Paul's Thorn: His Weakness, God's Grace
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Perhaps there has been no more misused passage of scripture. For many, it has become a faith stealer. Nothing can be further from the truth. The truth is empowering, and life-changing.
“I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. 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. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 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.”
There are a few things we need to understand before we can get the meaning of this passage.
1. What did Paul mean by ‘weakness’ or ‘infirmity’?
2. What was the ‘thorn in the flesh’.
3. What problems did the thorn in the flesh create?
4. Why was the ‘thorn’ in the flesh given to Paul?
5. Why did God answer ‘my grace is sufficient for you’?
1. Weakness / Infirmity
What was meant by ‘weakness’ in ‘for my power is made perfect in weakness’?
We need to back up at least to chapter 2 Cor 11:16. Here Paul describes what he could boast about if his ministry were reliant on his strength. He lists some of his achievements, such as being a Hebrew and a descendant of Abraham.
A parallel passage is Philippians 3:3-11; it’s a good idea to read it for further clarity. Paul considered his natural strength as a spoiler for the grace of God in his life.
‘Weakness’ can mean sickness, but it also implies feebleness in the face of natural human limitations. The following meaning is often used by Paul (Rom 6:19, and 8:26). In context, it is the latter that Paul is referring to. He summarizes these weaknesses as reproaches, needs, persecutions, and distresses.
In 2 Corinthians 11 he gives more examples:
“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; n journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;”
The whole context of 2 Corinthians 11-12 contrasts Paul’s natural weakness in the face of opposition to the Gospel, and God’s grace and ability in delivering the Gospel through Paul.
The weakness that Paul was referring to was not a sickness; it was his human inability. In the face of otherwise overwhelming opposition, Paul was forced to rely on God’s strength.
This is why Paul wrote, ‘For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (v10)
2. The ‘Thorn In The Flesh’
What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? This question has puzzled many, and as a result, his ‘thorn’ has become a metaphor for anything that oppresses us, especially sickness or other adverse circumstances.
“… there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan, …”
Paul was very explicit about the ‘thorn’. We can stop looking for an implied meaning when the precise definition is stated!
The expression ‘thorn in the flesh’ is a metaphor. In Numbers 33:55, a ‘thorn’ refers to inhabitants of the land that became a source of trouble for the Children of Israel. In Ezekiel 28:26, ‘thorns’ refer to neighbouring tribes that were constant sources of strife. Paul knew these references. Paul used the metaphor of a thorn to mean a being that was always causing him difficulty.
The phrase, ’A messenger from Satan’ is not a metaphor. Paul explicitly says that the thorn was a ‘messenger’ or an ‘angel’ from Satan. Messengers or angels always refer to actual beings.
In the context of scripture and Paul’s own words, the ‘thorn’ was one of Satan’s messengers.
3. What problems did this ‘thorn in the flesh’, a messenger from Satan, create?
“a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me,”
The messenger from Satan ‘buffeted’ Paul, or was at least the orchestrator of Paul’s buffeting.
“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”
This buffeting is also summarised by Paul in verse 10; ‘So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong’. (Holman)
The ‘angel from Satan’ was a thorn in Paul’s flesh, because it constantly opposed him by bringing about persecution and circumstances that were an attempt to hinder the gospel.
4. Why was the ‘thorn’ in the flesh given to Paul?
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”
To be exalted means to be built up. A prideful person could receive a vision from God and think, “I must be so important for God to show me these things!” and so be built up in their pride.
Or, more likely, the vision would build Paul up well beyond his current spiritual state - surely that’s what they were intended for.
There are a variety of ways this verse has been interpreted.
A traditional view is that God gave Paul a ‘thorn’ to make him humble.
I have trouble with this because I don’t see anywhere in scripture where God makes us humble. He says that we are to ‘humble ourselves’ and He will exalt us (1 Peter 5:6).
Secondly, Satan gave Paul a thorn to keep him humble.
I doubt this. Satan doesn’t want us to be humble. If Satan sent an angel of his to make Paul humble, that would defeat Satan’s purposes. Even Satan is not that dumb!
The third potential meaning is more nuanced; that God allowed Satan to send one of Satan’s angels, which Satan meant to destroy Paul’s ministry, but God allowed it so that Paul would be forced to rely on Him. Paul may have been ‘exalting himself’ rather than allowing God to exalt him.
