The Thorn in the Flesh; Strength Made Perfect in Weakness (2 Cor. 12:6–10)

2 Cor. 12:6. If I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will speak the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me.

“If I wish to boast,” that is, to apply what is said of another to myself, “I will not be a fool,” that is, I will not do a foolish thing, I will not tell a lie, I will not deceive; “for I will speak the truth,” for it was truly so. And finally he speaks directly, yet still conceals himself and tries to keep himself in the shade. How unwilling he was to surround his head with such a halo of glory!

Before he said that boasting is foolishness, but now he says that boasting I will not be a fool. “This must be understood not in relation to boasting, but in relation to the truth of what one boasts of. In this latter respect he says: ‘I will not be a fool.’ Why he adds: ‘for I will speak the truth’” (Saint Chrysostom). And in this respect I will not be a fool, that I do this against my nature, compelled by the benefit that proceeds from it for you. “For it is not foolish for one who, for the sake of salvation and building up of souls, forced by necessity, proclaims the grace sent to him by God. On the contrary, it is befitting one who is wise and loves mankind to disregard even suspicion of self-exaltation for the salvation of others” (Oecumenius).

“But I refrain from it.” However, though necessity presses, and there is benefit, still I am stingy in praise for myself, I fear to present myself so brightly. “So that no one may think more of me than.” He did not say: so that no one speaks more of me, but: “so that no one may think more of me,” even let him not think more of me than I deserve. Here is the true reason why he refrains from speaking of himself and conceals it; and even when necessity compels him to say something, he speaks obscurely, placing himself in the shade! He fears lest they think more of him than what he is. For there was already a time when, because of the signs, they considered him and Barnabas as gods and prepared to offer oxen in their honor. What would they have invented if he had declared all his revelations and displayed all that is glorious? (Oecumenius).

“Than what he sees in me or hears from me.” If he were to tell all, the imagination would be aroused and begin to picture more than the words convey; and because of the arousal of imagination, their eyes would see in me more than there is. “Therefore I fear to tell all, lest someone form of me a greater opinion than of a man” (Theodoret). Saint Chrysostom says: “Just as God created the elements of the world both powerless and brilliant, so that through one they would proclaim His power, and through the other restrain men from error; so the Apostles were at once wondrous and weak, so that by their very deeds they could teach the unbelievers. For if they, remaining always wondrous and not showing examples of weakness, tried with mere words to convince people not to think of them more than appropriate, they would not only fail, but produce the opposite. For mere verbal disclaimers would sooner be attributed to humility and make them wonder all the more. Therefore weakness often actually manifested itself in their deeds. Examples of this one can see in the Old Testament holy men. Elijah was a wondrous man, but once he showed himself to be fearful (1 Kings 19). Great was also Moses, but through the same weakness he once gave himself to flight (Ex. 2). And they suffered this when God withdrew from them and allowed human weakness to be exposed in them. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they said: where is Moses? What would they have said if he had led them into the promised land? For this reason too Paul says: ‘So that no one may think more of me than what is.’”

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2 Cor. 12:7. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from becoming proud.

“And to keep me from being conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations,” τη υπερβολη των αποκαλυψεων,—by the abundance of revelations “a thorn was given me in the flesh,” σκολοψ τη σαρκι, a prickle in flesh, or for the flesh, piercing and pricking the flesh—“a messenger of Satan to torment me,” ινα με κολαφιζη, to strike me on the cheeks, to slap me, humiliating and shaming me.

