Paul is caught up to Heaven and returns
12
📚Without doubt, boasting is useless to me. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.12:1 Paul saw no value to himself in going on boasting about his “weaknesses”, but he had no choice – vs 11,19. And he thinks the same about speaking of his visions and revelations. But if the false teachers in Corinth had been boasting of visions and revelations (which seems very likely), for the sake of the Christians there he felt he should show he did not fall short of them in this matter either. Note on visions at Gen 15:1; Num 12:6.⚜
2 📚I know a man in Christ who, more than fourteen years ago, was caught up to the third heaven, whether in the body, I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knows. 3 And I know that this man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell; God knows) 4 📚was caught up to paradise 📖, and heard inexpressible matters which are not lawful for a man to utter. 5 📚Of such a one I will boast, but of myself I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.
12:2-5 Was Paul speaking of himself here? Yes; see v 7. Why, then, does he speak of a “man”, as if it were someone other than himself? Possibly because this had nothing to do with his “weaknesses” and he wished to boast only in that; possibly because it was something that happened to him in such a strange way he hardly understood what was going on and was almost like a spectator, or possibly for some other reason that has not occurred to the author of these notes.⚜
6 📚For even if I might choose to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so that no one will think of me above what he sees me to be, or what he hears of me.
12:6 He wanted people to form their opinions about him and his apostleship from what they were able to see and hear, not from his spiritual experiences which they could not verify.⚜
Paul’s thorn in the flesh, its good results
7 📚And so that I would not be highly lifted up with pride because of the greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to beat me, so that I would not become highly lifted up with pride.
12:7 This proves he has been speaking about himself in vs 2-5. People have become proud and conceited because they saw, or thought they saw, visions and revelations far less great than Paul saw. God knew there was danger that Paul would become proud because of what God had shown him. And God has His ways of keeping an apostle, or any of His people, from falling into the pride which He hates. What was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”? All we know about it is what he here tells us. And the language is obscure and difficult.
“Flesh” could mean his physical body. In this case the “thorn” could have been some physical disorder or disease. “Flesh” could also mean his fallen nature which he speaks of in Rom 7:14-25. The Greek word used here (sarki, from sarx) also means that (see Rom 7:5, 18). In this case the “thorn” had something to do with his fallen, sinful nature (what he was in himself apart from Christ) – possibly a strong temptation, and evil suggestion Satan kept putting into his mind, or some such thing, which was a constant reminder to Paul of his sinfulness and weakness, a deeper understanding of what he was by nature (as seen in Rom 7:14-25). It seems to the writer of these notes that this would be more likely to keep him from being puffed up with pride than some physical ailment or other. For example, it is not easy to see how some disease of the eyes (some scholars have thought this was his “thorn”) could keep him from being proud and conceited concerning his heavenly visions.
However, we do not know for certain what the “thorn” was, and we do not need to know. But we do know some things about it. It was “given” to him. He means God arranged matters so that he would experience it. But it was a “messenger of Satan”. The Greek word here translated “messenger” is the same as that translated “angel” in many places of the New Testament. This could possibly mean that the thing which so troubled Paul, whether physical or spiritual in nature, was merely produced by Satan. Or (and does this not seem more likely?) it could mean that a literal messenger of Satan – a demon – was the source of his trouble, an evil spirit which hounded his footsteps and oppressed and opposed him at every turn, or which prodded at some weak point in his old fallen nature, or tried to lure him into some evil which he hated.
In any case, the “thorn” resulted in a great deal of pain to Paul. Whether physical or mental or spiritual pain, or some combination of these, he does not say. Perhaps he does not say so that all believers who experience various kinds of “thorns” might have the same great promise that was given to Paul in v 9. Compare Paul’s experiences with Job 1:6—3:26.⚜
8 📚Three times 📖 I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it might depart from me.
