“From Paradise to Pain” Text: 2 Corinthians 12.1-10
By Phil Martin for God’s glory – 170115PM@TBC
The theme of 2 Corinthians:
“Suffering and weakness are the pattern of Gospel ministry.”
1. Where do these verses fit in the context of Paul’s argument in 10-12?
|
10:1-18 esp 18
|
Paul defends his genuine ministry
|
|
11:1-15 esp 2
|
False Apostles, false ministry
|
|
11:16-33 esp 23
|
Validated as genuine by his suffering
|
|
12:1-10 esp v 1
|
Validated by his revelations
|
|
12:11-21
|
Preparing for Paul’s third visit
|
|
13:1-10
|
Final warnings
|
|
13:11-14
|
Benediction—reasons for hope!
|
Paul’s boasting now moves from apostolic trials to visions and revelations. He recounts, in the third person, an experience in which he felt himself taken up into the third heaven, into paradise, where he heard things not permissible for a person to relate.[1]
must boast; there is nothing to be gained by it. While the apostle is convinced that there is nothing to be gained by boasting, he probably recognizes that in the present situation there is much to be lost if he does not.[2]
2. What were the visions Paul had?
A. List of visions (Wiersbe list)
· Paul saw the glorified Christ on the very day he was converted (Acts 9:3; 22:6).
· He saw a vision of Ananias coming to minister to him (Acts 9:12), and
· he also had a vision from God when he was called to minister to the Gentiles (Acts 22:17).
· It was by a vision that he was called to Macedonia (Acts 16:9).
· When the ministry was difficult in Corinth, God encouraged Paul by a vision (Acts 18:9–10).
· After his arrest in Jerusalem, Paul was again encouraged by a vision from God (Acts 23:11).
· An angel appeared to him in the midst of the storm and assured him that he and the passengers would be saved (Acts 27:23).
· spiritual revelations of divine truth were also communicated to Paul (see Eph. 3:1–6)[3]
Paul had both repeated visions of Christ (Acts 9:3; 16:9; 18:9; 22:17; 27:23f.) and revelations. He claimed to speak by direct revelation (1 Cor. 11:23; 15:3; Gal. 1:12; Eph. 3:3, etc.).[4]
B. Third Heaven / Paradise
…the experience of being taken up to the third heaven would place the apostle on a level with the great heroes of faith, and by claiming such an experience Paul could completely outflank his opponents.[5]
Because later Jewish teachers sometimes used “that person” as “you” or “I,” it is possible that Paul here relates his own experience in the third person to avoid boasting.[6]
This marvelous experience had taken place fourteen years before the writing of this letter, which would place the experience in about the year a.d. 43. This would be the period in Paul’s life between his departure for Tarsus (Acts 9:30) and his visit from Barnabas (Acts 11:25–26). There is no record of the details of this event, and it is useless for us to speculate.[7]
In Jewish texts, “paradise,” the new Eden that was the opposite of hell (Gehenna), would exist on earth in the world to come but was reserved in the heavens in the present time. Different texts varied in the number of heavens they envisioned (from three to 365); three and seven were the most common numbers, and paradise was often thought to be located in one of these heavens. Paul’s “third heaven” probably means he thought in terms of three heavens, with paradise in the highest. (The lower atmosphere was usually regarded as the lowest “heaven.”)[8]
1. Paul’s PRIDE caused by visions v.7a
G5229 - hyperairō - ὑπεραίρω: From ὑπέρ/hü-pe'r and αἴρω/ī'-rō
ὑπεραίρομαιa: to become puffed up with pride, with the probable implication of being disparaging toward others—‘to be overly proud, to be puffed up with pride, to feel overly self-confident.’ ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι ‘in order that I would not be puffed up with pride’ 2 Cor 12:7.[9]
Paul was not immune to the danger of pride. No one is. “The best of God’s people have in them a root of pride or a disposition to be exalted above measure, upon their receipt of favours from God not common to others.” (Poole)[10]
Present passive subjunctive in the final clause of ὑπεραιρω [huperairō], old verb to lift up beyond, only here in N. T. This clause is repeated at the end of the sentence.[11]
Application:
If an Apostle of Paul’s stature struggled with pride, it is a danger for all of us. Proverbs 3:34 (ESV)
Surely He scorns the scornful,
But gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5)
2. Paul’s PAIN v. 7b
Sometimes we suffer because we are foolish and disobedient to the Lord. Our own rebellion may afflict us, or the Lord may see fit to chasten us in His love (Heb. 12:3ff)[12]
Suffering also is a tool God uses for building godly character (Rom. 5:1–5).[13]
A. Thorn in the flesh
This word is a hapax legomenon
"thorn in the flesh" The term "thorn" can mean "stake" (i.e., literally "to be pointed"). In Classical Greek it is used in the sense of a sharpened stake while in the Septuagint it is used for a plant thorn (cf. Num. 33:55; Ezek. 28:24; Hos. 2:6).
