I hear a lot of religious talk about how following God will lead to suffering and pain. How we must sacrifice ourselves for Jesus. While I do not at all deny that the New Testament does speak with this sort of language (cf. Rom 12:1-2), and while I completely agree that following Jesus will lead to troubles and trials (John 16:33), I think that religion sometimes places too great of an emphasis on the pain and the sorrow, and not enough emphasis on the joy and contentment.
Let me put it another way. I sometimes hear people say, “Jesus suffered and so should you.”
I’m just not so sure this logic is sound, nor am I sure it is biblical.
To say that we need to become more like Jesus by following Jesus into suffering is like saying that we need to become more like God by following God into creating the universe.
Good luck with that…
While we certainly can be creative, none of us will ever create the universe.
Similarly, while we certainly will suffer in this life as followers of Jesus, Jesus does not call us to suffer as He suffered.
Yes, I know that we are to take up our cross and follow Him.
But to take up your cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23) is to take up your cross, not His.
He already carried His cross. He doesn’t need or want or call us to carry His cross. Jesus carried His cross so that we would not have to. (Yes, yes, Simon carried it for him for a while, but when we talk about Jesus carrying His cross, we’re not actually talking about Him carrying it, but about His death and suffering upon the cross…)
Jesus did not suffer and die so that we could follow Him into suffering.
I believe this sort of misapplication of the death of Jesus only grieves Jesus deeply.
Imagine if a criminal broke into your home and gave you the choice of torturing you or your child. You would obviously choose to have the criminal torture you to death. But what if, as your child grew up, they wanted so much to be like you, that they decided to start seeking out people to torture them? Is that why you chose to be tortured instead of your child? So that they could imitate you and become tortured also? No! You took the torture so that they could live free of torture, and it would grieve you if your child thought that by you taking torture for them, they had to be tortured themselves in order to be like you! You died so that your child might live!
So also with Jesus. Jesus died so that we might have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10). Jesus died, not so that we too might die as He did, but rather, so that we might live as He did.
So don’t follow Jesus into suffering.
Yes, in this world, you will have troubles (John 16:33). But that is because this world is full of troubles. Jesus didn’t want you to think that by following Him, you would escape all troubles. No, you will still have troubles, but you can bear them with the knowledge that they will lead to opportunities to glorify God and serve others.
Remember that people who do not follow Jesus also have troubles. But without the knowledge that God can use even their troubles to transform lives and bring restoration, redemption, healing, and hope, many people allow their troubles to get the best of them, and they turn to drugs, alcohol, entertainment, sex, or even death as an escape from their troubles.
Not so with the follower of Jesus! Our troubles are no different from the troubles of others, but we can redeem our troubles, knowing that God will use them for the good.
That is the only real difference between the troubles we have as followers of Jesus and the troubles that people face who do not follow Jesus.
We Christians sometimes adopt a martyr mentality, where we think our troubles are so much worse than the troubles that non-Christians face. But if you spend any amount of time in the lives of non-Christians, you will soon come to realize that this is not true.
All people face troubles, because this world is full of trouble and pain and sorrow and sickness and death.
The thing that separates the follower of Jesus from the non-follower is not a lack of trouble or more troubles, but rather the fact that we believe God can redeem our troubles and use them for the good.
In fact, when we talk about suffering with Jesus, it might be best to realize that this does not mean that Jesus is calling us to suffer for Him. No, it means that when you suffer, Jesus is with you in the suffering. He does not send pain and suffering upon you, but rather walks with you through the pain and suffering when it comes.
This is what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus. It means to imitate or follow Him, but not to copy Him. It means to view our suffering and troubles the way He viewed His … as something that God can redeem. Jesus did not want to suffer and die (and more than we want to experience the suffering and pain of life), but He knew that His suffering would result in the greatest revelation in human history.
Similarly, our troubles can also result in a revelation.
Revealing Suffering
When we walk with God through the pain and suffering of life, we gain a clearer picture of who God truly is, and especially, who we truly are. We also gain a picture of how we can walk with other people through their pain and suffering … NOT by quoting Bible verses at them and pounding them over the head with fear, guilt, and shame about the judgment and punishment of God, but by simply being with them, crying with them, serving them, and loving them, as God does for us.
But make no mistake. Just because God redeems pain and suffering, this does not mean that suffering is good. Suffering is bad.
God does not want anybody to suffer, nor does He send suffering on anybody.
But in the wisdom of God, good can come out of bad suffering. Just as the glorious gifts of redemption, reconciliation, and revelation came from the badness of the cross, so God can bring good out of the bad things that happen in our life as well.
To imitate Jesus is not to imitate Him in His suffering, but to imitate Him in His love.
To become like Jesus is not chase after pain and rejection from others, but to chase after opportunities to serve others like Jesus.
