Paul's Thorn

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NOTE:  An updated version of this post is available at my new website:  http://bornofspirit.net/pauls-thorn/
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I imagine that most people who spend time studying the subject of divine healing will eventually encounter the following question:  ”What about Paul’s thorn?”

Before you continue to read this post, I strongly encourage you to read the passage in context for yourself.

2 Corinthians 11:16 – 12:10

There were people in Corinth that were spreading false teachings.  In this passage, Paul is listing some of his experiences as a Christian to show that his “resume” qualifies him to speak with authority when he comes against the false teachers.  This is an oversimplification, but I provide it here as a brief background to give context.

In the passage, he spends nearly all of his time talking about the persecution he has faced.  He had been beaten, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked, lost at sea, hungry, thirsty, cold, and naked (and the list goes on).  (Notice that physical disease is not mentioned anywhere as part of this list of persecutions.  That should be kept in mind as you read the passage where he gives more detail regarding his “thorn.”)

Next, he talks about “surpassingly great revelations” that he received.  We know of no man that ever lived that received more revelation concerning the gospel of grace than Paul.  God showed him things that he was not even allowed to talk about.

That brings us to the passage that contains the thorn.

2 Corinthians 12:7b-10

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

According to Paul, the thorn in his flesh is actually a messenger from Satan.  Satan’s messengers are also called demons, evil spirits, or unclean spirits.  Paul is saying that there was a demon that was causing problems for him.

So, Paul's thorn was a demon.  That brings up another question, though.  What was this demon doing?

There are many possibilities, but I believe the three choices below provide a general summary of the main explanations I have come across in my studies.

The demon was either…

1. …causing a physical sickness or disease in his body
2. …attacking Paul’s conscience by accusing him of his past persecutions of Christians
3. …stirring up severe persecution in the places Paul visited

If we limit our view to the immediate context of the entire passage, the option that appears to be the best fit is number 3.  Paul has been talking at great length about the persecutions and troubles he has been facing, but he says nothing about having diseases or deformities, and he says nothing about having a guilty conscience.  The messenger from Satan was probably inciting resistance to Paul’s ministry, which often led to him being physically mistreated.   This doesn’t mean that the other two options are not possible, just that they are less likely, if we are to base our opinion solely on the immediate context.

If we are to look outside of the immediate context, we must remember the fact that Paul had authority over demons.  He exercised this authority on several occasions in Acts, and he taught on this authority in his letters to the churches.  He exercised his authority in such a way that his reputation became well known even among the demons themselves.  (See Acts 19:13-16)

I find it very unlikely that Paul would permit a demon to operate continually in his body or in his conscience.  However, the idea that a demon or a group of demons would go around stirring up trouble for him is not difficult to imagine.

If it is true that the demon was stirring up persecution, then Paul would have been praying for Jesus to remove the persecution he was facing.  However, Jesus has warned all of His followers that persecution is part of the journey, and the fact that he said “no” to Paul’s request should not be surprising.  However, for Jesus to say no to a request for physical healing would go against the many examples he set forth when he walked the earth as detailed in the four gospels.

For these reasons, it is my strong belief that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was not a physical ailment, but spiritual warfare that was manifested in persecution.