It is a stake for a palisade, or for impaling; a surgical instrument; the point of a fish-hook. … The rendering thorn for σκόλοψ has no support. The figure is that of the impaling-stake. Herodotus, alluding to this punishment, uses ἀνασκολοπίζειν (1:128; 3:132). … It was probably a bodily malady, in the flesh; but its nature must remain a matter of conjecture.[15]
So the attachment of “in the flesh” to “a thorn” makes the thorn a figure of speech for some sort of physical malady. (It’s useless to try identifying it more particularly.)[16]
“Was given to me” indicates that it was a gift for Paul to have something keeping him from self-exaltation over other people because of “the extraordinariness of the revelations” he’d received in “the third heaven,” “paradise.”[17]
B. Messenger of Satan to buffet
The apostle further describes the thorn in his flesh as a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. In the story of Job, Satan is allowed to harass that great hero of faith and endurance, but only within the limits set by God (Job 1–2).[18]
Job 2.7
3 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.”
4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.”
6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.
Satan was permitted to buffet Paul. The word means “to beat, to strike with the fist.” The tense of the verb indicates that this pain was either constant or recurring.[19]
Buffet (κολαφιζῃ [kolaphizēi]). See on Matt. 26:67 and 1 Cor. 4:11 for this late and rare word from κολαφος [kolaphos], fist. The messenger of Satan kept slapping Paul in the face and Paul now sees that it was God’s will for it to be so.[20]
More importantly, the occurrence of the event two heptads [A group or series of seven] earlier shows how long Paul has been suffering his “thorn in the flesh,” which he’s about to mention as given to him for the prevention of pride over the visions and revelations. His self-depreciation shows that the thorn worked. [21]
It is interesting to think about what a counselor might have advised Paul.
APPLICATION:
There is something worse than sickness, and that is sin; and the worst sin of all is pride. The healthy person who is rebelling against God is in worse shape than the suffering person who is submitting to God and enjoying God’s grace.[22]
3. Paul’s PRAYER v. 8
A. Implored
33.168 παρακαλέωa; παράκλησιςb, εως f: to ask for something earnestly and with propriety—‘to ask for (earnestly), to request, to plead for, to appeal to, earnest request, appeal.’[23]
B. 3 x’s
Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me. Although there is no essential similarity between Paul’s experience and that of Jesus in Gethsemane, nevertheless it is interesting to note that both prayed three times that something be removed, and in both cases the removal requested was not granted.[24]
Some say it is unspiritual and evidence of little faith to pray for something more than once. That would be surprising to Paul, who pleaded with the Lord three times, and to Jesus, who prayed with the same words three times in His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:39-41).[25]
APPLICATION:
“Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all.” --DL Moody
------------------------------
“Sometimes a failure to persist in prayer proves that we were not serious about our request in the first place.” --Donald Whitney in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, www.navpress.com, 1991, p. 81,
------------------------------
“Praying without ceasing means at least three things.
First, it means that there is a spirit of dependence that should permeate all we do… So even when we are not speaking consciously to God, there is a deep, abiding dependence on Him that is woven into the heart of faith.
Second… [it] means praying repeatedly and often.
Third, [it] means not giving up on prayer. Don’t ever come to a point in your life where you cease to pray at all.”
--Summarized from: “The Practice of Prayer in the Fight for Joy” by John Piper taken from
I Don’t Desire God by John Piper, copyright 2004, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org. Page 157.
------------------------------
Why has God chosen to work through persevering prayer?
1. To purify our desires. Sometimes we may want the right thing for the wrong reasons.
2. To prepare us for His answer. A premature answer might cause us to glory more in the gift than in the Giver.
3. To develop our life and character. We have already stated that one of God’s greatest priorities in prayer is the work He desires to do in us.
