A friend and I were recently talking about the trials of life and we were discussing the lessons learned from trials and how we would like to learn those lessons and get them over with, i.e. learn the lessons and thus have an end to the trials.
I got to thinking about this later and realized that such thoughts demonstrate a deficient view of suffering. The thinking goes that God sends trials to teach us a lesson and thus, we should expect relief once the lesson is learned. When the trial continues beyond what we expected or hoped we wonder what is wrong with us - we must not have learned enough from them. So we apply ourselves that much harder to "learning" from the trials in hopes they will be relieved.
But it occurs to me that such a view does not comport well with reality. One of Francis Schaeffer's famous tests of the validity of a worldview is that a true worldview fits with reality. The problem is that some suffering leads to ever greater suffering, and it can't be that the sufferer is always obstinate and unlearning in such a situation. Further, some suffering ends in death, not deliverance from the trial. This is certainly the case with believers through the centuries who have suffered for their faith, and I am also thinking particularly of modern believers in places like China whose suffering seems to lead only to further suffering.
It can hardly be said that Jesus needed to learn a lesson on the cross, the learning of which would have terminated the experience of the cross. So with that in mind we need to expand our understanding of God's purposes in suffering.
I'll issue one caveat on this - I don't mean to deny that suffering is a great teacher, it may be the greatest teacher a Christian will ever have. It wouldn't be far off the mark to think of it as a means of grace. I know that I am certainly trying to pay close attention to what God is teaching me through my recent trials.
So while acknowledging that suffering has a teaching focus in the life of a believer, I think we ought to expand our view of suffering to see it as a means of witness. I know that many do, but maybe this ought to be given the greater weight.
Here are a few Scriptures in reference to this. II Corinthians 4:7-12 says:
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Paul refers to his suffering - hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, struck down - as "carrying around in his body the death of Jesus." And why? "So that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." Here Paul shows another purpose of our suffering - identification with Jesus. This is something that we must keep in mind as we consider that the Christian life as a whole is described as a life of cross-bearing, hence our lives as a whole are lives of identification with the sufferings of Jesus. I don't think we can right this off as a "positional" or "metaphorical" identification where we simply receive the benefits of Jesus' sufferings by faith, although we do. Carrying the cross must mean that we suffer also.
With that in mind though, Paul says that in some way our sufferings reveal Christ. Our sufferings are a witness to Christ. I'll just point out that, though I am sure Paul learned a great deal from these sufferings, the main purpose of suffering here was to serve as a witness to Christ.
Also consider Colossians 1:24
24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
First of all, let me be the first to confess that this verse puzzles me, as it seems to imply that there is some lack in Christ's sufferings. At the risk of digressing, let me quote William Hendriksen from the Baker New Testament Commentary for what I think is a reasonable interpretation of that passage.
Of course, this does not mean that there was anything lacking in the atoning value of Christ’s sacrifice. It does not mean that good works, the suffering in purgatory, faithful attendance at mass, the purchase of indulgences, or any other so-called merits can be or need be added to the merits of our Lord. Among the many passages that would refute such a theory are Col. 2:14; John 19:30; Heb. 10:11–14; and I John 1:9. But we have no right, in the interest of Protestantism in its struggle with Roman Catholicism, to change the clear grammatical and contextual meaning of a passage. We should bear in mind that although Christ by means of the afflictions which he endured rendered complete satisfaction to God, so that Paul is able to glory in nothing but the cross (Gal. 6:14), the enemies of Christ were not satisfied! They hated Jesus with insatiable hatred, and wanted to add to his afflictions. But since he is no longer physically present on earth, their arrows, which are meant especially for him, strike his followers. It is in that sense that all true believers are in his stead supplying what, as the enemies see it, is lacking in the afflictions which Jesus endured. Christ’s afflictions overflow toward us.
If we go the direction Hendriksen is suggesting then it appears that the church will of necessity be perfected through continued suffering, of the kind that Christ endured. Again, though there is definitely learning taking place through all of this, in this case, it seems that Paul's sufferings were for the benefit of others. That's important - this passage is not focusing on what Paul himself learned from his own sufferings, but on what others who watched him suffer would learn from them.
One of the classic passages on suffering is I Peter 2:18-25
18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”a
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Notice here that Christ's sufferings were not for His education, but for our healing (v. 24). He suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps (v. 21). If we follow the example of Christ then it follows that we will suffer for the healing of others.
