OPINION —
My seminary training for ministry was equally divided between Vanderbilt University and Emory University. When the Methodist General Conference in 1972 terminated the work I was doing for the Methodist Publishing House, I was offered a similar editorial position with the staff in Chicago that would produce “Together,” the new Methodist magazine. I declined the offer and chose to return to Alabama where I was appointed a student pastor. This enabled me to continue my seminary studies at Emory University’s Chandler School of Theology.
What surprised me in later years was the awareness that no professor at either Vanderbilt nor Emory ever mentioned the name of Alexander Maclaren, a Scottish Baptist preacher who died in 2010. Later I would understand why; Maclaren was an avowed Calvinist and Methodists are Armenians. As my faith matured, I would realize that I was “at home” with Armenian theology, and thus uncomfortable with Calvinism. The basic difference involves God’s grace. Calvinists believe God’s grace is irresistible; Armenians believe grace can be rejected or accepted.
When I was a young preacher, I found “academic” help in several popular commentaries but little “inspirational” help for preaching. That changed one day when a friend gave me a copy of “Morning and Evening” by Charles Spurgeon. Though like Maclaren, Spurgeon was a staunch Calvinist, his approach to the scriptures set my heart on fire. I remained a steadfast Armenian, but Spurgeon’s faith in the life-changing power of Christ highly motivated me to “offer Christ” in my preaching.
When I was about 30, a retired Methodist preacher, 90 years old, brought me a gift he claimed he no longer needed — a complete set of Alexander Maclaren’s “Expositions of Holy Scripture, 17 Volumes.” When I began reading Maclaren’s illumination of the scriptures, I felt I had discovered gold. His brilliant understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek gave me rich new insights into God’s Word. His application of biblical truth to everyday living consistently inspired me “go preach” the good news of the gospel. I have been blessed by Maclaren’s expositions for 60 years. Although I now treasure the commentaries of the Anglican Bishop, N. T. Wright, I still go to Maclaren to enhance my understanding of the scriptures.
For example, Maclaren gave me new insights into the meaning of Saint Paul’s intriguing paradox of “strength in weakness“ found in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9.
“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (KJV)
Reasonable questions abound:
- Why did the Lord not deliver Paul from his “thorn in the flesh”?
- What does the Lord mean that his “strength is made perfect in weakness”?
- Why would an intelligent man say he “glories in his infirmities”?
- In what ways does “the power of Christ” rest upon someone because of his attitude toward his weaknesses?
Some translations add confusion rather than clarity to the King James Version. The New KJV has Paul saying, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities.” Why would he “gladly boast” in his weaknesses?
The very dependable English Standard Version also has Paul “boasting:” “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses.” And the popular New Living Translation also uses the “gladly boast.”
The Living Bible moves toward a more helpful understanding, though Paul is still “gladly boasting”
Each time he said, “No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.” Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.
I must dig deeper because I simply cannot understand why a man would “gladly boast” of his weaknesses.
Turning to Maclaren’s exposition, I find first a helpful insight about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” The original Greek implies a “much heavier sorrow than the metaphor of ‘a thorn.’” His problem was much more than “a little, trivial trouble to bear,” but a bodily ailment that tortured his flesh.
Maclaren also reminds us that even though the thorn was “a messenger of Satan to torment me,” it was also “an infliction from God’s hand,” for it was “given to him,” thus in an unusual way, a “gift” from God. That helps me understand why God did not remove the thorn in answer to Paul’s thrice-prayed prayer.
Maclaren blesses me as he describes the “beautiful parallel” between the prayers of Paul and those of Jesus: “Paul’s petitions are the echo of Gethsemane. There, under the quivering olives, in the broken light of the Paschal moon, Jesus ‘thrice’ prayed that the cup might pass from Him.” So Paul is following the example of his Lord in praying for the removal of the thorn’s pain. But Maclaren reminds us that “He who prayed in Gethsemane was He to whom Paul addressed his prayer.”
And in our Lord’s answer to Paul, I begin to grasp the reason Paul could “gladly boast” of his infirmities: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
There’s the paradox. That’s why Paul can say, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
Confusion gives way to clarity in the NIV translation: 9 — “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 — That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
This takes us beyond “gladly boasting” for now Paul said he “delights” in his weaknesses. Imagine that. But now we see why he thinks like that — “so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
It is interesting to see that the NLT changes “delight” into “taking pleasure.”
