"Grace in Weakness" - a sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

There is something within the human condition that makes us want to push ourselves up. Perhaps it’s the lack of encouragement or recognition by others that motivates us to boast of certain achievements. There is within all of us the struggle for significance in the midst of life’s complexity. Some good souls have found ways of dealing with this. This usually happens through a thorough understanding that we are accepted and valued by God, and have our place reserved in the heavenly kingdom. This gift of grace continues to flow in our direction, changing the way we think about ourselves.

In Paul’s own mind, there were many things he could boast about, if he was so inclined. Paul had experienced a magnificent revelation of God’s presence on the Damascus road, which others clearly had not. Paul had also gained necessary knowledge and understanding about the ways of God, not from teachers or books, but directly from God. Paul too had seen much success in planting new churches across the known world. Yet we see Paul’s uneasiness about such boasting in the opening verses of 2^nd Corinthians chapter 12. This does read though as a real-life struggle with himself, which you can understand given all the opposition he faced – people who denied Paul’s credibility and apostleship.

Wanting to establish himself as a true apostle, Paul seems quite tempted to boast away, but has enough reserve to do so in quite moderate terms. He talks about his own personal experiences in the third person, as if it were someone else. Against the urge to do so, Paul has come to see boasting about what may appear to be human achievements as inappropriate and counter-productive. Why??? Firstly, such experiences and achievements could have only been made possible by God. Secondly, Paul, on the basis of many of his other writings, seeks primarily to draw attention to God, and give God the glory, not himself. Boasting in any way would certainly counteract this goal!

And thirdly, Paul was well aware of his weaknesses; and to boast too heavily in certain areas would set him up for an inevitable fall. If one puts themselves too much in the spotlight, then it is likely that their weaknesses will find them out! Case in point: the morals campaigner who eventually falls very publicly to their own sexual addiction. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t stand up against wrong behaviour patterns, but it does mean that we need to have a rational understanding of our own fallibilities and vulnerabilities.

We could go on to a fourth reason why boasting is inappropriate and counter-productive. It may only be the admittedly weak (rather than the proud) that can truly empathise with and help others who are weak. Those who have a persona of strength all the time may well have outgrown their usefulness. Paul understood that he would naturally be exposed from time to time in his weakness, so therefore should not present himself as anything special (purely in his own self). We sometimes hear Paul defending his credentials, but this was always in the context of what God was seeking to achieve through him.

Like all of us, Paul would have had various points of vulnerability that he had to be careful about. We read in verse 7 about Paul’s famous “thorn in the flesh”. Much discussed and debated this has been, with no clear consensus on what this particular issue was! It is often thought that Paul had significant problems with his eyesight, debilitating him in many ways, upsetting his travel plans, and causing him to need a scribe to write his letters down for him. Other suggestions are: that Paul had a speech impediment or another type of physical disability; or a persistent illness like epilepsy or malaria; or a propensity toward anxiety and depression; or he experienced persistent temptation in some form. We do know though that the use of the Greek word generally translated “thorn” suggests a resulting frustration or aggravation, which could in turn, if not properly handled, lead to self-pity and embitterment.

The fact that Paul didn’t specifically identify his “thorn in the flesh” allows the reader to factor in their own particular ‘weakness’. This then also allows the reader to identify closely with how Paul resolves this situation in his own mind. Whatever the problem was, Paul initially wanted to be rid of it (refer verse 8). Paul thought that he would be way more effective in his mission work without this “thorn in the flesh” continually afflicting him. So naturally he asked, and he asked, and he asked God again to take this thing away; and I’m sure he would have been hopeful, even confident, of a positive response … but no result!

Put yourself in Paul’s shoes. Think of something you may have sincerely prayed for … with seemingly no result. There are feelings of frustration, and doubts arise as to whether God really loves us as much as we had always thought was the case. What can we say to this? Is God less than what we have said God is?? Or can we accept the proposition that God actually knows better than we do about our lives and our needs? This would be so through God’s own loving creation of us and deep knowledge of how we are put together. And if this is so, then God can surely be trusted with whatever determinations he makes concerning our particular weaknesses.

Like it was in Paul’s case, it just could be that we will be better off in the long run for this prayer being answered in the negative. Because we will be able to persist through our weakness, our faith and usefulness will grow far more than would have otherwise been the case. And God will be far more likely to get the glory, which is a large part of what we are here for! Also, only God sees the big-picture of how our particular humanness will interact redemptively with other distinct humanness. As mentioned earlier, it does take certain experiences of vulnerability to truly engage and support others in their similar vulnerabilities.

We don’t know how long Paul took to make his big discovery … in the text it’s all over in the space of two verses. We don’t know how long he dwelt in disappointment. But when this great discovery was made – it became absolutely plain and clear to Paul. It was as if God had said the words directly … “My grace is sufficient for you”. God declares that the love, compassion, mercy and enabling that he is bringing into Paul’s life, and our life, will cover all the need that will surface in our lifetime and beyond! God’s grace will continually empower the willing servant in their weakness such that God will be revealed. Being willing to bring our weakness to the mission table, offers a place in which God can work. And the one who so commits themselves, will certainly know that God is working through them.

Because Paul was so concerned about this “thorn in the flesh”, it was likely to be something noticeable by others – that might tend to attract scorn, or in Paul’s mind detract from the delivery of his gospel message. It could have been that Paul’s opponents were using this obvious weakness to deny Paul’s God-given authority. So Paul took the opportunity to explain that God’s approval did not lie with human strength, but rather with evidence that God was active within human weakness. The basis of Paul’s ministry would ultimately be that God was working (with great effect) through him – a mortal, fallible human being. It is such transparency and openness that really displays integrity and builds credibility.

It seems from verse 7b that Paul even came to the view that this so-called “thorn in the flesh” (or this particular vulnerability) was actually deliberately placed within him for his own good – so that he would not become “too elated”. We might notice some similarity to what was allowed to happen to Job (where a significant test is placed upon a righteous person). In Paul’s case, this is to prevent the possibility of a more problematical weakness, that of becoming too prideful and full of his own achievements (very tempting when, like Paul, one’s successes are great).

So one weakness by design was there to offset another weakness (that perhaps would otherwise develop through the course of life). This again highlights that our achievements in life are designed to point towards nothing other than God’s glory! Sometimes we need to feel vulnerable and weak before we fully put our trust in God. Feeling content in our own capacities blocks the path to God-centredness. As Paul Barnett comments, “The ‘thorn’ also kept Paul pinned close to the Lord, in trust and confidence”. We see here (in verses 7-8) how intimately and purposefully God can work in our lives!!

This is not to say of course that we are unconcerned about our weaknesses, nor should we be apathetic about our spiritual growth. It’s just that we do not allow them to discourage, imprison or divert us from becoming what God wants us to be. Rather than have our weaknesses disappear overnight, the very process of working on them, bearing with them, ministering through them, being disciplined around them, will bring us the best and most permanent sort of results. This includes developing greater endurance and patience. Important … because even bigger tests may be around the corner – “insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities” (v.10).

As this passage concludes, Paul seems grateful for God’s non-intervention – now he even more so feels a recipient of God’s grace on a daily basis. Any “boasting” will be directed towards the great things God is doing despite the servant’s weakness. “Strength” is seen to be defined, not in humans terms, but by the extent to which Jesus is evident in a person’s life. Such humility and trust brings results for God’s Kingdom. There is also great freedom in knowing that good outcomes are not dependent solely on our capabilities, but more so on our availability to walk with Jesus.