The three readings for the 5th Sunday after Pentecosgt in Series B are Ezekiel 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 and Mark 6:1-13. Selected to preach about is 2 Cor. 12:7, “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”

It’s one thing to be buffeted or tormented by Satan; it’s quite another thing to have that torment sent by God Himself! If one were to read only that phrase, we might guess that God might have sent such an evil to King Herod after he killed the innocents or perhaps to Saul before he became Paul or perhaps to Peter for denying the LORD three times. But no, this torment was of the devil sent by God to none other than Paul after his conversion. How could a gracious and loving God permit this to happen to one of His own?

Context for interpretation is everything. The previous verses explain how Paul was permitted to have a vision of Paradise that was not lawful for him to utter. Can you imagine how big a head Paul could get that God permitted him to see that which few others have witnessed. In light of that, Paul continues that lest he should think more highly of himself than he should, God permitted a thorn in the flesh to pester and torment him. Why? Though Paul had a great vision, a tremendous conversion and even raised a young man named Eutychus from the dead, he was unable to get rid of this thorn in the flesh. God’s gift of suffering kept Paul humble.

There are many who speculate what this “thorn” was. Perhaps a disease, or bad eyesight or–what I think–an imperfection in his speech that made it difficult for him to testify of the Christ Whom he loved. At any rate, even three requests to God to remove the thorn proved to be fruitless. And why? Because God wanted to make sure that Paul would not be “exalted above measure.” We saw what happened to King David when he began to think of himself too highly. Her name was Bathsheba. Would that he had had a thorn in the flesh to have reminded him of his weaknesses.

This is a clear L&G distinction as it reminds us of the true theologian of the Bible being a theologian of the cross. That theology is more than the revelation of what happened to Jesus on the cross; it also reveals what happens to believers who remain faithful in this sin fallen world. We also suffer but not as payment for sin since that was paid in full at the Golgotha cross. No, permitting our suffering to occur is God’s way of keeping our eyes focused on the cross of Christ and Jesus as our only hope and salvation.

While the world may question God about the kind of suffering that occurs; the believer may not be aware of the reason but is aware of the kind of God that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is. He is a God Who has compassion (suffering with us) to the point of the cross. In His humiliation you are exalted. And in your exaltation to the body of Christ, the Trinity is glorified. It is not a common sense religion but Christianity is a faith that possesses the true God that indeed surpasses all understanding. That is why we live by faith and not by sight!