A Deeply Moving Experience - of whom speaketh Paul?-of himself or of another? According to Plutarch and other writers of the time, the use of the third person to describe an experience was a literary device that allowed personal story to be told that otherwise would have been heard as grossly boastful. Attempts to date the "fourteen years ago" have been only speculative, not substantive. The vision ferries Paul to the "third heaven," which, in the culture-thought of the day referred to an enclosure like a formal garden or a park. In some literature, paradise was the Garden of Eden. [1]

What a Pain in the . . . Flesh - In contrast to the vaulted vision, Paul mentions the very earthy thorn in the flesh, i.e. (skolops). The word can be translated as "thorn" or "stake" in this case in the form of a emissary of Satan. What is Paul referring to? Lots of options: opponents or physical problems-epilepsy, hysteria, depression, headaches, or eye problems, even leprosy and malaria are candidates for thorns in the flesh. However, the emphasis is not on the cause but the effect. The bottom line for Paul was that God’s grace was ultimately the sustainer and provider of the endurance he needed to continue his ministry in the face of such thorns.

Compared to Paul, I . . . Paul was extraordinary. Indeed, as the NIB points out, "The grandeur of his religious life, with its spectacular visions and numerous revelations, need not be the litmus test of our own faith. [2] Yet if we can identify with Paul’s weakness as the way that God chooses to work through us, then maybe we’re closer to Paul than we think.

What obstacles or "thorns" have you encountered in your own Christian journey?

When has Paul’s discovery that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness been true for you?

When have you needed to hear God say to you, "My grace is sufficient for you?"

I once heard the Reverend James Forbes speak about deeply moving experiences. He used a personal experience as a way to enter the biblical story. This passage would certainly lend itself to such a structure.

Tell a deeply-moving experience that has proven to be a watershed in your life.

Move to the text and explore Paul’s "deeply-moving" experiences.

Through in the counterpunctual notion of "thorns" as a way to balance such experiences.

Make a final visit to the "My grace is sufficient for you," word as the word of the gospel that gives hope and comfort.