Like me, you may be amazed how new concepts are continuously revealed to you as you pursue your relationship with God. This happened to me once again when as a student at Knox College, I was asked to write a paper on Paul’s illness. Yes, my first thought was, what illness? I knew this prophetic man had experienced many challenges during his lifetime, but did he also suffer from an illness?
The expression “a thorn in my side” which comes from 2 Corinthians 12:7 in the New Testament, where Paul says he was given a thorn in his flesh to remind him to be humble rather than boastful or proud. But what exactly does this mean? Was this thorn an irritation such as a rash that needed to be scratched? Or was it something more serious and long-term? Paul continues to say in 2 Corinthians 12:8 that he begged the Lord three times to have the thorn removed. Given that Paul not only prayed, but begged, and not once, but three times, it is reasonable to assume that Paul’s thorn in his flesh was far more serious than a simple rash.
Galatians 4:13 provides an additional clue. Here Paul is telling the Galatians how he came to be with them. He reminds them that he came to first preach the gospel because of a ?s???e?a? t?? sa????, which translated means a physical infirmity, an infirmity of the flesh or an illness. As this city is located in the mountains where the air is cleaner and drier, some believe that Paul visited and stayed with the Galatians because the environment was healthier for him.
In Galatians 4:14-15, Paul further reveals that his illness was serious enough that the Galatians could have scorned him. This was because the traditional religious thinking of the day was that ill people were sinful and were being punished or cursed by God. Paul indicates, however, that this was not the case. Rather the Galatians took care of him and loved him greatly. In fact, Paul believes they would have taken out their own eyes and given them to him if it had been possible. In Paul’s day, this meant that you loved the person so much that you would even give up one of your most precious possessions for the person.
These clues in the New Testament suggest that Paul did have an illness. This illness is not defined by Paul or stated anywhere else in the Bible, but we are led to believe it was long-term and painful. Although we do not know what the illness was, a variety of early interpreters believed Paul’s illness was either personal anxiety or spiritual torment. Later on, others thought he had an eye disease. More recent interpreters, however, speculate that Paul’s illness was physical in nature and may have been either malaria or epilepsy. These are indeed serious and long-term illnesses.
Although we are not exactly sure what Paul’s illness was, in many respects that is likely not the truly important issue here. What is far more important is how did this illness affect Paul and is there something we can learn from his struggles and suffering?
In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, we just may have the answers. After begging God three times to take away his thorn, Paul received his answer from God, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” It was through God’s grace, favour, love and mercy, Paul began to see that his thorn was not a problem or illness but rather a very special gift. It was a constant reminder that God’s power was even more evident in his weakness. Paul’s motto became “for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.”
What a revelation for Paul and what a profound revelation this can be for all of us. No matter who we are, we all have our thorns. It may be an injury or illness, a problem with a family member or friend, a troubling work environment or some other challenge. And like Paul, we may be begging God to take these thorns away. If this is the case, let us learn from Paul’s experience. Let us stop and listen and we may very well hear the same words that Paul heard those many years ago—My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. In this way, we will allow God’s power to become even more evident in our weaknesses.
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