I say all of this to make what may seem a rather depressing point, one that goes back to that conversation I started the post with. The point is that we ought not to think that there is an end date on our sufferings in this world. On the one hand there is - the day of our death. But this side of eternity, our sufferings may last until the day of our death. And this may be the case, not because we are obstinate, but because we are to identify with Christ and simply be a witness to the works of God through our suffering.
Our church lost a great saint last year. This man was on his deathbed about 15 years ago and God delivered him from death at the time. I first met him a little over 6 years ago and don't think I ever knew him when he wasn't in ill health. His health continued to decline over these years until he went Home last year. And while I wouldn't be surprised if he learned a great deal through his sufferings over the last few years I am sure that most of those who knew him would say that we were the ones who needed to learn far more than he did. He was one who gave off the sweet, fragrant aroma of Christ in all he did, and especially as his health declined.
A few days ago I spoke with a pastor friend who told of a funeral he had recently performed for a member of his church. He said that at the funeral several people from the member's work came to the microphone in tears, testifying of what a powerful witness he was to his faith. And these were people without any evident church membership.
The upshot of all of this is that I think we as Christians have pretty much adopted wholesale the triumphalism that Martin Luther associated with the "theology of glory," which looks for God to always reveal Himself through deliverance from suffering. But Luther taught the theology of the cross, which is that God reveals Himself most clearly in the midst of suffering. Thus we ought to expect suffering to be our constant companion as Christians and not so much pray for deliverance (though I certainly do!) but to pray more for grace to be a faithful witness to Christ through our suffering.
I am thankful for your wisdom and insights.
Posted by: Chris | March 17, 2009 at 10:32 PM
Very good thoughts from a witness in suffering. I appreciate your insights. I hope your having some relief today, whether in witnessing or teaching. God's mercy is often mysterious, but none the less loving.
Posted by: Jan | March 18, 2009 at 09:29 AM
David, after my comment above I thought of how connected your thoughts are to the theology of suffering in the book of Revelation. The word for martyr in the Greek is the same for testimony or witness. John so used the word, according to Greek scholars, that he redefined martyia/testimony to mean being a faithful witness "unto death". I recommend to anyone a study of the word testimony in the book of Revelation, comparing that with it's use as the means of revelation in the gospel of John. I wrote a 40,000 word paper on the subject as the final requirement for a BA Hons. in pastoral studies a number of years ago. (UK degrees are heavily weighted toward writing and research).
I highly recommend Alison Trites, "The New Testament Concept of Witness" Amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/d5pcq9
Posted by: Jan | March 18, 2009 at 09:46 AM
David,
Praise God for the clarity of your spiritual vision that ministers to all of us through your struggles.
I very much agree that two important reasons for suffering by true Christians are lessons and as a witness, as you stated. Both, by the way, apply to both Jesus and his followers, because even though Jesus was perfect it does say he learned obedience by what he suffered. (Hebrews 5:8)
But I would add a third reason, which may trump the other two: to develop a personal connection with the suffering of the rest of humanity, and thus equip the Christian church for its priestly or mediatorial role in the future. Yes, Jesus became our high priest and intercedes with us (Hebrews 4:15). But in a similar way I believe that the followers of Jesus will, with Him, be kings and priests over all the earth, as it states in Revelation 5:10, and will judge the world, as it says in 1 Cor 6:2. I view this judgment, not as a condemnatory thing, but as a leadership and teaching process. (Isaiah 26:9) The suffering of Christ and his body equips them to be the kinds of leaders and judges that today's human leaders just can't bring... firsthand understanding of poverty and failure, of illness and bad luck, of oppression and abuse.
So the "lack" of Christ's afflictions does not mean Jesus lacked sensitivity; it just means that he as one person at one time in history, could not possibly experience, say, what a woman feels when she is sold into sexual slavery, or an untouchable from India feels when they are condemned to a life of nothingness, or an African slave felt when uprooted from family after family and abused by arrogant, self-righteous masters; or what an alcoholic feels when he can't gain the victory over his disease. Christ's church has experienced all of these things, and can thus be sympathetic and helpful when the entire human race gets to experience the "feast of fat things" which Isaiah says will one day come to all people.
Posted by: Richard Kindig | March 18, 2009 at 02:26 PM