God’s grace truly is sufficient for us
Dear All,
In 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, we read about Paul’s visions and revelations. It would seem that ‘the person in Christ’ we read of is Paul himself, but he is reluctant to attribute the same importance to revelations as his opponents attach to them. He may be following the convention of ‘apocalypses’ that describe such visions with pseudonyms (Daniel, Enoch, Ezra). Or perhaps his Pharisaism makes him suspicious of ‘mysticism’. Certainly, the rabbis warn of the dangers of exploring ‘what is above and below, what has been and what will be’ (Mishnah Hagigah 2.1). There are various depictions of heaven in Jewish literature, including a threefold ‘lower heaven, middle heaven, and supreme heaven’ (Targum of 2 Chronicles 6.18), and Paul is implying here that he entered the highest heaven. But his approach is a little negative, or at least complex towards ‘apocalyptic’ visions because he does not reveal what he has seen. He writes about this event as being ‘fourteen years ago’ which suggests this experience is additional to the revelation on the road to Damascus (Gal 1.13-17), and Paul acknowledges it was exceptional and potentially elating.
This brings him to his fundamental point about his thorn in the flesh. Again, he does not disclose many details but, like Job’s sufferings (Job 1–2), Satan has used it to tempt him to doubt God. And this takes us into a central theme of 2 Corinthians with Paul’s affirmation that his many sufferings are a sign, not of God’s contempt for him, but of the presence of ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1.3) whose power is made perfect in weakness. This comment of Paul’s, ‘power is made perfect in weakness’, is definitely one of those paradoxes that emerge when we try to put the deep realities of life into words. I’m pretty sure we don’t tend to think that Paul is saying that God routinely knocks us into shape through suffering, but rather that there are ways that we see ourselves as strong and successful that can also make us self-reliant and shallow. Perhaps here we simply recognise that the deepest insights and the most thoughtful, inspiring faith is often possessed by people who have suffered. These are people who have reached the end of their own mortal resources and know what it is to rely on God’s utter kindness and generosity.
Those of us who’ve experienced appraisals of some kind will be used to the language of strengths and weaknesses. The aim, usually, is to build up the strengths and transform (or eradicate) the weaknesses. Paul’s experiences suggest an alternative way to look at this. For all the reasons he lists, here and in the preceding verses, he was clearly perceived by some as a man with many weaknesses but few strengths. He admits as much. Yet, as we know well, he was and continues to be a great source of inspiration, strength and blessing to followers of Jesus. We may wish to reflect, considering where we are able to see what the world perceives to be weaknesses actually being a source of strength and blessing? How might we encourage more of this?
Another thought: Paul can’t, or won’t, give details of his ‘out of this world’ experience. He may have good reasons not to do so; perhaps he is distancing himself from opponents who attached great importance to such revelations. And it certainly looks like he wants us to focus more on his weaknesses. It is through them that the power of Christ is revealed. It is because of them that he hears God say: ‘My grace is sufficient for you’. We consider, do we know our own weaknesses?
Can we sense God working or speaking to us through them? How might we express or live out an understanding that God’s grace truly is sufficient for us?
With much love,
