The apostle Paul addressed the Corinthian church in this striking passage (2 Corinthians 12:7-10):
Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant. I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power comes to full strength in weakness.” So, then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
I have a few points regarding this rich word. For many of these insights I am indebted to Frank Viola, and to writings of T. Austin-Sparks, particularly his book entitled The Gospel of John:
- The gift. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was given to him; it was a gift. From whom? He tells us that it was a messenger of satan, so did it come from satan? The Almighty God permitted it, and refused to remove it, so did it come from God? Paul doesn’t provide us with an easy answer. The thorn he saw plainly as something malicious from God’s enemy. Simultaneously, though, he knew that God kept it there for his benefit, a guardrail to keep him from becoming arrogant.
- The pattern. This fits into a pattern. Jesus himself came not to be served but to serve, and to offer his life as a ransom. When the time came for him to be offered up, he was condemned by his own people to crucifixion, the most horrible and demeaning execution available to them. They intended for him to die as painfully as possible, and to have the never-ending shame of hanging from a tree. God took their malice and changed it into a symbol of infinite love. On the cross, we see Jesus as the Lamb of God. The same with the thorn in Paul’s flesh. It was a cross operating in his life in which he saw the malice of satan. Nevertheless, on the other side of it he experienced a new life through the abiding power of Christ. God also uses the cross in our transformation. Each of us has a self-life, the echo or remnant of our old nature. It always insists on independence from God. Brought to the cross, the influences of that self-life lose their grip on our souls, leaving more room in our souls for the life of Christ.
- The meaning of the cross. The cross means suffering, often accompanied by humiliation, that we did not bring on ourselves. It suspends us helplessly in a position of overwhelming pain, loss, or labor. Our efforts to extricate ourselves are futile. There is no end in sight, except our own demise. Our only hope is to rely on our Lord Jesus Christ, to look to him for grace upon grace. Under what other circumstances would I turn away from my own abilities and learn the sufficiency of His grace? My strengths frustrate His power. His power comes into its own when I, for the sake of Christ, let go of my rights, abilities, interests, and ambitions. Jesus Christ is the grace of God and the power of God. Although HIs life indwells me now, the operation of the cross puts that life on display.
- Boasting most gladly. Paul chose to accept his weakened state with delight, which is another way of translating the expression, “I will boast most gladly.” He made this choice because the operation of the cross in his life opened the way for the power of Christ to reside in him. Furthermore, credit for anything that he accomplished while in that state would accrue to God, to the praise of His glory.
- The power is the expression of the life of Christ. Our yielding to the cross of weakness, loss, and shame opens our eyes to Jesus Christ enthroned on high. He is “the Man in the Glory.” Yet when He appears in the book of the Revelation, it is as a sacrificial Lamb. Our Lord continually offers Himself for His people. Paul, prior to his conversion, persecuted the early church. But when the great light from heaven struck him down on the road to Damascus, he heard Jesus demanding of him, “Why are you persecuting Me?” Christ personally experiences the sufferings of the Church. Even though He sits “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21), He also lives among His people.
- The power in residence. The phrase, “that the power of Christ may reside in me,” is variously translated as “rest upon,” “dwell with,” and “pitch a tent over and dwell upon”—referring to God’s presence in the tabernacle that accompanied the children of Israel in the wilderness. It is the power of Christ to transform our souls. It is the power to live continually in God’s awesome presence, in the service of the living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Also, it is the power to live in unity in the company of God’s people, and to endure faithfully in a world system that is hostile to God.
- Contentment. Paul had made a realistic assessment of his own physical limitations, of opposition to his ministry by enemies human and supernatural, of sorrows he would experience on behalf of believers who were under attack, even of catastrophes he would suffer from forces of nature. He had settled all of that in his own mind. That is one side of contentment. The other side is the heavenly vision. The visible world was not the source of his confidence. He had set it in the ascended Christ who intercedes for His own as He sits at the right hand of the Father. Paul knew that the life of Christ resided within him, while his own life was hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). He also was aware that, when it comes to accomplishing His eternal purpose, the Father is unwavering. So is His intention to accomplish His purpose with the participation of transformed human beings. He gave that opportunity to Paul, and He gives it to us.
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