It was ordinarily thought that the tormentor of the flesh, an angel of Satan, was something that disturbed and troubled the holy Paul from the side of the flesh and was found in the flesh itself. New commentators recognized that Saint Paul speaks here about movements of fleshly desire. But fleshly desire—what is special about it? All experience it, and not only the unmarried, but also the married. And Saint Paul by his manner of expression gives the thought that something special was given to him, that is not common to all. Moreover, the tormentor given to him, κολαφιζει, strikes on the cheeks, mercilessly, cruelly acts, while fleshly desire is the very most flattering and insidious enemy. Therefore this thought cannot be accepted. Our commentators believe that Saint Paul speaks here, as he did before, about external afflictions and hostility from the enemies of the Gospel, who are instruments of Satan. Thus Saint Chrysostom says: “What the Apostle’s words mean will be determined once we reveal who the tormentor is and who is the angel of Satan. Some said that this meant some kind of headache produced by the devil. But this is impossible. For Paul’s body could not have been given into the hands of the devil, because the devil himself yielded to Paul, by a single command of his. Paul assigned him laws and limits, when, for example, he delivered the fornicator to him for the destruction of the flesh, and the devil did not dare to transgress these. So, what does the said mean? Satan in the Hebrew language means adversary. And Holy Scripture in the third book of Kings (1 Kings 5:4) calls adversaries by this name. Narrating about Solomon, it says: there was no Satan in his days, that is, no rival, who would wage war with him or trouble him. Therefore the Apostle’s words have such a meaning: God was not pleased that our preaching spread without hindrance; He desired to humble our high opinion of ourselves; but He permitted adversaries to attack us. For this alone was sufficient to overthrow proud thoughts, while headache could not produce this. Thus, by the angel of Satan he means Alexander the coppersmith, the associates of Hymenaeus and Philetus, and all opponents of the word, who entered into disputes with him and resisted him, threw him into prison, beat him and dragged him. For they did the deeds of Satan. Thus Holy Scripture also calls the Jews sons of the devil, because they were zealous in his deeds; thus also it calls every adversary an angel of Satan. Therefore the words: ‘a tormentor of the flesh was given to me, that it torment me’ do not mean that God Himself armed the adversaries, or punished and restrained the Apostle through them,—God forbid! — but only that He allowed and permitted them for a time.” Theophylact also resolves the question: why is it said: angel of Satan, when there were many who rose up? — “Why did the Apostle not say: angels of Satan, but—angel? — Because ordinarily in each place one or another adversary rose up against Paul and stirred up the people against him, according to his leadership; the rest rose up. Or, what is much better, the Apostle called the angel of Satan the very deed itself, that is, the resistance to preaching and the causing of harms to preachers. (‘He called the angel of Satan injuries, mockeries, popular uprisings.’ Theodoret). And the words: ‘so that I might not be conceited’ some understood in the sense: so that I might not be glorified by men. But that is not what Paul says here, though above he did say so, but namely: so that I might not become vain-glorious, he says, for he too was a man.” Thus Theodoret, Oecumenius, Saint John of Damascus and Ambrosiaster, so also Photius in Oecumenius.

2 Cor. 12:8. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me.

“That it would leave,” that is, the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan. According to the sense given by the holy fathers to these words, the Apostle says: may the path of preaching be smoothed, may the attacks be lessened, may I not meet resistance with such force and continuity. — “The Apostle showed in these words the weakness of nature, for he says: I asked for deliverance from trials” (Theodoret). “‘Three times’: many times. And this shows the great humility of the Apostle, when he does not hide that he could not bear the enemy’s attacks, but was worn down and prayed for liberation from them” (Saint Chrysostom).

2 Cor. 12:9. And he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

“My grace is sufficient for you;” “that is, it is enough for you that you raise the dead, heal the blind, cleanse lepers and perform other miracles. Do not desire that you might live in safety, without fear, and preach without labor. But you grieve and sorrow? Do not ascribe to My weakness the fact that many act treacherously toward you, torture you, persecute and beat you with scourges. This very thing shows My power. ‘My power is perfected in weakness,’ that is, when you who are persecuted overcome those who persecute you, when you who are pursued vanquish your pursuers, when you who are bound put to flight those who bind you. Therefore, do not desire excess. Mark that the Apostle presents one reason, but God another. He says: ‘to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh;’ but God said that He permits this to show His power. Therefore you are asking not only for excess, but even for what obscures the glory of My might. For the words: ‘My grace is sufficient’ show that nothing more needs to be added, but everything has been done.” (Saint Chrysostom). “From your weakness My power appears in all fullness and in all perfection. If for preaching there had been employed some wise men and royal persons, another could ascribe the subjection of all to the Gospel to the power of those who served in preaching. But now the weakness of those who preach the Gospel throughout the world shows God’s power; it alone appears to be acting here, and all that is accomplished must be ascribed to it alone.” (Oecumenius).

