2 Corinthians 12:10

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Paul implies that there are other matters, labors and experiences, which he might well make subjects of boasting: For if I should want to boast, I shall not be foolish, for the truth I should speak. Without becoming guilty of folly and madness, and with a full and proper regard for the truth, he could make statements which would well serve as a basis for boasting. Note: If occasion demand? that self-glory must be resorted to, then the folly is not his that asserts the truth, but his that rises against it. But for his own person Paul here forbears, lest any man should make an estimate of him above that which he sees him to be or hears from him. He wants the facts of his laborious and painful life in the service of the Gospel to speak for themselves. On the basis of what the Corinthians saw in him, of what they know of him and of his activity as the Lord's apostle, he wants to be judged and esteemed. A true servant of Christ does not seek honor for himself, does not want to base the reputation he enjoys upon his own statements, but upon that which every right-minded person sees in him and hears of him. His one effort is always, in word and deed, to prove himself a faithful servant of Christ.

The Lord Himself aided the apostle in his efforts toward humility: And on account of the unusual greatness of the revelations, in order that I should not be exalted above measure, there is given to me a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan, that he might buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. The construction of the sentence and the employment of a noun instead of an adjective, emphasizes the extraordinary nature of the special revelations which were vouchsafed to Paul. But he was a man, and as such he was subject to the temptations of the flesh; there was danger that he might haughtily and insolently exalt himself above others, since the Lord had distinguished him in this manner. Therefore there was given to him an infirmity, apparently a bodily infirmity of some kind, the exact nature of which has been a matter of much conjecture. It was in the nature of a thorn, not an impalement on a stake, as some would have it, but an acute, piercing agony, a vexatious irritation, which bore down upon some particular part of his body. It was not continuous in nature, but he was buffeted by it, it came upon him in blows. It was the messenger of Satan, who smote him as he did Job. Satan was permitted to send his messenger to trouble the body of God's servant, in order that both body and soul might remain the Lord's.

This tribulation was so fierce and agonizing that Paul sought relief: On account of this thing thrice I besought the Lord that it might depart from me. On three special occasions he had made this infirmity the object of a distinct petition, asking for its removal, and undoubtedly his pleading had been done in the right manner, in true faith, in firm confidence. An answer was finally given him, and though it was not that which his spirit longed for, it was sufficient to strengthen and console him in his affliction: And He said to me, Sufficient to thee My grace; for My strength in weakness is made perfect. It was an answer given at that time which retained its power to the present day. The apostle had, by faith, been given the grace of God in Jesus; that was his possession. He knew that God was his dear Father, whose every thought and action was in his interest. In the very midst of tribulation and affliction, therefore, he was taken care of in the best possible way; in his very weakness the power of the Lord had an opportunity to be effective. He must be brought to the point that he despairs of his own strength, abilities, and talents, then the Lord's almighty power can use him as a tool and instrument of mercy. "What do you imagine this to be, dear Paul? My strength cannot be effective but only in your weakness. You must be weak, you must suffer, sigh, be miserable and weak for your own good, in order that you may finally, with suffering and battling, gain the victory and become a great apostle. If you will not be weak, My power can do nothing in you. If I am to be your Christ and you, in turn, are to be My apostle, then you must harmonize your weakness with My strength, your foolishness with My wisdom, My life with your death. " Mark: God leads His children in a remarkable manner especially such as He intends for important positions in His Church. By various proofs of His mercy and grace He strengthens them for the struggles and sufferings which they must undergo for His name's sake. And yet he also sends them special trials and tribulations, in order that they do not become addicted to spiritual pride. As a true Father He thus educates and trains His children for the positions which they are to hold, always with the final aim that His name may be exalted.

And so Paul concludes this passage: Most gladly will I therefore rather glory in my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may rest on me, may spread its tent over me and live in me. Not a word of dissatisfaction and lamentation will the apostle utter in the midst of his sufferings, since he has the conviction of faith that the power of Christ is protecting him and helping him. He repeats: Wherefore I am fully satisfied in weaknesses, in insults, in necessities, in persecutions and distresses, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then am I strong. Those very experiences which another person would regard as evidences of the wrath of God, his own various weaknesses, the insults which he had to bear, the necessities in which he found himself, the persecutions and distresses which came upon him from both Jews and Gentiles, Paul knows to be proofs of God's fatherly devotion. The more he is conscious of his own weakness and inability in carrying out the work entrusted to him by the Lord, the more the strength of the Master can become effective in him. "St. Paul's words are more than a verbal paradox: they express the fact, to which history abundantly testifies, that the world's throne is the Cross."