THE THIN SPOT

By John Santosuosso

I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago who was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows--was caught up into paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my own weaknesses.

           The Apostle Paul, II Corinthians 12:2-5

      For many years Paul's account of an experience he had has left me puzzled but also intrigued, unable to find a fully satisfying explanation but at the same time concluding there is more reason to be hopeful both for this life and the life to come than I had fully realized. At one time I felt it might be Paul's description of his encountering the resurrected Jesus, but neither the chronology behind it nor the account itself, as he relates both in his letter to the Galatians, fits what he is trying to explain to the Corinthians. These are two different experiences in the life of the Apostle.

     It appears that some of the Corinthians were challenging Paul's apostleship. Such challenges were something that happened to him more than once, and no matter where he was, he was always quick to defend his right to be called an apostle. What makes his account in II Corinthians unique is that he is obviously very reluctant to write about it, and if anything similar happened to him on another occasion, the description of it has not survived. Paul himself seems somewhat not able to explain to the Corinthians what happened. Does he think he saw a vision or did he have some sort of indescribable out-of-body experience? He does not know. Did he encounter a language he could not understand or was it simply a case that he was not to repeat what he heard? He is not clear.

      Some scholars believe Paul may have been a member of some sort of sect of mystics who sought divine visions. If so, it is odd that in his surviving letters he never mentions this nor did any of the early Church Fathers in their writings. We also do not know exactly what Paul meant by the term third heaven.

       A United Presbyterian minister I know and respect has preached that in the case of the resurrection of Jesus Christ it is best to first believe in its reality then anticipate that the evidence for it will follow in due time. The same may be true for Paul's II Corinthians experience. There is much here that is very challenging to comprehend. As we noted, it was even a challenge for the Apostle, but if you come to it with an open mind it can be a beautiful account that fills us with awe and wonder. Has Paul entered one of those "thin spots" where heaven and earth, even if briefly, appear to meet? Is he being reassured that indeed God called him to be an Apostle, and that God reigns over both this world and the next? Is it a reminder for us today, that we are here both to learn and to help build God's kingdom, both in this world and the next? If that is true, and I believe it is, then it is time to, "Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!"