Paul's Thorn in the Flesh was the Judaizers

What was Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7)? This question has been considered many times over the years, and many interpretations have been offered. We believe that by examining the context of the verse in question, and by studying the background of Paul and his work as an apostle, it will be easy to see that Paul’s chief hindrance and thorn in his flesh was the Judaizers.

Paul was chosen by God to bear the name of Christ before the Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). Later, by inspiration, he calls himself an apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13; 15:16). It was agreed that while Peter, James and John would primarily focus on preaching to the Jews, Paul would focus on the Gentiles (Gal. 2:7-9).

The message that Paul preached to the Gentiles involved salvation through Christ, but did not include circumcision or keeping the law of Moses. He said that, for them, being circumcised or being uncircumcised did not make any difference with God (1 Cor. 7:19; Gal. 6:15). The Jews obviously did not appreciate this message, and neither did many Jewish Christians (Acts 22:21-22).

Jesus mentioned the fact that the Jews were very zealous for the law of Moses and would go to great lengths to convert the Gentiles (Matt. 23:15). That is, they sought to have them circumcised and keep the law. A large number of Jews who became Christians continued to teach the Gentiles to be circumcised and to practice the law of Moses in order to be saved (Acts 15:1, 5; 21:20). We call them Judaizers. They could not accept the idea that any one could be right with God without receiving the sign of the covenant of Abraham (Gen. 17:1-14).

How did the Judaizers feel about Paul and his work? Not very happy. Note their reaction to Paul in Acts 22:21-22, ““Then He (Jesus) said to me (Paul), ‘Depart from here for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!”” Paul’s life was at stake for ministering to the Gentiles; His authority as an apostle was also being questioned by the brethren, all due to the work of the Judaizers.

In the letter to the Galatians, we read Paul’s defense of his apostleship (Gal. 1 and 2). In the same letter we read his defense of the doctrine of salvation through the faith apart from the law (Gal. 3 and 4). He also preached this to the Romans (Rom. 3:21-31). It was not God’s intention by giving Christianity to the world to create another Jewish sect. Salvation was not through the law plus the faith of Christ; it was apart from the law. In fact, Paul also told the Galatians that turning to the law for justification meant falling from grace (Gal. 5:4). Why did Paul defend his apostleship and the doctrine of salvation by faith? Because the Judaizers were attempting to destroy them both.

In the context of 2 Cor. 12:7, the passage where Paul mentions his “thorn in the flesh,” we find some parallels to the book of Galatians. First, we find that Paul is again defending his apostleship, this time to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11-12). Second, we see that there were men preaching “a different gospel” (2 Cor. 11:4). The different gospel according to Paul’s letter to the Galatians was the binding of the law. Third, in what is probably a play on words, Paul states that he wishes these preachers would be “cut off” (2 Cor. 11:12; Gal. 5:12). And fourth, these Judaizers were boasting in their works (2 Cor. 11:12; Gal. 6:12-14).

We also see in the context of the “thorn in the flesh” that the thorn was given to him “lest he should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations” (2 Cor. 12:7). Not that Paul would exalt himself, but the he would be exalted, that is, by members of the church. The Judaizers fit this description in that they were trying to destroy Paul’s reputation as an apostle. Paul would certainly not be exalted above measure if the churches which he established began to question his authority and truthfulness.

We are told that Paul’s thorn was “a messenger of Satan” (2 Cor. 12:7). A messenger is someone who bears a message. The Judaizers certainly had a message (Acts 15:1, 5), and their message was painful to Paul and his work with the Gentiles.

The “messenger of Satan” is linked to those who preached a different gospel (2 Cor. 11:4), whom Paul wished would be cut off (2 Cor. 11:12), who were false apostles (2 Cor. 11:13), and ministers of Satan (2 Cor. 11:15), who transformed himself into an angel (from angelos, same words translated messenger in 2 Cor. 12:7) of light.

What was the background of these preachers? Paul says they were Hebrews, Israelites, of the seed of Abraham, and ministers of Christ (2 Cor. 11:22-23). This was not just a group of random false teachers. These were the Judaizers.

And note Paul’s defense of the greatness of his ministry and sufferings (2 Cor. 11:22-28). In this list of sufferings he mentions that he received 39 lashings of the whip on 3 different occasions from the Jews. Why is that significant? Because the Judaizers would have never suffered at the hands of the Jews. They said all the right things to remain in league with them. About the Judaizers Paul said, “These would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ” (Gal. 6:13).

What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? While it has been identified as anything from bad eyes to arthritis, we believe that the context of Paul’s writings describes the thorn in the flesh as none other than the Judaizers.

Additional Thoughts

Q: Why would Paul only pray three times about this matter with the Judaizers?

A: Because by Paul’s third prayer God clearly revealed to him that His grace was sufficient.

Q: Why would God not comply with the prayer and remove the Judaizers? Doesn’t God hate false teaching?

A: We may pray to God that He remove sin from the world. God hates sin, yet He doesn’t remove it (except maybe incrementally through providence). However, in the case with Paul, God would indeed eventually remove the Judaizers by A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem.

Q: If the thorn was the Judaizers, why didn’t Paul just identify it as such?

A: If the thorn was “bad eyes,” why didn’t he identify it as such? It seems to make more sense for Paul to be discreet in mentioning the troubling Judaizers, so as not to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they were hurting Paul and impeding his work.

Note: “Thorns” in the Bible: Num. 33:50-55; Josh. 23:8-13; Jud. 2:1-3; 2 Sam. 23:5-6; Ezk. 2:6; Luke 6:44; Heb. 6:8-9