Boasting of Weakness- 2 Cor 12

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13

In this section of 2 Corinthians, Paul has been responding to a situation in the Corinthian church. Some other preachers have come to the community, and it seems like they are making accusations against Paul, and claiming that their preaching represents a truer gospel. They seem to be wanting the Christianity of the Corinthians to be more Jewish, in a sense. These other preachers seem to be emphasizing their own credentials, and their spiritual power.

Paul responds with a call to humility and a focus on God’s grace. Paul is not interested in proclaiming himself. He proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord. And in contrast with the visiting preachers’ emphasis on spiritual power, Paul proclaims himself and his companions as slaves for Christ’s sake (2 Cor 4:5).

Paul finds himself in the awkward position of responding to the accusations of these preachers, and having to defending himself as an ambassador of Christ. He engages in what he calls ‘fool’s speech’ as he presents his own qualifications. … But he puts a twist on it. He brings these things into relation to the cross. In 2 Cor 11:30 he says,

 “If I must boast, I will boast of things that show my weakness”.

If we were to guess the things Paul might have to brag about, we might think he would talk about how many churches he planted, or how many people he baptized into the faith, or about how Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus. In Acts 19 we read, 

“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them” (19:11-12).

 So, maybe that would be something to be mentioned.

But he doesn’t talk about these things. He says this in the previous chapter- 

“But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. 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 robbers, 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, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Cor 11:21-30).

Paul recounts how he has suffered for Christ, rather than pointing to the churches he planted, or the people he baptized, or the miracles God has done through him.

Even when he points to something spectacular he distances himself from it. Our reading today begins with Paul saying, 

“I 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. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat” (2 Cor 12:2-4).

In a distancing way, Paul is talking about himself, and a profound spiritual experience he had. This is an experience with being brought into the presence of God that is similar to visions the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel had. Paul is not against spiritual experiences, or expressions of spiritual power. He has had these experiences. But he follows this by saying he would rather boast of his weaknesses (2 Cor 12:5).

He then says, 

“even 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” (2 Cor 12:7).

Bishop NT Wright has said that a Roman general, parading through the streets in front of cheering crowds after returning home from winning some great battle, “would have a slave in the chariot with him, whose job it was to whisper in his ear, ‘Remember, you too are mortal.’” [1] … Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh’ whispers in his ear in a similar way- keeping his feet on the ground.There is a danger in these kinds of spiritual experiences. They can tempt us into spiritual pride. 

I remember being trained to be a chaplain at a hospital in Toronto. Before I began, I had this arrogant fantasy. What if I walked into the hospital and everyone I prayed for was healed? All my floors are just emptying out. They can’t keep sick people in here. They are all healed. That would be amazing! … I came to understand that that would destroy me. I would be destroyed by spiritual pride.

Paul had a “thorn” in his flesh, to cure his temptation to pride that could arise from his incredible spiritual experiences. This was probably some kind of chronic illness, but we don’t know what it was.  He prayed for it to be removed from him.  For the super-spiritual preachers, who boasted in their power, visions, and miracles, this thorn should be easily cast away.  But Paul received the word from God. God communicates with Paul, but says, 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).

 He received a word from God, but it was a word about weakness and grace. The way of Christ is the way of the cross.

Those other preachers who have come are boasting about their power, and their spiritual experiences. Paul, too, has had these experiences. But the word he hears from God about power has to do with weakness. So, Paul says he “will boast all the more gladly of [his] weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in [him]” (2 Cor 12:9).  These other preachers who have come seem to have so emphasized power and victory, that they have no understanding of Jesus’ call to the cross. It’s like they want to skip the cross and get right to the resurrection.

This pattern of power coming through weakness is seen throughout the Bible. The shepherd boy David, who no one even considered bringing to the meeting, is selected to be king. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Paul says that Jesus 

“…emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…” (Phil 2:7).

 When Jesus sends out the disciples in our Gospel reading, he sends them out in weakness- 

“He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics” (Mk 6:8-9).

 Jesus told the disciples to take up their own crosses and follow him (Mk 8:34).

Our Tradition tells us that all of the Apostles died for their faith in Christ, except one who was exiled. We can look at St. Francis of Assisi who willingly gave up all he would inherit from his wealthy, merchant father and became a beggar. Or, we could consider Mother Teresa, the 5 foot nun, who entered into the poverty of Calcutta. … Over and over again we see God using people who seem to be weak to do amazing things. … The cross is not an intuitive way to save people. God uses what seems weak and that weakness seems to create space that God can fill. This is why humility is so important. Pride is a full cup and has no space for God because it is full of ego. Humility empties our cup so God can fill it.

I meet people whose lives have shifted in significant ways- maybe they have an significant illness that has weakened them, or they have retired- there are lots of ways life gets turned upside down- and those things can often leave people feeling unsure about the purpose of their life. Maybe they don’t have the strength to work anymore, or they don’t have the strength to help people build a fence. Sometimes their stamina doesn’t even allow them to help pick up groceries for a friend. …. Sometimes when people retire they realize that their career was what gave their life purpose, and suddenly they feel lost.

Those things can seem like weakness, but what if you have been freed to do something else? Maybe it isn’t something prestigious in the eyes of the world, or even in your own eyes. Maybe you have been freed to develop a life of prayer in a way you haven’t been able to before. … Maybe there are other ways that what looks like weakness, actually makes room for God to work through us in ways we aren’t able to imagine.

Often, we feel like we can’t do something great for God because we aren’t wealthy enough, or educated enough, but Jesus called simple fishermen. If it’s really true that “God’s power is made perfect in weakness”, then our weakness might be the ground from which God can grow something beautiful.

Bishop NT Wright has said that often human power “has to be knocked out of the way altogether for [God’s power] to shine through as God desires and intends”. With Paul, maybe we should see our weakness as an opportunity for God’s power to do something unexpected. AMEN

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[1] NT Wright, “Paul for everyone: 2 Corinthians”, p.129.