9 — “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 — That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Maclaren offers this helpful observation about why God did not remove Paul’s thorn, and why He often answers our own prayers in a similar way:
“The best answer to such a prayer, and the answer which a true man means when he asks, ‘Take away the burden,’ need not be the external removal of the pressure of the sorrow, but the infusing of power to sustain it. There are two ways of lightening a burden, one is diminishing its actual weight, the other is increasing the strength of the shoulder that bears it.
And the latter is God’s way, is Christ’s way, of dealing with us.”
Here’s a fresh insight from Maclaren: In the Lord’s answer to Paul, he is simply opening Paul’s eyes to see that “already he has all that he needs.” Jesus is not giving Paul sufficient grace; he already has it. Maclaren says: “That grace is given and possessed by the sorrowing heart at the moment when it prays.
“Open your eyes to see what you have, and you will not ask for the Lord to be taken away.”
So Jesus is not saying “My grace shall be sufficient for you, for it is sufficient right now.”
Maclaren asserts, “What thou hast already in thy possession is enough for all that comes storming against thee of disease, disappointment, loss and misery….If troubled Christian men would learn what they have, and would see what they already possess, they would less often beseech Him with vain petitions to take away their blessings which are in the thorns in the flesh.” A remarkable insight indeed.
We may observe that there are two parts of our Lord’s answer to Paul. First, Jesus assures Paul that He is providing him the strength to handle his problem. Second, He explains to Paul the purpose of the thorn and why it will not be taken away. This purpose reflects the great law of God’s Kingdom:
“My grace is made perfect in weakness.” This law was true for Paul and it true for all of God’s children. Simply stated, this spiritual law is that our Lord’s strength works in and through the weakness of his people.
Maclaren explains it quite clearly: “God works with broken reeds.” God can do nothing, he says, with a proud man who thinks of himself as “an iron pillar.” Before God can use such a man, he must humble himself and “be brought low before the Father.”
Before the Lord’s power can work in our weakness, we must become conscious of our weakness and fully aware of our dependence upon the Lord. “The only true source of power, both for Christian work and in all other respects,” Maclaren asserts, “is God Himself; and our strength is ours but by derivation from Him. And the only way to secure that derivation is through humble dependence, which we call faith in Jesus Christ. And the only way by which that faith in Jesus Christ can ever be kindled in a man’s soul is through the sense of his need and emptiness.”
I love the way Maclaren celebrates what he calls Paul’s “calm final acquiescence in the loving necessity of continued sorrow.” That’s how he describes Paul’s response to the Lord, when he declares that he will “gladly boast,” or “glory in” his weaknesses. “His will,” Maclaren observes, “is entirely harmonized with Christ’s.” Paul is “glad” because he now sees that his submission to God’s plan will allow the power of Christ to work in and through him. Paul now can rejoice in, or delight in, his weaknesses because this is the pathway to the strength of Christ.
Maclaren calls this a lesson for all Christians workers:
“Ministers of the gospel especially should banish all thoughts of their own cleverness, intellectual ability, culture, sufficiency for their work, and learn that only when they are emptied can they be filled, and only when they know themselves to be nothing are they ready for God to work through them.”
The secret, then, of dealing with our weaknesses, lies in this paradox: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
When the pain of your weaknesses seems more that you can bear, always remember that the power of Christ will be yours when you choose to delight in your weaknesses. “boasting:” “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses.” And the popular New Living Translation also uses the “gladly boast.”
The Living Bible moves toward a more helpful understanding, though Paul is still “gladly boasting”
Each time he said, “No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.” Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.
I must dig deeper because I simply cannot understand why a man would “gladly boast” of his weaknesses.
Turning to Maclaren’s exposition, I find first a helpful insight about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” The original Greek implies a “much heavier sorrow than the metaphor of ‘a thorn.’” His problem was much more than “a little, trivial trouble to bear,” but a bodily ailment that tortured his flesh.
Maclaren also reminds us that even though the thorn was “a messenger of Satan to torment me,” it was also “an infliction from God’s hand,” for it was “given to him,” thus in an unusual way, a “gift” from God. That helps me understand why God did not remove the thorn in answer to Paul’s thrice-prayed prayer.
