In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he describes a thorn in his flesh. In this plan, Dr. Tony Evans teaches about this thorn, and how it affected Paul, as well as what we can learn from it to apply to our lives today.
The Urban Alternative (Tony Evans)
Day 1
Scriptures: Galatians 4:13-15, 2 Corinthians 12:7
What was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”?
There are many different opinions as to what the exact identification of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” really was. Some have speculated that Paul might have had some form of physical illness, particularly, an eye disease or disability.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul did state that he had a “bodily illness” when he preached to them and that they would have plucked out their eyes and given them to him to help him in the midst of his illness (Galatians 4:13-15).
Others have suggested that the broader context of the Corinthian letters in which Paul experienced interpersonal conflict and persecution from opponents and false teachers provided a better explanation for the further definition of the thorn as a “messenger of Satan [sent] to torment him.” Paul’s opponents were becoming a great source of personal affliction as he mourned over the false reports they were giving to his beloved congregations.
In any case, whether affliction by disease or affliction at the hands of people, Paul found himself in a season of excruciating pressure and stress that he fittingly described as “torment” (2 Corinthians 12:7). The question that is thus evoked in Paul (and in our own seasons of affliction, whether physical or interpersonal) is the question of why we must undergo this “thorn in the flesh” experience.
What are some afflictions, either physical or interpersonal, that you have experienced over this past year? What afflictions are you currently experiencing?
Day 2
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:4-7, 2 Corinthians 11:1-15, Isaiah 14:14
Why was Paul given this “thorn in the flesh”?
In the preceding verses, Paul described an experience where he had been, as the Bible says,
“Caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.”
Because of the surpassing greatness of these revelations, Paul noted that his thorn was given to him to keep him from exalting himself (2 Corinthians 12:4-7).
In other words, Paul was tempted to be prideful and to engage in boasting because of these revelations. The thorn was in place to inhibit this desire.
In fact, Paul was already engaged in a pitched battle against false teachers who were boasting that their own accomplishments and visions made them greater than Paul and thus worthy of a hearing among his Corinthian congregation (2 Corinthians 11:1-15).
It is no wonder then that he identified this group (and his own temptation to join in their boasting) as a “messenger of Satan”—the angelic being who fell from heaven because of his boastful desire to ascend above the heights of the clouds and make himself like the Most High (Isaiah 14:14).
Affliction, whether physical or interpersonal, can unveil what lies at the core of our fallen hearts, and this particular “thorn in the flesh” became a tool in the hand of God to unveil and address these darker motives in Paul.
What is God teaching you about yourself in the midst of your afflictions ?
Day 3
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, Philippians 2:5-11, Genesis 32
Why is the “thorn in the flesh” not removed?
Paul unsuccessfully implored the Lord to remove this “thorn in the flesh” three times. Instead of removing the thorn, God explained the lesson that the thorn was in place to teach:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8).”
What sort of power is best demonstrated or “perfected” through weakness? Paul went on to identify this power as the power of Christ—a power that was not demonstrated in pride and boasting but in humble, self-giving service to others, leading ultimately to death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-11).
It is only in the utter weakness and death on the cross that the power of the resurrection is released into our world. Paul’s affliction was training him to choose the humble, self-giving “weakness” of Christ over the rival temptation to pride, boasting, and power:
“Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
As a result, Paul’s weak, afflicted life was becoming a vehicle that exalted God rather than himself.
I want to remind you of the Old Testament patriarch Jacob who spent his later years afflicted by a limp that he had received at the hand of an angel of the Lord in a midnight wrestling match (Genesis 32). Jacob would have viewed this as a “grace limp” because the dislocation of his hip constantly reminded him that he had met God and for once had refused to let God go, receiving a blessing for himself and his descendants.
Are you willing to face God and learn the lessons He has for you in the midst of your affliction? Have your places of affliction and seasons of weakness become reminders of God’s grace and strength? Have you learned, like Paul, to be content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecution, and with difficulties for Christ’s sake? For when we are weak, then we are made truly strong (2 Corinthians 12:10).
Are you allowing your life to be a vehicle that exalts God rather than yourself, like Paul?