CHAPTER 9
PAUL’S THORN IN THE FLESH
In the second epistle to the Corinthians, twelfth chapter, is the record of
Paul’s "thorn in the flesh." This fact in the experience of the great apostle
has caused a great deal of comment, and has been fearfully wrested and
misunderstood. Among the different opinions extant concerning what it
was, and certainly the least tenable, is the one which claims that it was the
"old man;" or, in other words, inbred sin. A little careful study on this
subject would no doubt satisfy any one as to what it was, how, when and
where he received it. Certainly it can he shown that it was nothing in
connection with sin.
In introducing the subject, he says: "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen
years ago (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I
cannot tell; God knoweth); such an one caught up to the third heaven. And
I knew such a man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell;
God knoweth); how that He was caught up into Paradise, and heard
unspeakable words, which it is not lawful (margin, possible) for a man to
utter." He then goes on to say: "And lest I should be exalted above
measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a
thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be
exalted above measure."
As every one knows, the man of whom he speaks, that was caught up into
the third heaven, was himself. In this state he had great revelations of the
glories of the heavenly world. No doubt the apostle’s meaning when he
speaks of making known those revelations was that it was impossible,
rather than unlawful, to do so. The first thing we wish to settle in this
lesson is, that this thorn was not carnality.
1. He states that the thorn came in connection with those revelations.
Then, if it came at the time of the revelations, he certainly did not have it
before. If the thorn was carnality, he did not have carnality just before the
heavenly revelations.
2. He said it was a thorn in the flesh. The word flesh in the Scriptures has
two meanings — physical corporeity and carnality. In reference to the
physical he says:
"The life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God." Galatians 2:20.
In reference to the carnal he says:
"So they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans 8:8.
Flesh in both of these expressions cannot mean the same, else it would be
an irreconcilable contradiction. To which flesh did the apostle have
reference in the expression, "thorn in the flesh"? To say that he meant
carnality is nonsense. It would be the same as saying he had carnality in
carnality if the thorn in the flesh was such. Then it must have been
something which happened to his physical being.
3. It was given him lest he "should be exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations." In other words, it was given him to keep
him humble. If the thorn in the flesh was inbred sin, then inbred sin was
given him to keep him humble. But the very root of pride, which is the
opposite of humility, is inbred sin. Strange that something which produces
pride should be given him to prevent the same. If carnality keeps people
humble, then unsanctified people are more humble than the sanctified, and
the more carnality the better.
4. He prayed three times that it might be removed, but the Lord saw it to
be best that it should remain. Now
"the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Romans 8:7.
Strange that God would want something to remain in him that was not
subject to His law, but was real enmity against Himself. Paul had written
to the Romans about the time in which he had these revelations, and had
declared that the "old man" was crucified, and that the body of sin was
destroyed; so then he must have been free from it.
5. The best thing God could do then, consistent with His will, was to let
the thorn remain, and to say, "My grace is sufficient for thee." Is this the
way that God deals with the question of carnality? This is the way some
people deal with it. They think that we must battle against it all our life;
that God’s grace is sufficient for us; but that lie will not destroy this
element till we die. But the teaching of His Word throughout is, that we
must have it destroyed now.
6. Paul, in the ninth verse, defines the thorn in the flesh, and names it
"infirmities," showing that it was a combination of things rather than one
in particular. Is there any Scripture that makes inbred sin synonymous
with infirmities? We have never seen it.
7. He said he would glory in the infirmities, meaning the thorn in the flesh.
The idea of Paul, after he had said so much in regard to getting rid of this
awful fungus of the soul, turning around and saying, most gladly would he
glory in it. This he does, if the thorn is carnality.
8. He had scarcely finished the sentence of glorying in it, till we hear him
say he takes pleasure in the same. What! take pleasure in carnality? Just
so, if the thorn in the flesh is such. Anyway, we may wonder how he
could take pleasure in that which a little while before he was so anxious to
be rid of. Here we have the blessed proof of God’s abounding grace, which
is not only sufficient to make us endure for Jesus’ sake the trials of life,
but will also enable us actually to take pleasure in them.
We think we have given sufficient proof that the thorn in the flesh was not
carnality. What, then, was it? If it was not inbred sin, then it was
something in connection with his physical body. He said it took place
fourteen years previous. In the margin of the Oxford Bibles are these
words: "AD. 46. At Lystra, Acts 14:6." Turning to this fourteenth
chapter of Acts, we find the account of Paul being stoned at Lystra, and
dragged out of the city as a dead man. There is no doubt but that Paul was
stoned to death at this time. Here he was caught up into Paradise, and saw
and heard things that no mortal tongue could utter. What a change from the
scenes of a moment before! With a howling mob around him, throwing
brickbats, and filling the air with their fiendish yells, it seems that he
departs this life, and the next moment he finds himself amid the glories of
the third heaven. God had a purpose in it all, of course, but was not ready
for Paul to leave the toils of soul-saving down here. One might imagine the
Lord saying, "Paul, what are you doing here? I am not quite ready for you
to come home. There are some more souls for you to save down there, and
you will have to spend a little more time in the work; then I will send for
you." We think Paul, without any word of reluctance, said, "Amen," and
while the waiting disciples were viewing his mangled remains, life came
into the body again and Paul arose to his feet Right here let me say that
Paul evidently believed one could be absent from the body, and yet be in a
state of consciousness. He was not a soul-sleeper.
