Meditation for 10 June 2009
From The Rev. Peter A. Munson
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. 3And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— 4was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. 5On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. 6But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, 7even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. 8Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9but he said to me, ÔMy grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.Õ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Weakness As Strength
I'm thinking that none of us would characterize the apostle Paul as a weak man. Persecutor of the early Christian church, then founder of quite a few churches in the Middle East, not to mention the first churches in Europe, and willing to suffer for the faith in all kinds of ways. In 2 Corinthians 11, he chronicles some of what he went through as an apostle and evangelist. "Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked." (2 Cor. 11:24-27) Wow! You and I have not even started to suffer as a disciple of Christ, when compared to Paul. This was not a weak man.
This was a man who was also given an amazing vision by God, one which undoubtedly sustained him through much of this pain, toil, and hardship. It is this vision or revelation that he mentions in 2 Corinthians 12 (see verses 2-4 above). This revelation was so powerful that it seems that Paul - hardly ever at a loss for words - cannot really describe it (or was told not to talk about it by God? see verse 4) According to Paul, to keep him from getting too elated about this vision, "a thorn was given to me in the flesh." (verse 7) Biblical scholars have speculated for centuries on what this "thorn" was (e.g., physical or mental illness, spiritual trials, persecution, etc.), but no one knows what it was, for Paul does not reveal that. What he does reveal are these profound words that he heard from the Lord, after the third time that he asked the Lord to take away the thorn. "My grace is sufficient for you, for power [or, "my power" in some translations] is made perfect in weakness." (verse 9)
As some folks like to say in my line of work, "That'll preach!"
There are times when you and I are driven to our knees. You have probably been through some of those times yourself. Going through a divorce. The unexpected loss of a job. Deep financial struggles. An unknown diagnosis, or a diagnosis of "cancer" or "stroke" or "heart attack" or "diabetes" or "Parkinson's Disease". A day like September 11, 2001, or December 7, 1941.
For Paul it took the form of being blinded on the road to Damascus; it took the form of beatings and shipwrecks and heart-pounding escapes, just in the nick of time (see 2 Cor. 11:32-33).
We are driven to our knees at these times because 1) our knees go all weak on us, and 2) we realize, in these moments, that we have no where else to turn but God. On September 16, 2001, the Sunday after September 11, church attendance in our country went through the roof. It was not an accident. An aberration, yes, but an accident - no. The higher attendance did not last more than that one Sunday. But on that Sunday, people did not decide to sleep in and read the paper, or go out and play golf or go biking or hiking. They went to church, because they knew they needed God, for there was no one else to turn to.
If we would be honest with ourselves, we would acknowledge this truth: on every single day of our lives, there is really no one else to turn to but God. Only God can carry us through, with the strength that we need - on a daily basis - for life. You and I, as human beings, tend to think that we can do it all on our own, that our strength is really all that we need. And then something happens, and that lie is blown totally out of the water, and we see it for the lie that it is!
And so it is that when we are weak, then we can become strong. For it is precisely in our times of weakness, in our times of greatest vulnerability, that we have the horse sense to learn or re-learn that God's grace is sufficient for us, that God's power is made perfect in our weakness. When we remember that we need God, that we can't do everything on our own, then - exactly then - we begin to see the fruits of God's grace, strength, wisdom and mercy come through in our lives.
And so it was that Paul, who went through more in one lifetime of faith than any ten of us, said (in paraphrasing Jeremiah 9:23), "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." (1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17) And perhaps I should quote that verse from Jeremiah here. "Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord." (Jer. 9:23)
When you and I are weak, and driven to our knees, there is some cause for rejoicing in that. Because it is at those times that we are most likely to turn to the One who is the source of all life, and the source of all that is good and sustaining. Paul, who went through so much, knew more about God than I will ever know. But I know that Paul heard clearly when he heard God say this: "My grace is sufficient for you, for [my] power is made perfect in weakness."