Praise be to the most precious and the only exalted Name of our heavenly Father, Saviour and soon coming King of kings, Lord Jesus Christ. To Him be all the glory, honour, power and dominion now and forever Amen.
“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.” – Lev 19:28
“From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” – Gal 6:17
God Almighty clearly declares in the Old Testament that there should be no self-inflicted cuts or print of any marks upon upon the body. But in the New Testament Paul, the Apostle wrote that he bore in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus. What is he talking about? In this brief exposition, let’s look at one very important thing, pertaining to the marks that he bore in his body and what it really means.
If we read 2 Corinthians chapter 11, from verse 24 to 27, we can understand the very many sufferings that Bro. Paul went through for the sake of the Kingdom of God. We all know that Apostle Paul though a Jew by ethnicity, was a roman citizen (2 Cor 11:22; Acts 22:27). His life before he came to know the Lord Jesus Christ was persecuting the Church (Acts 9:1,2). And the Lord by His abundant grace met him on his way to Damascus and brought him into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:3-6). After His new birth, His calling to be an apostle was revealed to Him (Acts 13:47).
In His ministry as an apostle, he suffered very many things. He suffered many things internally and externally. But all the things that he suffered was for the sake of the gospel and for propagating the Kingdom of God. He lists them down in 2 Cor 11:24-27. All those sufferings left an indelible scar in his body, which he refers as mark of the Lord Jesus.
When our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world, He suffered in His physical body and died for our salvation. It left an indelible mark in His body even after His resurrection (John 20:27,28). And Apostle Paul, who suffered very many things for the sake of the Gospel attributes the scars of his sufferings to the marks that our Lord Jesus bore. Bro. Paul said so because he understood that he is a part of the body of Christ as 1 Cor 12:27 declares, “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”.
Even in the life we are living in Christ, there is a legitimate suffering that we may go through or might have gone through. That suffering should be purely for the sake of the Gospel and for the faith in which we need to stand. Many times, we go through difficult times in our life. But it’s very important to know the reason for facing those difficulties. There are times we suffer because of our mistakes, hastiness and foolishness etc. This kind of sufferings have an absolute unconditional remedy when we realise, repent and set right ourselves. These cannot be attributed as those we tolerate for the sake of the Gospel or for standing in the faith. But if we find the reason for our suffering to be for the sake of the Gospel and for standing in the faith, we need to consider those scars as a trophy.
Apostle Paul writes in 2 Cor 11:24-27, “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”. It is difficult to imagine what kind of a mark was left in the body of Paul after he went through those cruel sufferings as we read in the above passage of Scriptures. The consequences of those sufferings not only left a mark but a lot of pain too. Because there cannot be an external mark without experiencing an internal pain.
This is what he refers to as a thorn in the flesh that was given to him, when he wrote the next chapter. When we read 2 Cor 12:7, he writes, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”. There are many that refer to Paul’s thorn in the flesh as many different things. But we get a clear picture when we read the cruel, more than one’s capacity to bear, physical sufferings of Paul in his lifetime. It is hard for anyone to survive that list of sufferings. It is a miracle that the Lord preserved the life of Paul even after going through those sufferings. Let it be beyond any doubts that such list of sufferings in one’s lifetime will not only leave an indelible mark but also indelible damage and pain. And Paul says it was given to him. Many say God gives thorn in the flesh to His people. That’s an incorrect understanding. In the same Scripture in 2 Cor 12:7, Paul is referring his thorn in the flesh as the messenger of satan who buffets him. The dictionary meaning for buffet means to strike forcibly and repeatedly. When we look at the list of Paul’s suffering in 2 Cor 11:24-27, that was what happened. He was bruised and battered forcibly and repeatedly in his journeys while taking the Gospel and propagating the truth.
This suffering never stopped but was continuing. That’s why in 2 Cor 12:8, he writes that he besought the Lord thrice for the thorn in the flesh, the buffeting messenger of satan to depart. But in 2 Cor 12:9 the Scriptures declare, “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.”. The Lord replied and told him that His strength will make him perfect in his weakness. Because of that Paul said he will glory in such infirmities because it helps him to be humble amid receiving abundant of revelations and carry the power of Christ upon Him. That is the reason this suffering never took his life away, isolate him, incapacitate him, hinder him from doing the will of God and finish it. God almighty supplied His uninterrupted strength through His grace that he began to rejoice over it and with confidence reached the end of his life on this earth.
In 2 Tim 4:7,8 he wrote, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”. Though God allowed this messenger of satan, He supplied His divine, abundant strength through His grace. And because of that Apostle Paul could well run and finish doing what the Lord wanted him to do.
Because He understood the reason for his sufferings he wrote, I bear in my body the marks of our Lord Jesus. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it is very important for us as God’s children to find out the reason why we suffer, what we suffer. If we suffer for sake of the Gospel and for standing in the precious faith, it is something we need to consider as an honour.
We see a lot of saints in the Church history understood this when they suffered for the sake of the gospel. Also, there are many all over the world who suffer many things for the sake of His Kingdom even today. If we find ourselves as a part of it, it has to be considered as a trophy. Because the Scripture says we are also the body of Christ and members in particular (1 Cor 12:27). Christ was crucified in His physical body and now we who are a part of the spiritual body of Christ must consider the sufferings for His sake as an honour. That’s how we in Christ get to know the fellowship of His sufferings. Php 3:10 declares, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”.
No matter whatever we suffer internally or externally, by anyone, wherever, whenever, however and in any measure, if we find it to be for the sake of the gospel and / or for the sake of standing in the faith, count it all joy. God is faithful. He never lets His people down when they stand on His behalf. He supplies His strength and says it is enough (2 Cor 12:8). This legitimate suffering has great rewards (Matt 19:29). Let the true spiritual body of Christ count it all joy when they suffer for the sake of Christ.
Grace and peace rest upon us in Jesus Christ’s Name.
In Him,
Bro. Jamey F. Davis
Contact details :
Immanuel Prayer House,
93-A, Sadras Road,
Tirukalikundram – 603109. TN, India
E Mail : davisiph@hotmail.com
Web : www.davisiph.net
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