Day 9 - Suffering (Col 1:24-25)

²⁴ Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, ²⁵ of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, Colossians 1:24-25

When I first read these verses, I was so stumped by what he meant by, “in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.” He just spent the first part of the letter in great detail describing the sufficiency, supremacy and preeminence of Jesus and His work on the cross. What in the world could be lacking that Paul suffers in his flesh to fill up?

There is nothing lacking in the attornment of Jesus – His death on the cross, taking on and satisfying the penalty of our sins for eternity in exchange for His righteousness. But back up to the end of verse 23 we read yesterday. Paul says of the gospel that it has “been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” We know that there were many in his time, and many still today, who have yet to hear the gospel.

This is where Paul is working to fill the gap. This is our job too…to fill this gap and make sure the gospel proclamation has been heard by everyone. But be aware, there is suffering involved.

Paul’s mission and ministry was to make Jesus known. When Paul first encounters the resurrected Jesus while he is still persecuting Christians, the message about him from God to Ananias was, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”  (Acts 9:15-16) 

The persecutor will be persecuted. And suffer Paul did. He recounts his suffering in his letter to the Corinthians…

²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28

It’s the thing we don’t want to talk about as Christians…the “s” word. But the Bible tells us a lot that we will have suffering and trials in life. As the normal course of a world with sin, but also as followers of Jesus. We prefer prosperity type sermons that tell us everything will be wonderful if we just follow Jesus and obey God’s commands. We want to hear about Christianity as a way to escape suffering, but it is a lie and will bring no one closer to the truth. Yes, God is good and He wants good things for us, here and forever, but that isn’t the whole story. Jesus says of following Him…

²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:23-24

And this…

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2 Timothy 3:12

And this…

“…through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22

What are we to do with this? At one point Jesus is telling people things like, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:53). Naturally people were a little confused and frankly probably disgusted. Many stopped following Him. He turns to His appointed twelve disciples and says, “Do you want to go away as well?” (John 6:67).

I feel like that is where we are when it comes to the suffering part of the Jesus story. We want to follow for the good stuff, but aren’t willing to go all the way to the hard stuff. But despite the hard parts, my response always seems to be that of Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69). I don’t understand and I don’t even like some of what I hear in my limited understanding, but where else am I to go. I believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Joy in Suffering

What does Paul think about this suffering? Verse 24 says he rejoices in it. What?!? He rejoices in it because he is fulfilling his calling. His life is perfectly in sync with how God created it to go. We are also told to not only endure and persevere, but to even rejoice in the suffering. Paul speaks of it and so does Jesus’ half-brother James…

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Suffering has a purpose. It won’t last forever. In the new heaven and the new earth there will be no pain or tears. But in this life the hard truth is there will be suffering and pain and trials and illness and death and tears. It is part of living in a broken world. So instead of fighting it, we should at least try to understand it and the purpose it might serve. God is good and ultimately has our good in mind.

Why Suffering

If you are like me, you often think, why suffering? Why does suffering have to be a part of the story?

For one, we live in a broken world and sin abounds. Sometimes we suffer as a result of our own sin and disobedience, and sometimes we are caught in the crossfire of other peoples’ sins. I think God grieves this type of suffering and longs for sin to be defeated.

But I think there are other purposes as well that are hard to hear. Sometimes our suffering can be a launch pad to minister and comfort those after us who similarly suffer.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. ⁶ If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Galatians 6:2 says that as believers we bear one another’s burdens. Suffering rallies community. It becomes a battleground where we fight for one another.

A hard one for me is the reality that sometimes suffering is needed to break us. It is the only way for us to fully depend on God. It is the only way for us to realize we can’t do it on our own…things are bigger than us and we need someone far more powerful than us. Suffering breaks us of pride, rebellion, selfishness, dependence. Paul writes of the thorn in his side he asked God to take away three times…

⁷ So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Paul was highly educated and highly motivated. A type A, get-things-done personality for sure. The weight of the revelations given to him and the ministry he would lead left him susceptible to pride. His suffering kept him humble and close to God. Oh, how this one gets to me. We are all susceptible to some sin that hovers over us. God knows exactly what we need to keep our eyes on Him.  Contrary to what the world tells us, power is made perfect in weakness.

We are also told that suffering prepares us for something more…

¹⁷ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Look again at what Paul went through…lashes, beatings, stoned, dangers from all sides, hunger, thirst, exposed. But he perseveres and keeps pressing on. This is one of those things that help me know the gospel is true. NO ONE would go through that if they weren’t CONVINCED it was true. And despite the hardships and suffering, there is joy in working on the side of truth.

Paul is fighting for the church. Paul is fighting for Jesus. Paul suffers for the suffering of Jesus, so the gospel that was proclaimed in all creation at His death can be heard by all the world.

Paul says he is a minister according to the stewardship from God given to him for us, to make the word of God fully known (Colossians 1:23). In his suffering for the churches of his time, he was a picture of the suffering and love of Jesus. The lengths God would go through to show us His love and save us.

Though our specific calling on how to go about doing it may differ, our mission is the same…to go out and make disciples. To be the hands of feet and Jesus to show people Jesus. To continue the perfect and complete work of His suffering by making sure everyone knows about it and believes it.

There is joy in the suffering, because through it all God can be revealed and glorified to a world that is currently clinging to and putting hope in other things. Things that will lead to eternal suffering, rather than eternal peace and joy.

At the end of the day, where else would I go but to follow Jesus.

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¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Romans 10:13-15