In the 12th chapter of his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul says a strange thing: “I am happy with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles, for Christ’s sake. I am strongest when I am weak.” How is it that anyone can be “happy” when enduring insults and persecutions? How can someone be “happy” about their weaknesses? And what does he mean by saying that he is strongest when he is weak?
Paul’s statement seems particularly strange because anyone who has ever been to school knows how much teachers encourage you to work on your weaknesses. Parents and teachers are most definitely not impressed by students who are happy with their weaknesses. But there is a difference between Paul’s position and that of a school student. At school, success is measured by how well the student does; Paul measured his success by how well Jesus did.
In other words, Paul did not want people to listen to him; he wanted them to listen to Jesus. Paul did not want people to think he was a great person; he wanted people to recognise the greatness of Jesus. Paul would have been disappointed if anyone praised him, because his aim was to encourage people to praise Jesus. From Paul’s point of view it did not matter how badly people treated him, as long as the name of Jesus was lifted high.