#DailyDevotion So What Are You Boasting About?

2 Corinthians 12:1–10 ¹I have to boast. It doesn’t do any good, but I’ll go on with what the Lord has shown and told me. ²I know a man in Christ; fourteen years ago — whether in his body or outside it, I don’t know, God knows — that man was caught up to the third heaven. ³I know that such a man — whether in his body or outside it, I don’t know, God knows —⁴was caught up to Paradise and heard what no human being can express or is allowed to talk about. ⁵About such a man I will boast, but as to myself, I will boast only of my weaknesses. ⁶But if I would want to boast, I wouldn’t be a fool, because I’d be telling the truth. But I’m not going to do it, in order to keep anyone from thinking more of me than he judges me to be by seeing me or hearing me.

So Paul in the previous chapter was reminding the Corinthians all that he had gone through bring the gospel to and to the world. He wasn’t doing this because he wanted them to oo and ah at him. He was defending his apostleship and the work Christ has worked through him. There were those going around downplaying God’s work in Christ Jesus through Paul which in effect downplays ultimately the Gospel.

So Paul continues here boasting, through he says, “It doesn’t do any good” in what the LORD had shown and told him. So there seems to be some debate if the person Paul is describing here is himself or someone else. I think it is fairly obvious in verses following these, Paul is talking about himself. Paul talks about being caught up to the third heaven. He doesn’t know whether in his body or outside of it. He was caught up to Paradise and heard things no human can express or is allowed to talk about. So we get a little cosmological teaching here perhaps. Is Paul being literal here i.e. there are different heavens or is he using the cosmology of his day to describe his experience? Well I for one don’t think it matters too much. Have you been caught up to the first, second or third heaven? Probably not. So you can just let Paul have his period of boasting. He does call it Paradise. Now was the Garden of Eden brought from earth to the third heaven? Probably not. Eden was on earth. Paradise just means garden. Gardens I guess are paradise here and there which is why we lke making them. The make us feel at ease and at peace (unless you’re the one keeping it up.) (I also wonder if Paul saw the thief there while he was there.)

While there Paul heard things he can’t even express in human language or even is allowed to speak about. It reminds me of John who hears some thunders in Revelation and is not allowed to speak what was said. You know what, you’ll never know until you get there yourself. Paul doesn’t know whether he was there in the body or not. But God knows and that is all that matters. Now Paul says about such a person he would boast. Well he is boasting about himself but in the third person. However what Paul would rather boast in is his weaknesses. You see in his weaknesses the work he accomplishes magnifies the LORD Jesus Christ. Paul doesn’t want to boast about himself, putting the attention on himself but rather we wants people focused on Jesus Christ. He simply wants to be a vessel for the LORD’s work, an instruments of the Gospel.

So what do you want people to focus on in your life? What you are doing or what God in Christ Jesus is doing? Do you want praise or do you want your Father in heaven to get the praise?

Heavenly Father, may we in all we say and do give glory to you through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.