How often do we listen to interviews with mega athletes who make it a practice to refer to themselves in the third person. You know, like LeBron James declaring “I wanted to do what was best, you know, for LeBron James, and what LeBron James was gonna do to make him happy.” Or boxer, Floyd Merriweather, “Without the fans, Floyd Mayweather wouldn’t be where he’s at today.” and he adds “I’m one of the best fighters to ever live.”
Paul is seemingly doing a similar thing in today’s reading from the second letter to the Corinthians. A little background. Paul has been preaching to the Corinthians, in the city of Corinth. At the same time there apparently is a group that is gaining fame for themselves by revealing supernatural visions they have had, or claim to have had. They seem to be getting all the press. In the meantime, Paul is preaching on the words of Christ and the message of salvation. The focus is not on himself. But it looks like he is losing ground. His humility is not winning converts. Elsewhere in the chapter he claims that he is not inferior to these “Super Apostles”. A cynical, mocking reference to these somewhat over-the-top self-acclaimed gurus of the disciple circuit.
So, Paul’s response? He aims to recall a vision he had 14 years earlier of being elevated to the third heaven. The place where God dwells and where he received secret revelations that he cannot reveal. But how can he do this without beating his own chest and sounding boastful? By inventing another person who actually had this experience. He states:
I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago
(whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows),
was caught up to the third heaven.
As he transitions to the first person later in the chapter, it becomes clear that this man is actually himself. In this way he can still claim humility but at the same time get his point across. That he is no slouch either when it comes to getting visions from God. The problem? God is not too crazy about Paul boasting. Paul acknowledges that God has afflicted him with a thorn in his side. Most scholars believe that this was some individual who continually made life difficult for Paul. Kind of like a sandal clad heckler in the back row of the Acropolis. Paul asks God to silence him on several occasions but God says it ain’t gonna happen. Why? Because it appears that this individual is keeping Paul honest. No risk of him getting an inflated ego as long as someone is giving Paul a verbal beat down. Paul’s many sufferings in the name of Christ is legendary. Stoning, beatings, isolation from his Jewish community and, finally, being beheaded.
And that brings us to the key line of the reading.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
FOR THE SAKE of CHRIST;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.
What happens to us inevitably when we succeed and receive adulation for our accomplishments? How often do people turn to God when they are on top of the secular, material world? Not often. The instinct is to take credit for winning the big game, getting a promotion, being praised for how well you do your job, etc. It is in defeat that we are humbled and when we are humbled we turn to God for help. We allow space inside us for Him to occupy and fill us with His spirit.
There are exceptions. Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl MVP quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, gave all the glory and credit for his successes to God.
“As long as I’m doing everything the right way and the way that He would want me to do it, then I can walk off the field with my head held high and be able to be the man that I am,” he explained “I understand that He’s given me a lot of blessings in my life, and I’m trying to maximize them and glorify Him.”
So would Paul have so diligently and persistently spread the Good News as he did without having that thorn in his side that God apparently placed there? It would be nice to think so. But, human nature being what it is, it is possible he would have created the “Saul to Paul” mini-series, the T-Shirt, the breakfast cereal and action figure set. Instead, his weaknesses, his persecutions, left him with no other choice than to turn to glorifying God. And we all are closer to Christ because of it.
“And John Ciribassi says that he is going to keep writing these reflections until someone tells him not to any longer.” Ahh. Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as when LeBron does it. 🙂
