Scripture is full of little enigmas that add a bit of spice to Bible study—chasing down clues, unraveling conundrums, understanding the culture of the time and original languages, and connecting the dots. One of these enigmas is St. Paul’s mention of a messenger of Satan (2 Cor. 12:1-10) to keep him humble. What could that be?
Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh,” which he said was a messenger from Satan to harass him, to keep him from being elated due to the revelations he had received from God. Having such special and unique revelations could cause Paul to be puffed up and arrogant. Paul said God was keeping him humble with the affliction.
The Greek word for “thorn” is skolops, which means exactly that: “a small spike or thorn; typically found on bush or vine plants; especially that causes irritation and annoyance when touched” (Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament).
Speculations have swirled around the nature of the actual thorn, suggesting everything from psychological suffering such as sexual temptations or depression to temptations toward disbelief or even the constant resistance of his opponents. Others have argued for an actual physical malady, possibly one visible to the public.
As for me, I have always concluded that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was his eyes—something to do with his vision, or even an unsightly appearance. How do I get there? Let’s follow the clues and see.
At the moment of Paul’s revelation of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, the light is so bright that it blinds his eyes. We read,
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. . . . Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. . . . And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight (Acts 9:3, 8, 18).
Now let’s look at a key passage, where Paul talks about his revelations and the affliction he was given to keep him from being “puffed up.” Though Paul is speaking in the third person, the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture and the Ignatius Press Study Bible deduce that he is referring to his own experience. This is the passage where he specifically mentions his eyes, and the context is quite telling.
I know a man 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 he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter (2 Cor. 12:2, 4).
Notice that Paul heard things in heaven but does not mention that he saw anything. It is not unthinkable that his eyes, affected by the first revelation, may also be the bodily organ affected in this vision of heaven.
Paul then relates the result of the heavenly experience, now speaking again in the first person:
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited (v. 7).
Though he prayed that this messenger of Satan, the thorn in the flesh, would be taken away from him, God let it remain, telling Paul that in his weakness, he was strong.
Now let’s see what Paul said to the Galatians. Here he alludes to a physical ailment, readily seen by others, and not some interior or mental condition.
You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus (4:13-14).
The Galatians were the ones specifically affected by Paul’s ailment, but though it was a trial to them, it did not repulse them. Instead, Paul mentions their reaction: “For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me” (v. 15).
Why, if his eyes were not the obvious physical element that everyone could see, would Paul mention his physical ailment and then suggest that his hosts would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him? Out of sympathy for him, they would have eliminated his ailment by giving him their own eyes.
Now let’s look at a few hints that might confirm this conclusion.
We know that Paul dictated his letters to a scribe (an amanuensis), which is confirmed in Romans 16:22: “I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.”
It seems evident from 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (“a letter seeming to be from us”) that imposters were writing in Paul’s name. So even though he had his letters written by various scribes, Paul signed his letters personally, with a unique style that, it seems, included large letters. Here are three examples,
- “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you” (Col. 4:18).
- “I Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write” (2 Thess. 3:17).
- “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand” (Gal. 6:11).
If the issue was his eyes, it would make perfect sense that he could not write the small letters on the papyrus or parchment, and he therefore had his scribe write for him. But to ensure that the letter was actually from him and authentic, he signed his unique large letters. This style would fit perfectly with poor eyesight or diseased eyes.
Here’s another clue: in a Jewish trial setting in Jerusalem, Paul is confronted by the high priest along with the Pharisees and Sadducees. The high priest would be readily known by sight, with his unique priestly garb and appearance. The two Jewish sects would be, too. Anyone who was Jewish, was from Jerusalem, or had visited the Temple often would not mistake the high priest.
However, in this case the high priest Ananias, a well-known personage in Jerusalem, orders the men near Paul to strike him on the mouth. And Paul responds, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?”
Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people’” (Acts 23:3-5).
We could ask, why would Paul, who was “looking intently at the Council” (v. 1), not recognize the high priest unless he was not able to see him clearly—perhaps due to an eye condition?
Subsequently, Acts reports, Paul “perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees,” so he throws out a statement that causes dissension between the two sects. But had he not seen from the beginning that both groups were both there, and perceived it only later?
When we connect all the dots and consider all the clues, it seems likely or even certain that the “thorn in the flesh” that Paul suffered was visible, off-putting, and painful, and a condition that affected the bodily organs associated with both of the major visions he had received. Visibly diseased or oozing eyes would certainly fit all the puzzle pieces, and it seems to me to adequately explain the thorn in the flesh.
Is this just a bit of Bible trivia, or is there something deeper we can take away from it? Well, it is often the blind who see more clearly than the sighted. Or perhaps sometimes a man is made blind before he can see.
Paul is an example of this. He approached Damascus with eyes blazing with hatred, only to be blinded by light, to humble him before God and to show him the truth (Acts 9:8).
Another is a blind man near Jericho, who calls out to Jesus, “Son of David, have mercy on us.” Why is this significant? Those following Jesus did not realize that he was the “Son of David”—a title for the Messiah. But the blind man could see what the sighted could not. He saw the spiritual reality—he recognized Jesus as the Messiah. His blindness was healed (Luke 18:35-43).
God works in our lives in many and often mysterious ways. His actions are not always what we expect or wish. But as with Paul, we can trust God in that whatever he brings our way. It is for our good and the good of the kingdom of God.