I was asked a question. Why wasnt Paul healed.

[Daniel Marsh]

" Homilies on Second Corinthians (Chrysostom) > Homily 26  ...

2 Corinthians 12:7

And that I should not be exalted overmuch, through the exceeding greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me.

What do you say? He that counted not the kingdom to be anything; no, nor yet hell in respect of his longing after Christ; did he deem honor from the many to be anything, so as both to be lifted up and to need that curb continually? For he did not say, 'that he might buffet me,' but that he may buffet me. Yet who is there would say this? What then is the meaning of what is said? When we have explained what is meant at all by the thorn, and who is this messenger of Satan, then will we declare this also. There are some then who have said that he means a kind of pain in the head which was inflicted of the devil; but God forbid! For the body of Paul never could have been given over to the hands of the devil, seeing that the devil himself submitted to the same Paul at his mere bidding; and he set him laws and bounds, when he delivered over the fornicator for the destruction of the flesh, and he dared not to transgress them. What then is the meaning of what is said? An adversary is called, in the Hebrew, Satan; and in the third Book of Kings the Scripture has so termed such as were adversaries; and speaking of Solomon, says, 'In his days there was no Satan,' that is, no adversary, enemy, or opponent. 1 Kings 5:4 What he says then is this: God would not permit the Preaching to progress, in order to check our high thoughts; but permitted the adversaries to set upon us. For this indeed was enough to pluck down his high thoughts; not so that, pains in the head. And so by the messenger of Satan, he means Alexander the coppersmith, the party of Hymenæus and Philetus, all the adversaries of the word; those who contended with and fought against him, those that cast him into a prison, those that beat him, that led him away to death ; for they did Satan's business. As then he calls those Jews children of the devil, who were imitating his deeds, so also he calls a messenger of Satan every one that opposes. He says therefore, There was given to me a thorn to buffet me; not as if God puts arms into such men's hands, God forbid! not that He does chastise or punish, but for the time allows and permits them."

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/220226.htm

[Daniel Marsh]

"6. Well now: I have already told you, my, beloved brethren, let no man turn toward us. For what are we? Or what are you? What, but the Church of God which is known to all? And, if it please Him, in that Church are we; and those of us who by love abide in it, there let us persevere, if we would show the love we have. But then the apostle Paul, what evil are we to think of him? He not love the brethren! He not have within himself the testimony of his conscience in the sight of God! Paul not have within him that root of charity whence all good fruits proceeded! What madman would say this? Well then: where find we that the apostle asked and did not receive? He says himself: Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to buffet me. For which thing I besought the Lord thrice, that He would take it from me. And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Lo, he was not heard in his prayer that the angel of Satan should be taken from him. But wherefore? Because it was not good for him. He was heard, then, for salvation, when he was not heard according to his wish. Know, my beloved, a great mystery: which we urge upon your consideration on purpose that it may not slip from you in your temptations. The saints are in all things heard unto salvation: they are always heard in that which respects their eternal salvation; it is this that they desire: because in regard of this, their prayers are always heard."

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/170206.htm

 

 

[Daniel Marsh]

" Should hunger seize you, think of the words in which the poor and hungry are blessed. Should pain afflict you, read Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, and There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. Rejoice in all God's judgments; for does not the psalmist say: The daughters of Judah rejoiced because of your judgments, O Lord? Let the words be ever on your lips: Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; Job 1:21 and We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Timothy 6:7"   

 

[Daniel Marsh]

For He it is who hammers: for the hammer could not do so of itself....See how (I dare so speak, my brethren) even the Apostle was beaten with this very hammer: he says, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Behold he is under the hammer: let us hear how he speaks of it: For this thing, he says, I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. I, says His Maker, wish to make this trumpet perfect; I cannot do so unless I hammer it; in weakness is strength made perfect. Hear now the ductile trumpet itself sounding as it should: When I am weak, then am I strong....

6. The voice of the pipe of horn, what is it? The horn rises above the flesh: in rising above the flesh it needs must be solid so as to last, and able to speak. And whence this? Because it has surpassed the flesh. He who wishes to be a horn trumpet, let him overcome the flesh. What means this, let him overcome the flesh? Let him surpass the desires, let him conquer the lusts of the flesh. Hear the horn trumpets....What means this, Set your affection on things above? It means, Rise above the flesh, think not of carnal thingshttps://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1801098.htm

 

[Daniel Marsh]

On the Spirit and the Letter (St. Augustine)  Extract from Augustine's Retractions 

" Men, however, ask why He does not do this; but they who raise the question consider not duly the fact that they are human. I am quite certain that, as nothing is impossible with God Luke 1:37 so also there is no iniquity with Him. Romans 9:14 Equally sure am I that He resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. James 4:6 I know also that to him who had a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he should be exalted above measure, it was said, when he besought God for its removal once, twice, nay thrice: My grace is sufficient for you; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 There is, therefore, in the hidden depths of God's judgments, a certain reason why every mouth even of the righteous should be shut in its own praise, and only opened for the praise of God. But what this certain reason is, who can search, who investigate, who know? So unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor? Or who has first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36"    https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1502.htm

 

 

[Daniel Marsh]

"For it is the great teacher of the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul himself, who said, For we know not what we should pray for as we ought. Romans 8:26 And he not only taught this lesson by word, but also illustrated it by his example. For, contrary to his own advantage and the promotion of his own salvation, he once in his ignorance prayed that the thorn in the flesh might depart from him, which he said had been given to him lest he should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations which were given him. 2 Corinthians 12:7-8 But the Lord loved him, and so did not do what he had requested Him to do. Nevertheless, when the apostle said, We know not what we should pray for as we ought, he immediately added, But the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God Romans 8:26-27 — that is to say, He makes the saints offer intercessions. He, of course, is that Spirit whom God has sent into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father; Galatians 4:6 and by whom we cry, Abba, Father; Romans 8:15 for both expressions are used by the apostle — both that we have received the Spirit who cries, Abba, Father; and also that it is through Him that we cry, Abba, Father."

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/15084.htm

[Daniel Marsh]

That's all I could find from the Church Fathers.

[Daniel Marsh]

The "thorn" is most commonly interpreted in relation to persecutions or hardships Paul faced.

Other interpretations include:

Some Roman Catholic writers think that it denotes suggestions of impiety.[9]
Paul's agony over Jewish rejection of the gospel
A reference to Paul's opponents
A physical ailment
Modern usage
The phrase "thorn in the flesh" continues to be used as a metaphor for "a source of continual annoyance or trouble".[10] It is synonymous with the phrase "thorn in the side", which is also of biblical origin, based on the description in Numbers 33:55.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorn_in_the_flesh

 

[Paul James]

13 hours ago, Behold said:

did you say his thorn was a disease?  ???

He was it was "in his flesh". "A messenger from Satan".

I am saying that what he went through, as he described in 2 Corinthians 11, was his thorn in the flesh.  This was the message from Satan.

[Behold]

15 hours ago, Paul James said:

I am saying that what he went through, as he described in 2 Corinthians 11, was his thorn in the flesh.  This was the message from Satan.

I undersand what you are saying..

The issue is, its not really possible to reconcile the idea of "a messenger from Satan", as "Paul had a difficult life".

You are teaching .... "Paul said that a messenger from Satan was his difficult life".

This means that Paul was asking God to not allow him to have a difficult life.

He would never pray that Prayer 3X as he prayed it, because he would never pray it even once.

Paul understood better then any other Apostle that you carry your cross and you deny yourself and you face the hardships with the Grace of God as your comfort and as your strength.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Behold