Daily Devotion for Lent 2021 - Day 39

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 12

Heaven may be about perspective.
Shoe Heaven for me would
mean I don't have to shop for them!

Here we have this fascinating reference to one experiencing a vision or revelation of Christ.  The phrase "caught up to the third heaven" is assuming a spiritual enlightenment but we have no reference to this type of language in any of Paul's other letters or in the rest of scripture for that matter.  

Most scholars believe that he is speaking of himself as verse seven indicates "to keep me from being too elated..." and I tend to agree.  I wonder if this might refer to his Damascus conversion but since Luke wrote about this quite a while after Paul's death, it lacks the detail we would like to make a definitive connection.  

William James, in his landmark work, The Varieties of Religious Experience, shares that one of the hallmarks of a mystical experience is that it is ineffable or hard to describe.  This certainly fits as Paul is not even sure if this displacement was physical or immaterial.

James also states that a mystical experience has a noetic quality where the recipient gains special knowledge or insight.  Paul certainly finds this as he states he "heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat."

Paul sees his thorn in the flesh as a consequence from this vision that will keep him humble and grounded.  It is difficult to know whether this was a physical malady or if it was an actual person who Paul saw as a particularly difficult opponent.

We could probably relate to either one.  If we have a physical ailment that pesters or plagues us, we might pray for relief and still find it persistent.  If we have a person that seems to be adept at getting under our skin, we might also pray for refuge from this person and yet find our orbits continuing to pass too close for comfort.  

Can we re-tell the story in a new way?  Is there something positive that can come from this - possibly a little humility when dealing with life?  Maybe a little perspective?

As we look at this on Good Friday, it may be that re-imagining our own suffering can be done without as much complaint on our part!

Prayer for the Day:

Gracious God, we would seek to know you more readily.  We may long for a special experience that is powerful and distinct.  Yet, we also know that consistency in our prayer life is probably more important and likely has more impact on us in the long run.  Help us to find meaning in things that may be mundane or even troubling.  We pray these things in the name of the Crucified One.  Amen.

Photo by Jeff Brooks via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.