4. To be used of God in spiritual warfare. Although we are not told a great bit of detail about the exact nature of the angelic conflict in the heavenlies, we are told enough to be assured of the reality of it.
5. To bless us with a more intimate relationship with God. An aspect of delighting in a person is delighting in conversing with them. The joy of fellowship with a prized person is the greatest treasure.
Bill Thrasher in A Journey to Victorious Praying, Moody Publishers, 2003, p. 190-191.
4. Paul’s POWER v. 9
A. Sufficient Grace
It was a message of sufficient grace. There is never a shortage of grace. God is sufficient for our spiritual ministries (2 Cor. 3:4–6) and our material needs (2 Cor. 9:8) as well as our physical needs (2 Cor. 12:9). If God’s grace is sufficient to save us, surely it is sufficient to keep us and strengthen us in our times of suffering.[26]
It was a message of strengthening grace. God permits us to become weak so that we might receive His strength. This is a continuous process: “My power is [being] made perfect in [your] weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9, niv).[27]
My grace is sufficient for you: You may emphasize any aspect of this you please.
“My grace is sufficient for you.” Grace is the favor and love of God in action. It means He loves us and is pleased by us. Can you hear it from God? “My love is enough for you.” Isn’t it true?
“My grace is sufficient for you.” Whose grace is it? It is the grace of Jesus. Isn’t His love, His favor, enough? What will Jesus fail at? Remember too that Jesus suffered thorns, so He cares and He knows.
“My grace is sufficient for you.” It is right now. Not that it will be some day, but right now, at this moment, His grace is sufficient. You thought something had to change before His grace would be enough. You thought, “His grace was sufficient once, His grace may be sufficient again, but not now, not with what I am going through.” Despite that feeling, God’s word stands. “My grace is sufficient for you.” Spurgeon wrote, “It is easy to believe in grace for the past and the future, but to rest in it for the immediate necessity is true faith. Believer, it is now that grace is sufficient: even at this moment it is enough for thee.”
iv. “My grace is sufficient for you.” Redpath explains this aspect best: “Do you see the humor of the situation? God’s grace: me. His grace sufficient for little me! How absurd to think that it could ever be any different! As if a little fish could swim in the ocean and fear lest it might drink it dry! The grace of our crucified, risen, exalted, triumphant Saviour, the Lord of all glory, is surely sufficient for me! Do you not think it is rather modest of the Lord to say sufficient?”
v. “My grace is sufficient for you.” I’m so glad God didn’t say, “My grace is sufficient for Paul the Apostle.” I might have felt left out. But God made it broad enough. You can be the “you” in for you. God’s grace is sufficient for you! Are you beyond it? Are you so different? Is your thorn worse than Paul’s or worse than many others who have known the triumph of Jesus? Of course not. This sufficient grace is for you.
vi. “This sufficiency is declared without any limiting words…” --CH Spurgeon
“How have we found Christ’s grace and power sufficient in our areas of weakness. What is God’s special program for humbling you?
B. Weakness
Is perfected (τελειται [teleitai]). Present passive indicative of τελεω [teleō], to finish. It is linear in idea. Power is continually increased as the weakness grows. See Phil. 4:13 for this same noble conception. The human weakness opens the way for more of Christ’s power and grace.[29]
“Oh, there must be the weakness of man, felt, recognized, and mourned over, or else the strength of the Son of God will never be perfected in us.” --Spurgeon
“Weaknesses here are not imperfect behaviors. They are circumstances and situations and experiences and wounds that make us look weak; things we would probably get rid of if we had the human strength.” John Piper
John Calvin was no stranger to weakness in his body. Plagued by migraines and gout, he knew something of Paul’s weakness. "For when I am weak, that is — ' The more deficiency there is in me, so much the more liberally does the Lord, from his strength, supply me with whatever he sees to be needful for me.' "
He adds most gladly, to show that he is influenced by such an eager desire for the grace of Christ, that he refuses nothing for the sake of obtaining it.
