying, dramatic manifestation. Someone sitting in the pew concludes that their church is dull and boring because their pastor never said anything like that. Test the spirits! Paul is countering something going on in his culture.
Paul writes about this experience as if someone else writes in the third person. He seems to be trying to tone it down to avoid boasting about a real experience. To top it off he waited 14 years to talk about it. When he did he didn’t tell us what he saw only what heard and it was inexpressible. He wasn’t even sure whether he was in the body or out of it. Whatever the case he was caught up (snatched) to the place where he experienced the reality of his position in Christ. What does this teach us? There is a heaven and God can take people there. We can fly in the first heaven. We can walk on the moon in the second heaven. But we can’t get to the third heaven without God! God initiated the whole event. Paul didn’t seek it and couldn’t repeat it. I tend to think God was giving him some comfort due to all the suffering he was experiencing. God did it and only God could explain it. One day every Christian will have the same experience!
II. God the Terminator Destroys Pride (7)
Often times spirituality (special manifestations) leads to an attitude of superiority. We look down at others. We think more highly of ourselves than we should. If Paul was in such danger then so are we. God had lifted him up now the danger is Paul lifting himself up. Lest Paul lean toward self-endorsement and an over-inflated ego, God gave him a thorn. Why? Because God hates pride! Why? We don’t have anything to be proud about.
Lest Paul think he was a favorite of heaven he received a thorn. “He who is exalted in self will never exalt the Saviour” (Spurgeon). O, how we preachers love to boast about being bigger and better. How we like to think if our church is larger than others we must be more important.
What was this thorn? We don’t know. Note, it was “given” and by “God”. It was a “thorn”. Most thorns are little things. They are commonplace, plentiful and sharp. They are intensely painful but not lethal. Whatever it was it was annoying, painful, persistent and burdensome. It was a constant torture that daily harassed him.
Paul described it as a “messenger of Satan”, not Satan but an inferior spirit, to “torment” him. That means to batter, abuse or slap around. God permitted Satan’s messenger to strike Paul. Remember Job? A proud, arrogant Paul would have hindered the gospel. Jesus went to Heaven by way of a thorn, so would Paul.
III. God the Motivator Deepens Prayer (8-9)
Paul prayed three times. Possibly, this is a reference to a repeated prayer. Paul goes from paradise to pain to pleading. This drove him to his knees. Surely a miracle would occur. Paul is so divinely connected, surely God would take it away. But look. Request denied! The stake stays. There will be no quick fix, no miracle. But will God terminate this? NO! I won’t remove the stake but I will give you more strength. Instead of taking the burden off you shoulders I will broaden your shoulders. You will find my grace is glorious and my power is perfected in your weakness. God won’t work much in people full of themselves. Paul came to accept this divine medicine and even be grateful for it. We are the most powerful when we are least reliant on our own strength. It’s not how He works through my strength but through my weakness.
IV. God the Liberator Develops Power (10)
Suffering hurts. For Paul there would be no Hollywood ending. But here is the key. The power coming from Paul is most clearly seen as coming from God when Paul appears to be the weakest. Paul came to accept the way God’s power was working in his life.
CONCLUSION: Paul was praying for God to take away his burden. Had God done so he would have taken away Paul’s greatest blessing!
I can’t promise you will have no thorns in life, nor will they be removed. All I can promise is that God’s grace is sufficient – always!
