Paul’s Painful Thorn

Before we uncover some of our own painful thorns, it’s helpful to ask, “What did the Apostle Paul mean by the expression thorn in my flesh? (2 Cor. 12:7) Numerous commentators have speculated about what this thorn might have been. This devotional makes no claim to uncover a definitive answer. I’m intrigued by the thought that Paul was being deliberately ambiguous. If he had been more specific, those of us with a different painful thorn might conclude this passage has little bearing on our lives.

Whatever this thorn was, it was extremely painful to Paul. Thorn is the Greek word skolops meaning “what is pointed,” such as a spear or fishing hook, or rosebush thorn. If he had to cry out to God to remove it on three separate occasions, it must have been substantial, not a minor irritation.

Paul said the thorn was in his flesh, which might mean embedded in his body. Some speculate that he had a recurring sickness like Malta fever or epilepsy. Others, that he had serious eye problems. In Galatians 4:13-15 he talks about his illness, and that the believers in those churches would have torn out their eyes and given Paul theirs. He even refers to writing with very large letters in chapter 6:11. I used to dismiss the theory of Paul’s thorn being failing eyesight until I lost most of my sight in my left eye due to glaucoma. The possibility of going blind would be more like a javelin to me than a mere splinter.

If you have a recurring illness, to what extent is it an unbearable thorn in your life?

Another possibility is that Paul was referring to painful people in his life. Even in our day, when we use the phrase “pain in the neck,” we are usually talking about annoying people, not arthritis in the neck! In 2 Corinthians 11:12-15, Paul refers to a group of false apostles as Satan’s servants. They were his opponents who belittled him and were teaching another gospel (Galatians 1:6,7). The idea that this thorn refers to difficult people harmonizes with Numbers 33:55-56 which talks about painful folk who are like barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides.

Might Paul have been referring to extreme anxiety? In 2 Corinthians 11:23-33 he gives a catalogue of traumatic experiences: beaten to a pulp, shipwrecked three times, pummeled with rocks, and on the run for his life. He certainly was a prime candidate for traumatic stress disorder. Yet in Philippians 4:6 his clarion call is to stop being anxious about anything.

Whether Paul’s thorn was relational, emotional, or physical, one thing we can be certain of is that God’s grace, his unmerited strength, was no mere trickle in his life, it was abundant and always available.

• If you have a recurring illness, to what extent is it an unbearable thorn in your life?
• In what ways are you experiencing relational pain that feels more like a dagger than a rosebush thorn?
• To what extent are you paralyzed by intense anxiety? Why?

Take this as an opportunity to write or express a prayer that relates to Paul’s thorn in his flesh and yours.

Excerpts from The Point of Your Thorns: Finding Purpose in Your Pain

by Rowland Forman