12:8 So great was his pain that he begged God to take the “thorn” away.⚜
9 📚And he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. Therefore 📖 I will boast more gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
12:9 The Lord did not give Paul what he asked. He gave him something far better – an explanation and a great promise. The explanation was this: if Paul wanted to be spiritually strong through Christ he needed to be weak in himself and to know his weakness. The promise was that Christ would enable him to endure his “thorn” and obtain spiritual benefit from it. We can be sure that God will not call on us to face any pain, or difficulty or danger, or to do any work or bear any burden, without giving us strength to do so. His grace will always be sufficient for all His people in all situations in all generations.⚜
10 📚Therefore I take pleasure in 📖 weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
12:10 Observe the words “for Christ’s sake” – his whole life and ministry were for Christ’s sake, and he wanted Christ’s power to rest on him for Christ’s sake, not for his own sake. He gladly faced suffering for the same reason.⚜
Paul’s love for the believers at Corinth
11 📚I have become a fool 📖 in boasting. You have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you 📖, because in nothing am I inferior to those “super” apostles, though I am nothing 📖. 12 📚Truly the miraculous signs of an apostle were performed by me among you with all patient endurance, in signs, and wonders 📖, and mighty deeds 📖.
12:12 God gave “signs” through Christ and His apostles to teach spiritual truth (note at John 2:11).⚜
13 📚For in what were you inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
12:13 See 2 Cor 11:7-12; 1 Cor 9:12-18. In asking for forgiveness it seems Paul is speaking ironically. He knows he has done no wrong by not taking support from them (2 Cor 7:2).⚜
14 📚See, I am ready to come to you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you. For I do not seek what is yours but you, because children should not save up for parents, but parents for the children. 15 📚And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.
12:14-15 Their love and fellowship meant far more to him than any money they could ever give – 2 Cor 6:11-13. He was like a father to the church (1 Cor 4:15). He recognized the duty of fathers toward their children, and was willing to spend for them all he had including his time and strength and abilities (2 Cor 7:3). This is what God would like to see in all His servants. They should be concerned with what they can give to God’s people, not what they can get from them.⚜
16 📚But be that as it may, I did not burden you. However, being crafty, I caught you with guile! 17 📚Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? 18 📚I urged Titus to go there, and I sent a brother with him. Did Titus exploit you? Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?
12:16-18 It seems some were saying something like this: It is true Paul did not accept money from the church, but his real purpose in having them take up a collection for Christians in Jerusalem was to get his hands on the money and use it for himself, and Titus and the other brother were his agents in this. Paul appeals to them – was there any evidence that this slander was true? It was because of such suspicions that Paul acted so carefully and wisely in the matter of the collection (2 Cor 8:16-21; 1 Cor 16:1-4).⚜
19 📚Once again, do you think that we are defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in God’s presence, in Christ, and we do everything, dearly loved brethren, for your building up.
12:19 Here is the reason why he has “boasted” in this letter and defended his apostleship. They should not misunderstand him. He is not presenting a defense before them as though they were a panel of judges (1 Cor 4:1-5). All he had to say to them, including his “boasting” (2 Cor 1:12), was for their good, not his own. By accepting him for what he was – Christ’s apostle – and by following the truth he taught, they would be strengthened in their spiritual life.⚜
20 📚For I fear that when I come I will not find you as I would like, and you will find me as you would not like, and that there will be debates, jealousies, angry passions, selfish ambitions, backbitings, slanderous whisperings, arrogant attitudes, disturbances. 21 📚And I fear that when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I will have to mourn over many who have already sinned, and have not repented of the uncleanness and sexual immorality and lewdness which they have committed.
12:20-21 Paul well knew that the church there was weak in some respects, and had been guilty of factions and sexual sins (1 Cor 1:11-12; 3:3; 4:18; 5:2, 11; 6:15-16; 8:1; 11:18, 22). He was afraid that if they rejected him and the truth he taught, the situation would get much worse and his visit there would be a time of much grief to them both.⚜