A thorn in the flesh

Today I came to a familiar passage in scripture where Paul was "boasting" about his weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on him:

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. (2 Corinthians 12:5-10)

What was Paul's "thorn in his flesh" (verse 7)? GotQuestions.org as usual is my favourite reference site to look for some answers:
"Paul speaks of a “thorn in the flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12:7. He calls it “a messenger of Satan” that had a purpose of “torment.” Many explanations have been put forward, but whether Paul is referring to a physical, spiritual, or emotional affliction—or something else entirely—has never been answered with satisfaction. Since he was not talking of a literal thorn, he must have been speaking metaphorically. Some of the more popular theories of the thorn’s interpretation include temptation, a chronic eye problem, malaria, migraines, epilepsy, and a speech disability. Some even say that the thorn refers to a person, such as Alexander the coppersmith, who did Paul “a great deal of harm” (2 Timothy 4:14). No one can say for sure what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, but it was a source of real pain in the apostle’s life."

Here are some possible purposes for the "thorn":
(1) To keep him from being conceited (verse 8)
The context to this passage is that since chapter 10, Paul had been depending his ministry to the church in Corinth. Apparently some members of that congregation thought that he was "unimpressive" and a poor speaker (2 Corinthians 10:10). Moreover, the church might have put up with some eloquent preachers (whom he called "super-apostles"), who were preaching a different Jesus and promoted a different Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 11:4-5). To depend his ministry among these believers, Paul felt the need to "boast" about himself:
- his authority was directly from the Lord Himself (2 Corinthians 10:8)
- his work and the resulting faith shown among the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 10:14-16)
- his not being a financial burden to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:9)
- his identity as a Jew, a descendant of Abraham, and yet persecuted by both Jews and gentiles (2 Corinthians 11: 22-29)
- and finally, things that showed his weakness (2 Corinthians 11:30)
So even though Paul had many reasons to be proud of himself, the "thorn" was given to keep him humble.

(2) God allowed a messenger of Satan to torment Paul for God's own good purpose (God did the same to Job in Job 1:1-12):

- to reveal to Paul that "his grace is sufficient: His power is made perfect in weakness" (verse 9);

Paul could now honestly say: "When I am weak, then I am strong."!

Take home points:

This blog is about suffering and finding God's purpose. To some extent it is similar to the last blog on "the rod", which is about God's discipline on his children in order to show his love to them. I have a number of "thorns" in my flesh, like arthritis, and emotional difficulties when things don't go the way I like. How can I remind myself every time I say "ouch" or when I feel sad or worthless, that God is keeping me humble and that his grace is sufficient for me? O how I wish these verses become real to me as they were to the apostle Paul.