2 Corinthians 12:7-9--Thorn in the Flesh
Years ago when Arsenio Hall hosted a late night talk
show, he had a segment that looked closer at those things that make
us go “hmmm.” When biblical scholars consider what affliction Paul
might have had, it has surely made many of them go “hmmm.”
The popular theory is that Paul’s “thorn in the
flesh” was some type of eye affliction. This is based on such verses
as Galatians 6:11 that says, “Ye see how large a letter I have
written unto you with mine own hand.” It’s thought that Paul’s
eyesight might have been so poor that he had to write large letters
in order to see what he was writing. It’s a good theory and it’s
quite possible that was Paul’s thorn in the flesh.
Several years ago my husband, Charlie, and I were
talking about this verse and Charlie expressed an opposite opinion
about Paul’s ailment. Though he didn’t really have a theory as to
what the ailment might be, he had a strong opinion about what it was
NOT. He personally didn’t think Paul’s thorn in the flesh had
anything to do with his eyes. Charlie’s reasoning goes back to
Paul’s first encounter with Jesus when he lost his eyesight for
three days. In obedience to the Lord, Ananias found Saul and placed
his hands on him. While doing so, Ananias told Saul that he had been
sent of the Lord so that Saul might receive his sight and be filled
with the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:18 says “immediately there fell from
his eyes as it had been scales; and he received sight, and arose and
was baptized.” Because Paul’s eyesight was restored supernaturally,
Charlie’s opinion is that Paul’s eyesight would most likely have
been restored perfectly. When God does something, He does it
thoroughly, even better than 20/20. Most likely, this would have
been the one part of Paul’s physical body he wouldn’t have problems
with....ever! I like that. I know by personal experience that when
the Lord’s hand is in something, it is always better than anything I
could do. He’s the master craftsman, not to mention the great
physician!
So, let’s assume that poor eyesight wasn’t Paul’s
affliction. Hmmm, then what could it have been? What else would have
caused Paul to specifically talk about the size of his letters? What
was the significance of his sometimes bragging that he had written
the letter with his own hand, or other times needing to dictate the
letters to someone else?
Considering Charlie’s opinion and asking myself the
above questions, I thought back over what is known about Paul’s life
after his conversion and I came up with a theory of my own. If I say
so myself, it’s a pretty logical one and it has nothing to do with
eyes. Paul’s life was certainly not a bed of roses. It was filled
with persecution, peril and pain. (Hmmm, those three “p’s” sound
like a great three-point sermon!) In the chapter just prior to
Paul’s statement about his thorn in the flesh, he unwillingly
boasted to the church at Corinth about his qualifications and his
right to exhort them. He was whipped, beaten with rods, stoned,
shipwrecked and suffered numerous perils at the hands of Jews and
Gentiles. He was often hungry, thirsty, cold and naked.
His body, literally, had taken quite a beating over
the years. Who knows how many bones might have been broken and
crushed. Who knows how much his exposure to the elements in the seas
and in the cold nights might have settled into his joints. I’ve
known a number of people who, after breaking an arm or a leg, could
forecast rainy or cold weather because of the throbbing and
discomfort they felt in the body part that was previously broken. As
bad weather approached, their joints became achy, almost like having
arthritis. Sometimes, too, those breaks became the very place
arthritis would settle in later years.
My father, whose greatest love and pleasure in life
was to be fishing in the Florida Keys, was stung in the hand on a
couple of occasions when trying to unhook a catfish. For those of
you only familiar with fresh water catfish, they’re pussycats
compared with the saltwater type. Those “whisker” looking things on
a saltwater catfish can pack quite a wallop. The second time he was
stung, my dad’s hand swelled up so much he had to go to the
emergency room of the Florida Keys hospital. (He learned the hard
way to always keep a baseball bat and a thick work glove on the boat
for such occasions. The baseball bat was to knock the catfish
unconscious before even attempting to unhook it. The glove was to
protect his hands, just in case the catfish regained consciousness
and got frisky.) Arthritis eventually settled into the hand that had
been stung by the catfish. For something that seemed so
insignificant, my dad was plagued with pain for years afterwards.
Have you figured out my theory yet? Considering all
the abuse Paul’s body took during his trials and persecutions, it’s
quite reasonable that the thorn in Paul’s flesh was arthritis. It
makes a lot of sense when you think about it. My dad was a plasterer
and his hands were a necessity to his trade. When he suffered with
arthritis in that one hand, he had difficulty using his tools at
times. If Paul had arthritis in, let’s say, his hands, he would
probably have difficulty writing at times. I can just picture Paul
sitting at a desk getting ready to write one of his letters. He
might wait until later in the day to write after some of the morning
stiffness wore off. After rubbing and massaging his hands to limber
them up, he would grip the pen and try to force his fingers to make
the delicate curves and strokes of his language. On the good days,
maybe he was able to write, but maybe not so delicately. On those
days he might brag about his accomplishment in the closing of his
letter, “Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine
own hand.” On the bad days, maybe he needed to ask someone else to
write as he dictated the words.
Regardless of Paul’s thorn in the flesh, we have
been blessed beyond measure through his writings. So whether it was
because of poor eyesight, arthritis, or some other affliction that
his handwriting was bad, his life has certainly taught us that God’s
“grace is sufficient” and that His “strength is made perfect in our
weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Amen, and amen!
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