“Having heard such an answer, Paul says: ‘Therefore I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses.’” So that the Corinthians do not lose heart, seeing that the Apostles are in persecution, Paul shows that through persecutions he becomes more glorious, that in this especially the power of God is manifested, and that what happens to him is worthy of being boasted of. Therefore he says: “Therefore I will all the more gladly boast.” It is not from a sorrowful heart that I spoke of what I have enumerated above, or what I now mention, that is, that “a thorn was given me;” on the contrary, I am adorned by this and draw even greater power upon myself from God. Therefore he adds: “So that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” By these words he gives to understand something else as well, namely: to the measure that trials increased, to that measure grace abounded and remained in him. (Saint Chrysostom).

2 Cor. 12:10. For this reason I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

“Therefore I am content.” He did not say: I endure, but “I am content,” that is, I am glad, I rejoice, I accept gladly what comes, because apparent weakness gives me true strength (Theodoret).

“I am content with weaknesses”: what weaknesses are these? — Insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ. By this the Apostle himself defines who exactly is his thorn in the flesh and messenger of Satan. He prayed that this thorn would depart from him. The Lord said to him: “My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness,” that is, is manifested in you as acting through this thorn and messenger of Satan, exposing your powerlessness and weakness. The Apostle agrees to such an arrangement, saying: “Therefore I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses,” that is, I no longer wish to free myself from the thorn and messenger of Satan, I remain with him willingly and count it to my glory that he torments me—in other words, that I am surrounded by weaknesses. Having now explained what these weaknesses are, namely, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for Christ’s sake, he showed that they are the thorn in the flesh and messenger of Satan. All our interpreters make such an elucidation in connection with these words.

The holy Chrysostom says: “Do you see how he has made everything clear now? For, speaking of the kind of weaknesses, he named not fever or periodic illness, or other bodily weakness, but outrages, persecutions, and oppression. Do you see what an obedient soul! The Apostle wished to be freed from afflictions; but when he heard from the Lord that this was not to be, not only did he not lose heart at not receiving what he asked for, but even rejoiced in it. Therefore he said: ‘I am content,’ I am glad, I wish to bear outrages, persecutions, and oppression for Christ.” He said this, wishing to humble the false apostles and encourage the Corinthians, so that they would not be ashamed of Paul’s sufferings. For such endurance of sorrows can make us stronger than all. Then he sets forth another reason: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Why be surprised that there are weaknesses, if the power of God is manifested in our weaknesses and I am then strong? For then the grace of God acts most powerfully. “Just as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2 Cor. 1:5). Where sorrow is, there too is grace; and where grace is, there is consolation and strength to bear sorrow. When he was cast into prison, then he performed miracles. When he suffered shipwreck and was cast into a barbarian country, then he especially became famous. When bound, he ascended the judgment seat and conquered the judge himself. So it was in the Old Testament. The righteous flourished amid trials. So the three youths, so Daniel, Moses and Joseph—all through trials became famous and attained great crowns. For the soul is purified when it suffers for God’s sake. Then it receives greater help, because it has need of greater aid from God and is more worthy of greater grace; and becoming wise, it treasures up great goods for itself, not to mention the rewards laid up for it with God. For sorrow uproots pride, cuts off every negligence, prepares for endurance, reveals the nothingness of human deeds and introduces into life much wisdom. All passions yield to it: envy, rivalry, lust, attachment to wealth, carnal love, pride, arrogance, anger and the whole swarm of soul’s ailments. If anyone will consider even our present deeds, he will see what benefit sorrows bring. Now, enjoying peace, we have grown weak, become lazy and filled the Church with thousands of evils. But when we endured persecutions, we were more chaste, more virtuous, more zealous and more diligent both in these assemblies (the Church) and in hearing (the teachings). What fire is to gold, that sorrow is to the soul: it wipes the filth from it, makes it pure, bright and clear. Sorrow leads to the kingdom, while a comfortable life leads to Gehenna; therefore the path to the kingdom is narrow, and to Gehenna broad. Therefore Christ, as if offering us some great good, said: “In the world you will have tribulation.” (Jn 16:33)