Inside Out: Ministry of the Thorn by Abidan Shah, PhD

INSIDE OUT – MINISTRY OF THE THORN by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC

Introduction: We are in our series titled INSIDE OUT where we are learning how God uses our pain and our suffering to bring something good into our lives, especially by transforming us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ. In turn, we are also able to help others in their suffering. What I’ve found in my life when I have faced a trial and in observing others going through their trials is that when we are going through some trial, suffering, or even a trauma, we seek 2 things: we look to connect with others who are or have been in a similar situation, and we want to know what the higher purpose is for going through what we are going through. Prior to your accident, diagnosis, relationship problems, or whatever else, someone could be talking about their situation, and you would just be nodding or looking at your watch. Now, you are tuned into the frequency of your trial, and you will find that person in the middle of the crowd or waiting room or whatever it is and find a way to talk to them. Also, you are constantly searching for a meaning and a purpose to your struggle. In our final message today called “MINISTRY OF THE THORN,” we’re going to learn how God’s word does both for us: it connects us with fellow sufferers, and it connects us with the Savior. This is especially helpful when God says, “I’m not going to take away the thorn of suffering from your side, but I will give you the grace to endure it.”

2 Corinthians 12:7 “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”

Context: Sometime back I came across a short article by Kenneth Jones, a Vietnam Veteran, an advocate for those who have faced combat induced PTSD, a volunteer, a counselor (not a clinician), titled “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & Paul’s Life: Finding Strength in Christ Alone.” In his opinion, “Thinking that the apostle Paul suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder like conditions is a safe conclusion when you consider that he faced over ten life threatening encounters in his life as he himself testified in the Scriptures,” referring to 2 Corinthians. Dr. Peter Yuichi Clark (died few years ago with cancer) wrote an article titled “Toward a Pastoral Reading of 2 Corinthians as a Memoir of PTSD and Healing” in which he used the lens of psychology to understand what Paul was going through as can be discerned in reading 2 Corinthians, and what he found was that Paul was more than likely struggling with PTSD (I’ve relied a lot on Dr. Clark’s article in this sermon). As I mentioned last week, 2 Corinthians is the letter to read in the Bible if you are going through suffering and trials. To give you a little context, the Corinthians were facing suffering in their lives, but instead of turning to the truth of God, they were turning to the lies of the world. In fact, they were following false teachers who were boasting about their accomplishments and great ministry. They were even pointing to Paul’s arrest, imprisonment, sickness, and abandonment as evidence that Paul was a failure and God was not with him. As you know, Paul had a loving yet painful relationship with the Corinthian church. He had laid the foundation of the church. He had sacrificed his energy and resources for them. Nonetheless, they were spiteful, inconsiderate, and even condescending towards him. Paul wrote this letter not only to warn them against the false teachers but also to teach them about the true source of comfort for their suffering.

Question: Before we dive into the text, are you facing some pain, suffering, or even some trauma in your life? Who are you looking to for guidance? Are you trusting in your own strength or are you resting in his strength? Do you know Christ as your Savior and King? Even if you don’t have PTSD, and I pray you never do, this is still beneficial.

In Hellenistic philosophical literature, the writers would list their sufferings in what was known as “peristalsis” catalogs, hardships catalogs (See John T. Fitzgerald, Cracks in an Earthen Vessel: An Examination of Catalogues of Hardships in the Corinthian Correspondence). The purpose of these lists was to show how many things came against them and yet they survived. Paul also gives his 5 hardship catalogs in 2 Corinthians, but instead of trusting in self, he affirms his trust in his relationship with Jesus Christ.

Before we do that, we need to know the definition of PTSD. The World Health Organization defines PTSD as “a delayed and/or protracted response to a stressful event or situation (either short or long-lasting) of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature, which is likely to cause pervasive distress in almost anyone.” What is very important to remember is that the event overwhelms a person’s ability to respond, and it takes away their sense of safety. As a result, there could be 3 clusters of responses: Reexperiencing cluster with intrusive memories, flashbacks, and nightmares; Hypervigilance or hyperarousal cluster with combative behavior and sleep disturbance; and Avoidance or numbing cluster with loss of emotional feeling, loss of interest in people, indifference about goals and future, and shunning activities and situations that bring back memories of the past. More than likely Paul suffered from the first two based on his letters and Acts, maybe not the third.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – 5 (DSM-5), there are 8 criteria and 24 sub-criteria for PTSD. Clark thinks that Paul met at least 3 of the 8 and 6 of the 24.

Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways:
- Directly experiencing the traumatic event(s)
Presence of one (or more) of the following intrusion symptoms associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred:
- Recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories of the traumatic event(s)
- Intense or prolonged psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(s)
- Marked physiological reactions to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(s)
Marked alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by two (or more) of the following:
- Hypervigilance
- Sleep disturbance (e.g., difficulty falling or staying asleep or restless sleep)

Listen to how Paul begins 2 Corinthians and see if we can pick up the traits of PTSD in Paul: 2 Corinthians 1 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God…8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,

Now, let’s look at the 5 Hardship Catalogs:

1^st Hardship Catalog:

2 Corinthians 4 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. (PTSD victims refer to themselves often as “broken” or “shattered.”) 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body….16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

There is also subtle humor in the contrasts.

2^nd Hardship Catalog:

2 Corinthians 6 4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, 7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

3^rd Hardship Catalog (Video):

2 Corinthians 11 21 To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

4^th Hardship Catalog:

2 Corinthians 12 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

5^th Hardship Catalog:

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul handled his struggle in 5 ways and even found healing: