Suffer Like Jesus
Introduction
Bad things are going to happen to us. You may have some bad things happening now. If not, you have in the past and you will in the future as well. Get used to it. One of my pet peeves is the teaching that Christians are immune from suffering, that God will always protect us from bad things. That was not the case with the Old Testament prophets or the New Testament apostles. That was definitely not the case with God’s Son Jesus Christ.
Having established that suffering will come, how does God expect us to respond to suffering? Does he want us to stand firm, heads held high, not a hint of emotion? Does he want a smile of joy or even a laugh in the face of suffering? Do we fear that if we react to what we are experiencing that we will damage our Christian witness? I will tell you that the current generation is not looking for a false strength but is looking for authenticity. But our response should be just based on what people want. We need to look to Jesus.
As already mentioned, Jesus experienced suffering and the Gospels give us details as to how he responded. What we read may surprise us.
Honesty
Something bad happens or has the possibility of happening. How do we respond? Do we rush to embrace it? Do we actively seek bad things so that we can become more spiritual? That may seem strange but many people have done it. One early church father sought martyrdom as a young man and so his mother hid his clothes to prevent him.
We need to go to Jesus to find the proper response. We know that throughout the Gospel, Jesus has been heading toward Jerusalem, knowing that it would lead to the cross. We may assume from this that he was eager to be crucified. After all, it was through the cross that he would provide atonement and the means of salvation. He should be excited to be attached to that Roman cross.
But what we find is that Jesus, the night before the crucifixion, asks the Father if there is a way he could avoid it. Jesus knew what crucifixion was like, not just through divine knowledge, but through human observation. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.” The cup is often a symbol of suffering in the Bible. Jesus was not excited about suffering, in fact he was anxious. No sane person would want to be crucified. Jesus was honest with the Father.
We need to be honest to God about how we feel about our suffering. Don’t get caught up in what sounds unspiritual. Tell God that you don’t want bad things to happen to you or your loved ones. Tell him you want the cup of suffering to pass from you. I don’t say this in a triumphalist manner as if we can tell God what to do and he will obey. God is not a genie. But we are in relationship with him and we can be honest about how we feel.
Emotions
This leads nicely into the next example we get from Jesus. I have noticed that many people, especially those from western European descent, attempt to keep a strict control over their emotions. The British speak of “the stiff upper lip.” I have been to many funerals where the family have apologized for crying over the loss of their loved one as if showing the emotion was bad.
What does Jesus do? We see a Jesus who is very emotional about what is about to happen. The other Gospels are even more explicit about what Jesus is feeling, even saying that Jesus was “sorrowful unto death.” Jesus was very upset. The reference to sweating as drops of blood doesn’t mean that he sweat blood but that he was sweating so much, it was like he was bleeding. There is no sense of embarrassment about showing emotions or a hint that this was somehow unspiritual.
Each of us have different personalities. For some of us, emotions come easy and for others, we keep things to ourselves. My children have commented that they have never seen me cry. It is not because crying is bad, that is just my personality. So I am not saying that you are a strong introvert that you should start wailing loudly to total strangers. What I am saying is that we should not fear our emotions. Nor should we think we are being bad Christians if we show the anxiety or fear that we are experiencing. Show your emotions in whatever way is right for you, whether to your church family or your closest friend. Jesus did it and so can we.
Obedience
We see in this passage the most human side of Jesus. He frees us to be honest about our emotions. But he shows us something else as well. We see that as much as Jesus was dreading the cross, he submitted himself to his Father’s will. Jesus was able to embrace his own anxiety and yet chose to follow the path that God put in front of him. He was obedient, not because it was easy, but because it was God’s will.
Fear is normal and healthy but it does not have to make our choices for us. I remember the first time I went rappelling. I am very scared of heights and was not afraid to express it. It is not the height so much as the falling to my death that is the problem. As I stood at the top of the cliff, I felt that full force of the fear. But then I took a step. And then another. I chose not to be controlled by my fear. There have been many things that have been unpleasant in my life that I would have preferred to avoid. But with God’s help I was able to push through and to do what I felt God was calling me to do. Feel free to ask for the cup to pass but in the end let God’s will be done.
Conclusion
The question is not whether or not difficult times will come, the question is how will we respond. The answer is to respond like Jesus. Be honest that you don’t like the circumstances. Be open to share your emotions, in whatever way is right for you. And in the end, submit yourselves to God, trusting in his strength. This is what Jesus did as he faced the cross and was soon to experience unimaginable physical, emotional and spiritual suffering. How does God want us to respond to suffering? He wants us to suffer like Jesus.
