What is the "thorn in the flesh" mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:7? Passage Text (2 Corinthians 12:7 – 10) “...to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Historical Background of Paul’s Experience Paul wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia c. A.D. 56. Acts portrays repeated beatings, stoning at Lystra (Acts 14:19), malaria-prone coastal travel (Perga, Acts 13:13), and hostile Judaizers dogging his steps. Galatians 4:13-15 and 6:11 hint at ophthalmic trouble (“if possible you would have plucked out your eyes”; “see what large letters”). These data furnish possibilities for the thorn. Survey of Major Interpretive Views 1. Persecution/Opponents • Old Testament idiom: “thorns in your sides” for hostile peoples (Numbers 33:55; Judges 2:3). • Immediate context lists “insults… persecutions” (12:10) equating weakness with external opposition. 2. Physical Ailment • Eye disease: Galatians 4:15; 6:11. • Malaria or recurring fever: Asia Minor marshlands were notorious (Strabo, Geography 12.3.29). • Epilepsy or migraine: Luke, a physician (Colossians 4:14), may have traveled for care (Acts 16:10 change from “they” to “we” in Troas). 3. Demonic Harassment • Direct reading: “angelos of Satan.” • 1 Thessalonians 2:18—“Satan hindered us.” The “thorn” could be a specific spiritual emissary stirring crowds. 4. Psychological Temptation • Some propose persistent temptation toward pride, anxiety, or grief over Israel (Romans 9:2-3). 5. Composite or Deliberately Ambiguous • Paul may have refrained from naming it so every believer can map personal afflictions onto the principle. Evaluation of Each View Persecution explains the plural hardships catalogued (11:23-29) and the OT thorn metaphor, yet “in the flesh” usually means bodily suffering (Galatians 4:13). The physical-ailment view dovetails with Galatian evidence and demands for large-print letters. Early church writers note both strands: Tertullian calls it “bodily suffering” (On Modesty 13), while Chrysostom sees “men and adversaries” (Homily 26 on 2 Corinthians). The demonic-harassment reading coheres lexically but does not exclude either persecution or illness, since Satan may operate through both (cf. Job 2:7; Luke 13:16). Patristic Witness • Irenaeus (Against Heresies 5.3.2) treats it as “bodily weakness.” • Origen (Commentary on 2 Corinthians, fragment 35) regards it as “temptations from persecutors.” • Augustine (Letters 41.4) inclines to physical pain curbing pride. Theological Significance 1. Sovereignty and Suffering God allows the thorn (“was given”) yet employs Satan’s agency to produce humility. The episode models Genesis 50:20—what Satan means for harm, God turns for good. 2. Grace Perfected in Weakness The Lord’s answer, “My grace is sufficient,” pivots the discussion from removal to reliance, echoing Jesus’ Gethsemane submission (Matthew 26:39). 3. Spiritual Warfare Believers engage cosmic opposition (Ephesians 6:12). God’s promise delivers sustaining grace rather than automatic exemption. 4. Humility after Revelation Extraordinary spiritual experiences (visions, miracles) do not guarantee spiritual maturity; affliction checks conceit. Practical and Pastoral Implications • Persistent prayer is biblical (v. 8) yet must yield to divine wisdom when the answer is “No.” • Chronic illness, hostile opposition, or oppressive temptation can coexist with fruitful ministry; Paul evangelized Europe under such strain. • Suffering believers can “boast” (καυχάομαι) not in pain itself, but in Christ’s power experienced through it. • The church ought to minister compassionately to physical and mental maladies while affirming God’s purposeful sovereignty. Conclusion Scripture neither defines the thorn exhaustively nor leaves us unguided. Evidence weighs most heavily toward a chronic physical malady aggravated by satanic interference and human hostility, yet Paul’s deliberate vagueness universalizes the lesson: whatever form a believer’s “thorn” takes, God’s grace proves sufficient, Christ’s power rests upon yielded weakness, and ultimate victory belongs to the resurrected Lord. |
    |