C. The Power of Christ
δύναμιςb, εως feminine: the potentiality to exert force in performing some function—‘power.’ ἀλλὰ λήμψεσθε δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος ε’φ̓ υ’μᾶς ‘but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you’ Ac 1:8.[33]
1 Corinthians 1.5
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The word translated rest means “to spread a tent over.”[34]
May rest upon me (ἐπισκηνωσῃ ἐπʼ ἐμε [episkēnōsēi ep’ eme]). Late and rare verb in first aorist active subjunctive with ἱνα [hina] (final clause), to fix a tent upon, here upon Paul himself by a bold metaphor, as if the Shechinah of the Lord was overshadowing him (cf. Luke 9:34), the power (δυναμις [dunamis]) of the Lord Jesus[35]
May rest upon (ἐπισκηνώσῃ). Only here in the New Testament. The simple verb σκηνόω, to dwell in a tent is used by John, especially in the Apocalypse. See on John 1:14. The compound verb here means to fix a tent or a habitation upon; and the figure is that of Christ abiding upon him as a tent spread over him, during his temporary stay on earth.[36]
divine power (My power, v. 8; Christ’s power, v. 9) is best displayed against the backdrop of human weaknesses (cf. 4:7) so that God alone is praised (10:17).[37]
APPLICATION:
Our carnal “strengths”
can be the biggest reason for
our spiritual weakness.
(Physical affliction need not be a barrier to effective Christian service.)[38]
5. Paul’s PLEASURE v. 10 Matt. 3:17; 2 Cor. 5:8.
G2106 - eudokeō - εὐδοκέω : The usual meaning of εὐδοκεῖν is “to take pleasure or delight in,” “to be glad in.” --Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
εὐδοκέωa: to be pleased with something or someone, with the implication of resulting pleasure—‘to be pleased with, to take pleasure in.’ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα ‘this is my dear Son; I am very pleased with him’ Mt 3:17.[39]
nasb, wuest—am well content; rsv, esv—am content;
niv84, tniv—I delight; kjv, nkjv, hcsb, nlt—take pleasure;
This does not mean he enjoys weaknesses as such; what he delights in is the power of Christ that rests upon him in these weaknesses.[40]
Paul knows from personal experience (i.e., Damascus road) that good intentions and personal effort are not enough. We need grace (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9), not power.
What made the difference? The grace of God and the glory of God. He “took pleasure” in these trials and problems, not because he was psychologically unbalanced and enjoyed pain, but because he was suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ. He was glorifying God by the way he accepted and handled the difficult experiences of life.[42]
While Paul’s readers could have gained much by learning of the simultaneity of weakness and power which Paul sets out in vv. 7–10, the apostle’s motive in setting it out was not limited to that. His opponents had criticized his claims to apostleship on the grounds of his weakness (cf. 10:10), and very likely they regarded the many persecutions and insults that Paul experienced as inconsistent with his claim to be an apostle of the exalted Christ. By setting out the divine principle of power manifested through weakness, Paul has at once defended his own claim to apostleship and cut the ground from under the claims of his opponents.[43]
God vindicates the legitimate authority of New Covenant ministers by transforming their apparent weaknesses into a demonstration of His grace and power.
APPLICATION:
Until I come to the place where it is God’s purposes in my life that please me most, I am likely doomed to spiritual mediocrity and frustration when God seeks to shape me through trials and thorns.
I usually do not d this thorough of a job keeping up with sources and footnotes. Of course, you would not read this many long quotes, but communicate the general ideas.
[1] Colin G. Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 193.
[2] Colin G. Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 193.
[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 673.
[4] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 2 Co 12:1.
[5] Colin G. Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 195–196.
[6] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 2 Co 12:2–4.
[7] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 673.
[8] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 2 Co 12:2–4.
[9] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 764.
[11] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 2 Co 12:7.
[12] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 674.
[13] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 674.
[15] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 3 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 355.
[16] Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 725.
[17] Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 725.
[18] Colin G. Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 199.
[19] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 674.
[20] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 2 Co 12:7.
[21] Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 725.
[22] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 676.
[23] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 407.
[24] Colin G. Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 199–200.
[26] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 675.
niv New International Version
[27] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 675.
[29] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 2 Co 12:9.
[33] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 679.
[34] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 676.
[35] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), 2 Co 12:9.
[36] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 3 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 356.
[37] David K. Lowery, “2 Corinthians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 583.
[38] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 676.
[39] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 298.
[40] Colin G. Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 200.
[42] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 676.
[43] Colin G. Kruse, 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 201.
