Proper 9 (B)
July 6, 1997
The Promise About The Thorn
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Can you tell a cross from a thorn? "Taking up our cross" means voluntary identification of our life with Jesus, the commitment of ourself to whatever hardships which may come as a result of ministry in His name: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me." On the other hand, to endure a "thorn" refers to some circumstance for which we didn't ask, which we pray to have removed, and in which we are given the grace to keep going and behave in such a way that the Father will be glorified. "There was given to me a thorn in the flesh ..." Let us look at the thorn's promise.
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In verses 7-10 we see that (1) Paul will not boast in his spiritual experience -- though he would like to -- because there is such a contrast between his visions and his appearance; (2) Paul will boast in this weakness; and (3) whatever this weakness is, it is a thorn in the flesh. Mark that the Greek here means more than a thorn you might get while picking roses; it is a stake on which a man is tortured. This text is full of questions. Just what is the "thorn" in his life of which Paul speaks? He says it was "given" to him -- by whom? Why would Paul boast of such a thing? Can we find the promise and the power that Paul found in the thorn?
The Thorn and Its Source
What was Paul's thorn? We simply don't know. The early church fathers (Jerome and company) seemed to think it was headaches. Others since then have suggested epilepsy, eye problems, malarial fever, an opponent, and Martin Luther was convinced the thorn was carnal thoughts. I suspect most of the guesses reflect the scholars' own problems and struggles; which is a good application of the scripture! For just as Paul had to deal with his special thorn, so we must deal with ours. In any event it was some physical or emotional infirmity affecting Paul's dignity and appearance, and was evident to all who saw him.
Is there some thorn in your life? More than the usual annoyances -- more than what John Wesley put up with when his wife sat in the front pew and stuck out her tongue at him while he preached; more than when he said he knew she must be a rose, for he felt the thorns! Is there some circumstance, a tragedy, a broken dream, a sickness, an unshakeable fear, some disability that dogs you?
Who "gave" this thorn to Paul? Was it God, because Paul had a tendency to feel superior, to boast of his experiences? Or did Satan, seeing the power of the experiences, send a dark angel to "rough" Paul up every now and then, hoping the old nature would come to the front? Luke 13 tells of a woman bound by Satan for 18 years, and finally freed by Jesus. Paul prayed for its removal -- suppose his prayer to remove the thorn had been granted; he would have been sure the thorn was put there by the devil and removed by God. As it stands, it isn't clear. This we know: the thorn, a messenger of Satan, was "given" to Paul. Both God and Satan are deeply concerned with Paul, and with you and me.