I Know a Guy

Sermon on 2 Corinthians 12.1–10
DuPage Care Center — July 8, 2018

2 Corinthians 12:1–10 (NRSV)

It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

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.

On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations.

Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul and Corinth

At the point when today’s Bible text was written, Paul had had a long and productive career. He had traveled through much of the world that was known back then, and had started numerous churches. The letters he wrote to those churches form a large part of the New Testament: up to one third or more, depending on what’s your opinion on the books whose authorship is uncertain. He had been almost single-handedly responsible for changing Christianity from being a sect of Judaism, to a world-wide religion.

In particular, he had a long history with the church in Corinth, where he had initially stayed for a year and a half, getting the church started. He wrote at least three letters to them, and two of them became part of the Bible. The book we call Second Corinthians is letter number three.

Corinth had not been easy. The city had a reputation back then, for hard living and hard drinking. Things went well while Paul was there, but as soon as he had to leave, the church started falling apart and required attention again. They were very vulnerable to dishonest leaders who would swoop in after Paul left, and would try to manipulate the church for their own purposes. What was especially irritating for Paul, was that those unscrupulous preachers would take advantage of Paul’s natural humility, his aversion to self-aggrandizement.Those folks would claim to be be better than Paul and make up reasons to justify that, or would dazzle the church with their talents of oratory, their flashy demeanor. Like circus performers. Like car salesmen.

Authority That Comes From Living

This left Paul, who hated to talk about himself, in the annoying position of having to prove his credentials.

That’s what Second Corinthians chapters eleven and twelve are about. I would like to invite you to read later both chapters, to see the whole argument. But since we don’t have time to do that right now, allow me to summarize by saying that Paul is arguing for a kind of authority that comes from living. “I can talk the talk,” he says, “because i walk the walk.” “I have worked much harder, and been jailed more often. I have been beat up more times than i can count, and at death’s door time after time. I have been whipped, caned and stoned. Shipwrecked three times. Spent a day and a half on the open sea. In hard travelling year after year, i’ve had to ford rivers, fend-off robbers, struggle with friends, and struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city and at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those i thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many long nights without sleep, many missed meals. And that’s not the half of it. When you throw in the daily pressures and the concerns i feel for all the churches.”

However, after all this, Paul is still not comfortable talking about himself, and he switches to the third person: “I know a guy” who has had visions of Heaven, who has had experiences he can’t even describe:

I know a man who, fourteen years ago, was seized by Christ and swept in ecstasy to the heights of Heaven. […] There he heard the unspeakable spoken, but was forbidden to tell what he heard.

A Handicap: making the best out of hardship

Paul continues: “If i had a mind to brag a little, i could probably do it without looking ridiculous, and i’d still be speaking plain truth all the way. But i’ll spare you. […] Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so i wouldn’t get a big head, i was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. […] At first i didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times i did that, and then he told me: ‘My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength shows itself best in your weakness.’”

We don’t know for sure what Paul’s handicap was. Probably because he didn’t talk about it. There are some indications that Paul started going blind at the end of his life. It could be that, or it could be something else we don’t know, but the important thing was his attitude, to embrace the handicap, embrace the weakness, and own it. “The weaker i get,” he said, “the stronger i become.”

The weaker i get the stronger i become.

This could be a motto for all of us. Weakness and imperfection is a very important part of being human. Our weakness keeps us from the sin of pride. From thinking that we’re better than others, or that we don’t need others. Our weaknesses show us as we really are: dependent on one another.

Becoming weaker is, of course, a normal part of growing up and growing older. As we age, our bodies are not as strong as they used to be. Growing weaker is an important part of growing wiser. We can’t really have wisdom until we understand, in our body, the meaning of weakness.

There are, of course, many who deal with handicaps their whole life, from young age. They deserve our respect and we would do well to listen to them, if we want to be wise.

Wisdom, weakness, and happiness, are all entangled in this judo Paul is talking about. When i’m weak, that’s when i’m really strong. Growing up is not easy, but it has its rewards. God wants us to be have full, satisfied lives.

A Celebration Of Real Life

All of you who are listening to me now: you have lived! You have been through things you cannot begin to explain. You have seen both sides of life: the pleasure and the pain. You have grown, and you have become wise. Today, i want to celebrate your life.

I don’t know if any of us has reached the heights of what the world calls success: fame, riches, power. It doesn’t matter. To God, your lives matter much more. Worldly success is an illusion. Perfectly manicured lives often conceal loneliness and despair. Today i want a celebration of real life:yours and mine. Real human beings who have seen much, learned much, suffered much, failed often. But who have never been unloved by God.

God doesn’t watch television; he watches you. He cares about you, and rejoices when you get it right. God loves us, his little people, as we struggle together to make sense of this gift that was given us, this so-called life. This gift that we must enjoy together.

Note: the quotes from the Bible text in informal language above, are from The Message translation.