Boasting #3: Visions
| I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. 3 And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows-- 4 was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. (2Corinthians12:1-6) |
Paul has been boasting in the things that have made him "weak" in an effort to highlight the arrogance and pride of the false teachers. Now, in a third round of "boasting" Paul talks about a man who was "caught up in heaven" and "heard inexpressible things."
Scholars debate who this "man" might be... In all likelihood it is Paul himself and it relates to an incident we read about in Acts 14:19 "Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city."
Basically it looks like Paul was stoned and left for dead (or that he actually died) and that the disciples gathered around him (that they prayed) and Paul was restored to them.
This near-death or death-and-resurrection experience could have been a great story for Paul. It could have been his signature testimony. "Did I tell you about the time I endured being stoned and visited paradise?" But this is the only time Paul speaks of it and when he does so, he talks about it in the third person - "I know a man...."
You can almost hear him doing it through clenched teeth - not eager to draw attention to himself - not wanting to make himself look great, but needing to warn the Corinthians that they should be too quick to be impressed by "super apostles" who are quick to tell stories that make them look good.
Through all of this Paul is behaving impeccably - "I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses." So here is Paul - a guy with a "knock-out testimony" - who chooses to refrain and to boast only about his weaknesses so that his life would not detract from the glory of God.
Compared to the pride and arrogance of the "super-apostles", Paul's humility is very powerful! He gives us a lot to think about...
