Sharing in Suffering

Last week I talked about suffering, and how we are chosen to share in the suffering of Jesus, and how God uses our suffering to develop us and make us more like Jesus. I think that there is a flip side to this coin of suffering. Not only do we share in the suffering of Jesus, we share in each other’s suffering as well.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. I Corinthians 12:27

We are one body, connected to each other through the head, which is Christ, and through the uniting of the Holy Spirit. When you suffer, I feel it. When I suffer, I can count on you to help alleviate my suffering.

One worldview was stated on Facebook as, “Everybody is going to hurt you. The trick is to find the ones worth suffering for.” I understand this. We’re human. We hurt each other. But I don’t want to suffer for just anybody. I want to make sure you are worth it. I am so glad Jesus didn’t feel that way.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8

Jesus thought we were worth suffering for, even though we weren’t worthy. We are part of the body, and so we suffer, whether the other is worth it or not. Still we try to avoid suffering, and so we relegate it to a few and tell them they are called. Henri Nouwen says, “Our society suggests that caring and living are quite separate and that caring belongs primarily to professionals who have received special training. Although training IS important . . . caring is the privilege of every person and is at the heart of being human." (Henri Nouwen, Our Greatest Gift) Rather than shuffling each other off to the Pastor or the counselor or the doctor, we are called to do more. We are called to compassion, to feeling deeply and to going through life together. We are instead called to suffer together, to use our own suffering to help others and to participate in each other’s suffering through prayer.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

To participate in the sufferings of another means that we open ourselves up to their pain. When we pray for each other we open ourselves up to the pain that only the Holy Spirit knows fully, and we share in that pain because we share in the same Spirit. When one member suffers, we all suffer.

Sometimes when I say I will pray for you, I do it quickly, trying not to understand what you are going through. I have told you, I don’t like suffering! God is slowing me down, reminding me that sharing in the fellowship of prayer is to allow myself to feel what you feel, to experience the depth of what you are going through. If not for the fact that we are all sharing this together, I’m not sure I could stand it. I would be overwhelmed. Instead I can take your suffering and lay it at before the throne of Jesus, knowing that he understands and will provide the strength we need.

We suffer together knowing that God has made us one. It’s a blessing with a kick. Relationship is worth it. It’s a reflection of the very nature of God. It draws us further up and deeper in. It binds us together. We are one body, and in suffering we begin to live like it.  

The Call to Community

Perhaps my favorite word in the Bible, right after salvation, redemption, love and the like (OK, there’s a lot I like in the Bible), is community. Community means that I am part of something bigger than myself, that I am not alone and that my contribution counts.

There should be no division in the body, but its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. I Corinthians 12:25-27

Jesus lived community, and set examples for how we should live out our expression of community. He knew that our idea of community would consist of power over each other, of selfish desire and of self-promotion. He lived the exact opposite, and expects us to follow his example.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus; who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant… Philippians 2:5-7

Jesus lived community by becoming a servant. He reduced himself to fit into a human body, just so he could save us. He suffered death and rose again, and then he left, sending his Spirit to unite us and make use one body, his body. 

One of my favorite examples of how we are to live in community occurred just before Jesus’ arrest. Jesus knows his time is up. The meal is served, Judas has already left to betray him, and Jesus was getting ready to go home.

Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. John 13:1b

What follows is what John considers the full extent of Jesus’ love for his disciples, his earthly community.

He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:4-5

Jesus great power was expressed in servanthood. Whoever had booked the room for their feast that night had neglected to arrange for a servant to look after their needs. The roads were dirt and dust, and they wore sandals. It was the servant’s job to wash their feet. Not one of them lowered themselves to do the job of the servant. Jesus lived servanthood, and admonished them to do the same. He who would be great in Jesus’ kingdom must be servant of all. Jesus was the greatest in all regards.

Peter was aghast. He objected to allowing Jesus to wash his feet. Jesus was no servant! He was Messiah! Peter should have been washing Jesus’ feet. The thing is, if Peter had lowered himself to be a servant, had offered to wash feet, Jesus wouldn’t have been wrapping that towel around his own waist. Jesus doesn’t rebuke him for not serving, but offers him the choice; “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Unless you accept my gift of servanthood, you can’t be part of my community.

I struggle with community. I don’t want to be your servant, but even more, I don’t want to allow you to serve me. I have just as difficult a time accepting your gifts as I do wanting to give you mine. Maybe harder. But that’s the nature of community. I use my gift to teach you and build you up. You use your gift to encourage me and make me stronger. We are better together than we are alone. Community means mutuality. Serve and be served. Wash and be washed.

Pick up the basin. Wrap that towel around your waist. Sit down and take off your sandals. Engage in community. Jesus is here. There is no better place to be.