We see little opportunity for doubt that Paul had direct reference to his
stoning at Lystra, being the time that he had the revelations, and
consequently at this time he received the thorn in the flesh. Then, what
was the thorn? Just what any one would naturally suppose, viz., some
physical affliction as a result of the stoning. We could hardly suppose that
one could undergo such maltreatment, resulting in death (at least for a little
time), without some disfigurement of the body. It would not take many
blows upon the face to render it more or less shapeless throughout life,
even if it did get well. There are some Scriptural evidences which show
very conclusively that such was the case with Paul, and, having these
things to contend with throughout the latter portion of his life, we may
well suppose it occurred at the time of his stoning, and hence, was the
thorn in his flesh.
Immediately after speaking of the thorn and praying for its removal, he
breaks forth in these words: "Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in
injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake, for
when I am weak, then am I strong." (Revelation Ver.) It is evident that
every word used here is in connection with this disagreeable thorn. First,
through it he had weaknesses. Surely, there was some weakness as a result
of that awful stoning. Second, he said he had injuries. Natural enough.
Injuries that disfigured him, as we shall soon see. Then follows the word
necessities. These were the natural result of his weaknesses and injuries.
He was under the necessity of having certain care and help, which he
otherwise no doubt would have dispensed with. Then he mentions
persecutions. These persecutions came, no doubt, as a result of the thorn
of which he speaks. Even some of the professed followers of the Lord
brought about persecutions on account of his appearance. "For his letters,
say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and
his speech contemptible." — 2 Corinthians 10:10. Persecutions from the
brethren are worse by far than from the world. Following persecutions, he
speaks of distresses. It is reasonable to suppose that this affliction, the
thorn in the flesh, was a constant mortification, in a sense, to him. The
distressing fact of his facial appearance was continually confronting him.
But this is not the only evidence concerning the nature of the thorn.
According to some statements he makes to the Galatian church, it leaves
little room for doubt that his trouble was a mutilated condition of his face,
particularly affecting his eyes. We do not mean to infer that he had sore
eyes, but a scarred face and weakened eye sight, that made him appear
unsightly. Hear him in his address to that church:
"And my temptation, which was in my flesh, ye despised not, nor
rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus."
Galatians 4:13.
He seemed so thankful to them that they did not reject him on account of
his physical condition. In the next verse he even feels that they would
have been willing to make an exchange of what was complete in them for
what was so afflicted in Paul. "For I bear you record, that, if it had been
possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them
to me." It seems quite conclusive that his trouble was mainly with his
eyes. As a further proof of this, we would call attention to the fact that
Paul almost constantly had a companion with him, probably not only as
an amanuensis, but a helper, because of impaired eye sight Probably the
only epistle Paul wrote with his own hands was to these Galatians.
Evidently the reason why he did not write more was his practical inability.
He did write the letter to these Galatians, for they had drifted into a sad
state spiritually, and Paul, to prove that it was his own epistle, wrote it
with his own hand, so that it would carry with it as much weight as
possible. In our Authorized Version he says, in the sixth chapter and
eleventh verse: "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with
mine own hand." But the Revised Version brings a further proof
concerning the weakness of his eyes, when it says: "See how large letters I
write unto you with mine own hand." This shows not only that he wrote
the letter with his own hand, but that it was written in large characters.
Why large letters? Because on account of impaired vision, he could do the
work easier and better. Probably the only way he could write at all.
Again, a little later in this last chapter of Galatians, he calls attention to his
disfigurement, and says: "I bear branded on my body the marks of Jesus."
— Galatians 6:17 (Revelation Ver.). Stockmen brand their stock in order to
prove their ownership. Surely Paul had the marks of Christ’s ownership.
The injuries he sustained, especially at Lystra, were most conclusive and
lasting evidences of the fact of his loyalty and blessed relationship to our
Lord Jesus Christ. He had inward evidences in his own heart that he was
fully saved, and he not only manifested to the outward world the fact by a
holy life, but he had the very brand stamped upon him; something which
the world was not carrying.
We would not like to lay this lesson aside without calling attention briefly
to a few helpful suggestions. We learn from Paul’s experience here that
God does not always answer our prayers with a "Yes." If we would get
the most out of our praying we must be so submissive to God that we will
be as willing that He should say "No" as "Yes." If He answered in the
negative, He will place alongside of the refusal, "My grace is sufficient for
thee." There should be a continual understanding between every soul and
the Lord, that wherever a negative answer is best at should be given. Of
course, it will be done anyway, but with that previous understanding it
would save one from the disappointment. Another lesson we may learn is,
that the very things we naturally dislike the most may be so changed when
God reveals His will in them, that we may glory and take pleasure in them.
To live in the praise life, where one can "rejoice evermore" and "in
everything give thanks," is a lesson which many Christians have not yet
learned. Yet, with His sufficient grace, one can so live above the trials, or,
rather in spite of them, that there will be constant victory and rejoicing.
Like Paul in this experience, one may have much need to undergo severe
trials, not only to keep him where he should be in grace, but also to bring
him out into much larger fields of usefulness, and thus prove God’s all-sufficient
grace. There are heights and depths for all of us to reach, which
we have not yet seen. If we are only true to God, He will be pleased in one
way or other to bring us into these places of further grace and glory. If we
have some thorn in the flesh, instead of allowing it to trouble us and hinder
us in the work, let us look to God, as Paul did, and if the Blessed Lord
does not see best to remove it, then He certainly will give grace to endure
it; and not only to endure, but actually to joy and rejoice in the midst of it.