Maclaren blesses me as he describes the “beautiful parallel” between the prayers of Paul and those of Jesus:
“Paul’s petitions are the echo of Gethsemane. There, under the quivering olives, in the broken light of the Paschal moon, Jesus ‘thrice’ prayed that the cup might pass from Him.” So Paul is following the example of his Lord in praying for the removal of the thorn’s pain. But Maclaren reminds us that “He who prayed in Gethsemane was He to whom Paul addressed his prayer.”
And in our Lord’s answer to Paul, I begin to grasp the reason Paul could “gladly boast” of his infirmities: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
There’s the paradox. That’s why Paul can say, “When I am weak, then I am strong”.
Confusion gives way to clarity in the NIV translation:
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This takes us beyond “gladly boasting” for now Paul says he “delights” in his weaknesses. Imagine that. But now we see why he thinks like that — “so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
It is interesting to see that the NLT changes “delight” into “taking pleasure:”
9 — “Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.’ 10 — That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Maclaren offers this helpful observation about why God did not remove Paul’s thorn, and why He often answers our own prayers in a similar way:
“The best answer to such a prayer, and the answer which a true man means when he asks, ‘Take away the burden,’ need not be the external removal of the pressure of the sorrow, but the infusing of power to sustain it. There are two ways of lightening a burden, one is diminishing its actual weight, the other is increasing the strength of the shoulder that bears it. And the latter is God’s way, is Christ’s way, of dealing with us.”
Here’s a fresh insight from Maclaren: In the Lord’s answer to Paul, he is simply opening Paul’s eyes to see that “already he has all that he needs.” Jesus is not giving Paul sufficient grace; he already has it. Maclaren says: “That grace is given and possessed by the sorrowing heart at the moment when it prays. Open your eyes to see what you have, and you will not ask for the Lord to be taken away.”
So Jesus is not saying “My grace shall be sufficient for you, for it is sufficient right now.” And Maclaren asserts, “What thou hast already in thy possession is enough for all that comes storming against thee of disease, disappointment, loss and misery….If troubled Christian men would learn what they have, and would see what they already possess, they would less often beseech Him with vain petitions to take away their blessings which are in the thorns in the flesh.” A remarkable insight indeed.
We may observe that there are two parts of our Lord’s answer to Paul. First, Jesus assures Paul that He is providing him the strength to handle his problem. Second, He explains to Paul the purpose of the thorn and why it will not be taken away. This purpose reflects the great law of God’s Kingdom:
“My grace is made perfect in weakness.” This law was true for Paul and it true for all of God’s children. Simply stated, this spiritual law is that our Lord’s strength works in and through the weakness of his people.
Maclaren explains it quite clearly: “God works with broken reeds.” God can do nothing, he says, with a proud man who thinks of himself as “an iron pillar.” Before God can use such a man, he must humble himself and “be brought low before the Father.”
Before the Lord’s power can work in our weakness, we ust become conscious of our weakness and fully aware of our dependence upon the Lord. “The only true source of Power, both for Christian work and in all other respects,” Maclaren asserts, “is God Himself; and our strength is ours but by derivation from Him. And the only way to secure that derivation is through humble dependence, which we call faith in Jesus Christ. And the only way by which that faith in Jesus Christ can ever be kindled in a man’s soul is through the sense of his need and emptiness.”
I love the way Maclaren celebrates what he calls Paul’s “calm final acquiescence in the loving necessity of continued sorrow.” That’s how he describes Paul’s response to the Lord, when he declares that he will “gladly boast,” or “glory in” his weaknesses. “His will,” Maclaren observes, “is entirely harmonized with Christ’s.” Paul is “glad” because he now sees that his submission to God’s plan will allow the power of Christ to work in and through him. Paul now can rejoice in, or delight in, his weaknesses because this is the pathway to the strength of Christ.
Maclaren calls this a lesson for all Christians workers: “Ministers of the gospel especially should banish all thoughts of their own cleverness, intellectual ability, culture, sufficiency for their work and learn that only when they are emptied can they be filled, and only when they know themselves to be nothing are they ready for God to work through them.”
The secret, then, of dealing with our weaknesses, lies in this paradox: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
When the pain of your weaknesses seems more that you can bear, always remember that the power of Christ will be yours when you choose to delight in your weaknesses.
