I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows.” vs. 2
2 Corinthians 12:2-5
Many Jews believed that when a righteous person died they would be taken to a garden called Paradise, a place similar to the Eden that was well-known from the Hebrew Scriptures. Paul claims in this boasting section of his letter to the Corinthians that he had visited this heavenly place some fourteen year before. It’s hard to know what to make of his story. He seems to be bringing it up in response to those who had questioned his credentials as an apostle. It’s like the icing on the cake of his long list of achievements. He’s speaking of what we might call an out-of-body experience, the sort of thing that others were also claiming in those years. It seems to have been some sort of spiritual event in which he heard things that he was not permitted to repeat. We’re familiar with such claims, and generally we’re hard-pressed to know what to do with them. Paul says that even though this happened to him, he’s not going to brag about it, because he is only interested in pointing to what Christ has done. That’s good advice. We can never let our own stories get in the way of the good news that is ours in Christ Jesus. In the long run the gospel isn’t about us, it’s about Jesus!
Thought for the Day: Why are stories of spiritual triumphs a turn-off for so many?
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