I agree, Jesus doesn’t want us to suffer like Him or for Him! Although we will be persecuted (physically or emotionally) there is no need to go and look for it to prove your worth as a Christian!
I haven’t read your post yet, but isn’t that the thing. . .that Jesus gives us joy and peace even in our suffering. That’s a pretty important “side-effect” of following Jesus and relinquishing self to Him in all of life’s circumstances. Thank you for your work. It makes me think and helps me grow.
Thanks, Lesley.
Please note that we DO suffer in this life. But Jesus doesn’t want us to suffer FOR him. He helps us in and through the suffering we face.
I agree that being christian is not about seeking out opportunities to suffer. Suffering is a consequence of sin, our own and others. Bu I would disagee with youin 2 places…1) “Our troubles are no different from the troubles of others”, part of our suffering comes from peoples reaction to our beliefs. Scripture clearly states that we will be persecuted for our beliefs. 2) “…suffering with Jesus…means that when you suffer, Jesus is with you in the suffering.” Jesus suffered for speaking the truth and so will we. This evil world (with some exeptions) does not want to know the truth and will attack those who dare to speak it. Again, I agree that suffering is not the reason we become christian or our goal as christians. But, we should be prepared to suffer (to whatever degree) for our beliefs. Our reward for perseverence is not in this life (though He does sustain us and there are good things that happen) but in the next.
Yes, the title and some of the ideas in this post were somewhat unclear. I wrote it when I was not at my best mentally. Oh well… such is the nature of blogging and writing online….
Great blog post. I agree with most of it. I also think Matthew is right, and I get where you’re coming from on not ‘getting it all right’ too. Such is indeed the nature of blogging!
However I would qualify the ‘persecution’ thing like this. The world persecutes many Christians because they are annoying, with all their complaining, moaning, self-righteousness and trying to ban fun things.
However, believers who have advanced to the point of increased freedom – from fundamentalism and legalism- find that in fact their persecution comes from the religious element of society – the Pharisees – which is in fact exactly what happened to Jesus. They see our joy and freedom, and they hate us for it. Or at best they tell us we have gone astray and try to re-persuade us back again. But for the butterfly, there can be no going back to being a caterpillar!
So, the persecution does not come from the world – in fact, the world like us more than the Pharisees do! No, the persecution comes from the Pharisees, from rejection right up to violent attack.
But still the joy and the freedom make it worth while!
Again, great article Keep ’em coming!
Hey Jeremy. Great blog. I have been guilty in the past of feeling so burdened by people’s lostness etc. that I haven’t felt the great freedom God gives us to love people. He did the whole necessary act of love for us when… well, I heard it described once as ‘God on the cross.’ In the context I heard that expression, it was derogatory but if we really face facts, that’s what it was. It’s so outrageous. No one can take upon themselves the suffering that God faced when a part of his very being faced death on the cross. Your blog is clear and I found it to be refreshing and enlightening to my spirit today. I am going to try to be more loving towards people, which is exactly what God has been to me.
God bless your efforts:)
Matthew 10:34
34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
….and your point is? How annoying that you just toss out a Scripture without explaining its application. Are we just supposed to know automatically what you mean?
Tony,
There’s a reason why in this instance, I posted just the scripture without my own commentary. If you don’t get it, that’s ok. Maybe it wasn’t meant for you. Either you understand, or you don’t. So be it.
Either way, blessings to you.
That’s fair enough Dave, thanks for the clarification and blessings to you too 🙂
“Suffering” has been used as almost a catch-all term for so many things. Physical suffering, emotional suffering, having people disagree with us, and the inevitable outcomes of unwise and even stupid things we do and say have all been labeled “suffering” by those who “suffer”.
Is “suffering” a yardstick to measure how much or how well one follows Jesus? If we think about it most of us know those who follow Jesus, loving others as Jesus directed, who do not feel that they “suffer” or are persecuted. We also know those who follow from afar, if at all, who believe they “suffer” greatly.
However, suffering often comes as a result of living in the world in which we live. It may be a result of our poor choices, the poor choices of others, or the origins may be largely unidentifiable. In some instances it may be related to following Jesus, but we ought to carefully examine the causes for what we think to be our “suffering for Jesus”. We may be suffering because of our own poor choices, stupidity or for other less easily identified reasons.
I appreciate what you’ve written here. May I offer a thought to consider in response?
I don’t know that “Jesus suffered and so should you” is a Biblical statement as its phrased, either. But, I do know that Romans 8, a marvelous passage of Scripture on the benefits of living life according to the Spirit, states at the halfway point of the chapter (verse 17) that a prerequisite to sharing in Jesus’ glory is sharing in Jesus’ suffering. The second half of the chapter, and on into chapter 9, then proceeds to detail what that looks like. Just some food for thought.
