Oh, say can you see

In 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, Paul writes about someone who was permitted to visit the third heaven. He was too humble to admit that he was the one who saw the third heaven, although in verse 7, however, Paul admits that he had the revelations.  He then states that a thorn in the flesh was given to him, a messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he be exalted above measure. Paul asked the Lord three times to take the thorn away, but his request was not granted. Instead of being upset over his thorn, however, Paul states that he took pleasure in his infirmity for Christ's sake. 

There has been speculation over the years as to what Paul’s “thorn” was.  I believe that Paul’s thorn was the loss of his eyesight.  Paul’s letters were transcribed by amanuenses. Per Dictionary.com, an “amanuensis” is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another; a secretary. Romans 16:22 is the only place you will find the amanuensis' name listed (Tertius).  In the other epistles, the name of the amanuensis is not listed, although several of the epistles list names of people who were laboring with Paul and some of them may have transcribed Paul's epistles but they didn't want to mention themselves as the amanuensis. 

 

Now it’s not like Paul didn’t know how to write.  He was a Pharisee, which meant that he was studied in the Torah and the Law.  I believe that Paul had to have amanuenses write the epistles because he couldn’t see well. You need to have the ability to see in order to write in a straight line so that your handwriting is legible.

To prove that he was the author of his epistles, Paul wrote in Galatians 6:11, “Look with what large letters I have written to you in my own hand!” If your eyesight is bad, you would have to write in large letters in order to be able to read them yourself. In Colossians 4:18 and 2 Thessalonians 3:17, Paul writes that he is writing a salutation in his own hand. 

 

I've had my suspicions for a while that Paul's thorn was his bad eyesight, but when I read Galatians 4:15, it finally came together for me. In that verse, Paul states that if it were possible, the Galatians would plucked out their own eyes and given them to him.  They obviously knew that Paul had bad eyesight and they wanted to sacrifice their eyes so that he could see.  Now if Paul had been lame, the Galatians would have offered their legs to him so that he could walk. 

 

Why did God take Paul’s eyesight away? I think it’s because the third heaven is so wonderful that nothing on Earth could ever compare to it.  God didn’t want Paul to remember what he saw. Some of us may have “thorns” in our lives that God hasn’t taken away from us, no matter how much we ask Him to.  God gives us the patience and the endurance, like He did with Paul, to live with our “thorns.”

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been helping a friend take the dramas he wrote and put them in book form to publish them on Amazon.  I hope you don't mind me plugging his book, but he has a book of Christian dramas and you can find that here. 

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time! 

Diane