The Grace of Suffering

 

Anybody reading this want to be like Jesus?  I do, I do so much and the more I grow in my faith, the more I see that I have so far to go.  One area I constantly find myself struggling with is when I am treated unfairly.  

 

Let me confess a big social faux pas I made recently.  Yes, I’m gonna go there on mask/no mask.   A few weeks ago I was running some trails without facial protection.  I’m going to justify my choice for all you haters out there.  I live in the northwest and I am used to 40-degree weather 8 months out of the year.  When it hits above 70, I could literally be a poster child for a deodorant add.  Add on the activity of running and I would be curled up in the fetal position and out of breath with face-gear on.  When I see people running with a mask on, I actually stop and stare at the unicorn that just passed me.  

 

I’m attempting a bit of levity here because I know this is a very passionate issue for some of you so before you stop reading, let me tell you that I currently wear a neck gator.   But back to my shame-story.  I run on trails that are infrequently traveled and people can often pass safely 6 feet apart so I was feeling good about my choice to run in the nude (face)--following the spirit of the law if not the letter of the law. Not so to a community member sharing said trail with me for about 10 seconds on morning late July.  Let’s just say she made it perfectly clear through words and non-verbal gestures that I was the scum of the earth for running without my mask. From my view I was treated unjustly and, in my mind, had a fantasy of giving her a big kiss with my bare lips just to show how much I loved her and the content of her communication.  

 

But that is just totally snarky.  And mean.  And if she hated me before, she’d probably explode at my up close and personal greeting.  Greet one another with a holy kiss[1]. Obviously, I wasn’t going to do it but I felt a bit smug picturing it happening.  Would those type of thoughts be going through Jesus’s head after a similar interaction?  Um, no. 

 

That leads us to our verse today.  Now my scenario is probably a 0.2 out of 10 on the injustice scale.  I know there are people groups in our world experiencing real injustice.  I know there are Christians in other places who suffer in real ways for their faith, risking their jobs, facing imprisonment, assault, and even death for confessing their faith.  I’m not saying that my example is one to even contend with the injustice many have suffered, just that it caused me to reflect on how I bear up under injustice. 

 

In our verse today, Peter was writing to the scattered church in modern day Turkey, to Christ followers experiencing different levels of injustice-citizens experiencing unjust regulations, those living under the conditions of slavery, and wives living with unbelieving husbands, who didn’t share their Christian of elevating their status as women as co-heir of Christ[2].  

 

For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 1 Peter 2:19

 

 

When I first read this verse, it didn’t resonate with the character of the God I knew, so how could this be true?  What is this verse saying? Does this mean that God considers it a gift to me when I suffer?  Yes and no. 

 

Does God like suffering?  No.  He created a perfect world without pain for us…read Genesis chapters 1-3 if you are unfamiliar with the story.  We let sin into our world by not trusting God and everything has been messed up ever since[3].   We also know that God is waiting to make all things right until all come to repentance[4].  It’s God’s kindness and patience for humanity to accept His offer of eternal life that has left us in this broken world.  He never intended us to suffer but we will because we are here and all things have not yet been made new[5].  

 

I am going to suffer in an unjust world. How do I do it like Jesus? 

 

Here’s what He says: 

 

If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 

Luke 6:32–35

 

In the world’s system, we treat others how we are treated, responding good when treated well, and unkindly when treated poorly.   In business, people don’t lend money unless they expect to get it back with interest!  Jesus is calling us to act differently than the rest of the world when we are treated unjustly.  We are to do good to those who hate us and to give without expecting it back because God treats us like that.  He is compassionate to those who aren’t thankful for what He gives and even to people who set out to harm others.  

 

In fact, the gospel spells out the injustice of our salvation, for Christ embraced the punishment we deserved. He who knew no sin became sin for me[6] who had trampled underfoot every His every commandment, in my heart if not in practice.[7]  He gave His life for His enemies. 

 

 

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6–8

 

 

Another benefit to suffering righteously is that God’s grace is available to you and by responding like Christ is you are accessing it.   

 

 

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

 

 

When we hold up under injustice, we are opening a bountiful supply of the divine strength we need to endure.  God hasn’t left us alone to fight back the darkness.  Instead he has given us His light to display[8]and it shines brightest when suffering in the Spirit of Christ. 

 

Does God take pleasure in my suffering unjustly? No.  But if I do honor His name, keep my integrity, respond kindly to those who cause my harm, I am under grace in the sense that what I do does not go unnoticed by Jesus and I have access to His grace to respond differently than those around me when I am under pressure.  

 

This can all be summarized by verse that opens this section of doctrine which has been called the treatise of suffering[9] in 1 Peter: 

 

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. 1 Peter 2:12

 

 

If our conduct among people who don’t know the Lord is different than how the world responds, it provides us an opportunity to share about the atoning work of Christ in our life, that He suffered for us personally and we can do the same with His power working within us.  We become so much more Christ like if we endure suffering in order to bring people to meet Jesus.  

 

How do you feel when you have to suffer unjustly? Has this teaching changed your desire of how you may react in the future?  Let us turn to God’s word when life is unfair, and Christ to our example of how to respond[10]

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[1] 2 Cor 13:12

[2] 1 Peter 3:7

[3] Rom 8:22

[4] 2 Peter 3:9

[5] Rev 21:5

[6] 2 Cor 5:21

[7] Matt 5:28

[8] Matt 5:14

[9] Ryken, Leland, Literary Study Bible, 2007, Crossway Publishers 

[10] 1 Peter 4:1