“But to take up your cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23) is to take up your cross, not His.” This is exactly happens to most of us. We may suffer outside, but still have inner peace as every coin have to sides.
I can agree with certain things that you are saying, however, your analysis is a bit lopsided. It is true, we are not called to suffer as Jesus suffered because no one can see (a) He is morally perfect and (b) His suffering was for universal atonement of sin.
However, to make the suggestion that Jesus did not call us to suffering, at least, when necessary and in light of the fallenness of this world, and that we are not called to have a degree of a share in His suffering is inaccurate. I think I understand what you are trying to do and, if I am correct, I can agree with your intent. What I cannot wholly agree with is the way you explain it.
Not really having time to elaborate, let me just mention this: You say, “Jesus is [not] calling us to suffer for Him.” However, please see: 2 Peter 2:21; Acts 9:15-16; Philippians 1:29. Also, Matt 16:25; 19:29; Mark 13:9; Luke 6:22; Rom 8:36; 2 Cor 4:11; Eph 3:1; Phil 3:7.
Just to clarify, I do not in any way condone the martyr complex (which may be what you’re talking about); but suffering for Christ is a certain expectation for those who seek to obey Him (2 Tim 3:12).
Of course, in America, this kind of talk about suffering might resonate and be embraced by the majority; however, I’m not sure that in a country where persecution is the common lot, it would be embraced, at least, in the way you explain it and without some major criticism, especially when you assert that believers are not called to suffer for Christ’s sake (Rom 8:17).
Respectfully…
Allow me to add that Jesus permits pain and suffering; and, being the Creator, God is ultimately the indirect (or accidental) cause of all pain and suffering.
As to the question of whether or not we ought to suffer for Jesus, that is, for His sake, the answer is, if necessary and so as not to deny Him, yes. It is to proclaim Christ that we are called and, if need be, to proclaim Him even at the risk of suffering; and even at such a risk are we given the mandate to accept violence suffering on behalf of Christ even as He accepted violence and suffering on our behalf.
Respectfully, this is so clearly stated in the Bible, I think one needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat in order to come to the conclusion that God does not call us to suffer in Christ and for Christ.
“So don’t follow Jesus into suffering.”
So many assertions here contradict the plain meaning of the text that while, I may agree to some degree in some things said, the tenor of the whole discussion seems all wrong. This kind of message may go well with American Christianity but I’m not sure it will be embraced by those Christians who undergo persecution in Muslim, Latin American, and African countries, and countries like North Korea, China, and Russia. Your message here reads more like an American Gospel message than a Biblical Gospel message.
It is interesting to note that many, if not all, Christians in jail for their faith, when told by their supporters that they will pray for their release, often inform them not to pray that way but to pray for strength to endure and prove faithful. Is your message, “don’t follow Jesus into suffering,” for this person?
An African couple built a church in their village. Despite years of persecution and the death of the husband from illness, the wife and her children remain in the village, still being persecuted, to share the Gospel even though none of her neighbors have yet come to Christ! Is your message, “don’t follow Jesus into suffering,” for this her?
In India, although, then caught, Hindu nationalist disrupt church gatherings attacking believers; yet, they continue to meet to worship Christ despite an increase in persecution! Is your message, “don’t follow Jesus into suffering,” for them?
Perhaps, if you have not already done so, you should read up and immerse yourself on the Persecuted Church:
https://www.persecution.com/whoweserve/
https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/stories/i-want-to-hold-on-to-jesus-after-husbands-stabbing-mother-in-india-finds-surprising-strength/
“Jesus died, not so that we too might die as He did, but rather, so that we might live as He did.”
I agree. Yet, living as he did requires enduring suffering as He did when necessary. I agree, it is not something we should purposely seek after nor should we exaggerate our problems as though we are being persecuted for Christ when we are not. But suffering and persecution should be something we should not shy away from but rather rejoice when it comes for God having counted us worthy to suffer for Christ’s name and for the privilege of having a share in the friendship of His sufferings.
Respectfully, I think messages like your posting here, especially as superficial as it is, although with good intentions to protect God’s moral character, goes too far and actually devalues and impugns the Cross and lowers the standard of expectation, at least, of what it truly means to be a Christian.
A brother in Christ…
My goodness gracias me 🙏🙏 you really described it all clearly open but still not too long! This is exactly I’ve been thinking and meditating lately!
My church talk about suffering more often then the Joy by following Jesus, the happiness by having relationship with Him, the promises that He has for us in the store.
Suffering is like a higlight of being a christian! Like a “must to do” Which is not true, and i agree with you, not biblical! Thank you for your writing. Now I can express my thoughts to my church more clearly.
God bless you