However, I think this explanation is needlessly complicated. God doesn't guide or teach us by sending devils. As many as are lead by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Romans 8)
Fourthly, and perhaps most suitably, Satan was buffeting Paul so that he would not be ‘exalted’ or become highly effective.
The word ‘exalted’ literally means to be raised above the surrounding area like a nail that sits proudly about the wood, or a mountain that rises above the surrounding plain. It shares a similar meaning ‘exalt’ to 1 Peter 5:6, in which God ‘exalts’ us. It implies that Paul would take the revelation he had received and be promoted spiritually.
This seems to me the most logical explanation and is consistent with the context. Especially as Paul plainly says that the messenger was literally from Satan.
Additionally, the word ‘given’ includes the meaning ‘to commission’ (as in Matt 16:4 where Jesus ‘gave’ or ‘commissioned’ us with the keys to the Kingdom). Only in this instance, it’s Satan who is doing the commissioning.
The verse could reasonably be paraphrased:
‘Because God had shown me such wonderful and life-changing revelations, Satan commissioned one of his messengers to become a thorn in my flesh, to try and prevent me from being properly exalted and effective in the ministry.’
5. Why did God answer Paul’s prayer with ‘my grace is sufficient for you’?
Typically God’s response has been understood to be “NO..my grace is sufficient for thee”.
But that’s not what it says.
Can you see the word ‘no’ in that verse? I can’t.
Perhaps the reason many have read an implied ‘no’ is that Paul asked three times.
There’s a lot of teaching going around about answered prayer, such as “God may say, yes, He may say no, He may say wait, He may tell you to stand on one leg and wiggle your nose!”
But there are other reasons, actual scriptural reasons, for prayer that doesn't appear to be answered. We can be asking out of wrong motives, not in faith, or we’re asking for something that God isn't able to give us because it’s not in line with His Word.
We can be asking for something He has in fact already given us! You don’t ask your wife if she will marry you. It’s too late; she has already married you.
Keep it simple; read the context and think about what is happening here. Paul is talking about how he learned to overcome in this situation. This was early in Paul’s ministry. The Lord was taking Paul on a learning journey whereby he would be able to face down any demon and have victory over any circumstance. Just because Paul prayed a prayer, doesn't mean that he had the full revelation about that topic. Like all of us, he was still learning.
Paul prayed three times that ‘the Lord would take it away’. In other words, Paul was asking God to take away something that Satan had sent!
God’s answer was neither ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Let’s put our thinking caps on. If you’re a parent in what situations would you not answer a question with a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’? Surely, when the question was wrong or mistaken. If a child asks, “Do you love me more than my sister?”, A wise parent’s answers neither yes or no. A wise parent might answer “I have more than enough love for you all”.
You don’t ask your boss for your pay after they have put it in your hand! If you asked your boss for your salary, after he’s given you $2000 for the week’s work, he’s just as likely to say: “That $2000 I gave you is more than enough! ”
Which is very much like what God said to Paul:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
God was answering Paul’s prayer with the answer to his problem! God was telling Paul, to stop relying on his human strength and allow God to work through him.
We can only imagine how Paul had been trying to overcome all those obstacles. Maybe if I work harder, save more, pray harder, shout louder, march around the city five more times, organize better, etc. God’s answer was to trust in His grace; in His power working in Paul.
When we asked God to forgive us our sins and save us for eternity, was his grace sufficient for us? It sure was. We have been saved by grace through faith. Was His answer ‘NO’, because He asks us to rely on His grace for our salvation? Of course not. His grace is the answer to all our needs!
The Apostle Paul went on to learn much more about the authority he had in Christ Jesus. Five years after writing the 2 Corinthians, he wrote to the Ephesians that we had been raised far above all the power of the enemy- by grace! He prayed for the Ephesians that the eyes of their heart would be open to knowing what the ‘surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe!”
God wasn’t saying ‘No’ to Paul; he was saying "this is how you overcome!"
That is why Paul said, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul was learning that Christ had already won the victory over Satan, and he, Paul, was to take that authority given to him by God’s grace and stare down the devil.
I thank God that His grace, His power and His love is sufficient for me.
Written by Grant Peterson
