The Thorn

June 12, 2009

Today's Reading: 2 Kings 15-16 and 2 Corinthians 12

I’ve actually been ignoring the readings in 2 Corinthians lately. Part of it is because the readings in the books of Kings are a lot more exciting than the letters from Paul, which is a real shame. Today, I am going to talk about 2 Corinthians because 2 Kings was a little boring.

As it is, the reading in 2 Corinthians 12 is one of my favorites as Paul talks about the thorn. I don’t believe that biblical historians have ever revealed what is this thorn that Paul talks about, but apparently it was some “messenger of Satan, to torment him”. Some have speculated that Paul was afflicted by some disease, but maybe he was tempted by something.

It reminds me of the movie A Beautiful Mind. If you haven’t seen it, then I am going to spoil the ending of it. It is one of those movies where you should not know much about it before you see it.

Supposedly, it is based on a true story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who was plagued with schizophrenia. He had hallucinations that involved a roommate that didn’t existed, and the most disturbing was a man from the DOD who told John that there was a Russian atomic bomb hidden in the United States.

Of course, the movie doesn’t reveal that John’s roommate and DOD handler are delusions until the middle of the movie. By that time, the audience had believed they were real and it comes as a total twist.

The good news is that John does eventually get over his schizophrenia, but only in the sense that he is able to function daily. In fact, he becomes a college professor, but he has to learn to not speak to his imaginary friends.

Eventually, John Nash works win a Nobel Prize. At the end of the movie, after receiving his accolade, he sees his imaginary friends once again. His wife senses that there is a problem, and asks what is wrong. His response: “nothing at all”.

John Nash had to choose to ignore these visions of his, even though the world said he was one of the most smartest man on the planet.

Sometimes a Christian can be tempted time and time again by the same thing, and it apparently never quits. The truth is, that trial or temptation has to be there to show that we are made of stronger stuff. In other words, that thorn is needed, and necessary. This is why it stays, for now.