1 Peter 2:21 – 25 “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps:
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.” For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Compare: Suffering (Isaiah 53:1-8)
How many of you like to suffer? Raise your hands high, now! Hmmmm, not seeing many hands out there, am I? Let’s face it! Nobody really wants to suffer; in fact, most of us do everything we can to avoid suffering. And it probably wasn’t much different in Peter’s day. So what is Peter getting at?
One of my favorite Christian comedians was the late Barbara Johnson. One of Barbara’s early books was entitled “Pain is Inevitable But Suffering is Optional, so Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy!” Actually, that was not Barbara’s first book. Barbara’s first book was entitled “Where Does a Mother Go to Resign?” In the middle 1960’s, the Johnson family was living in suburban California and doing very well; in fact, they actually received an award as an outstanding family. Then several catastrophes overtook them at once. Barbara’s husband Bill, an engineer, suffered a terrible brain injury in an auto accident. Then not long after that, one of their sons was killed in Viet Nam. With Bill out of commission, Barbara had to go identify her son’s body after it had been soaking in a Vietnamese swamp for days before it was sent to the United States. Shortly after that, Bill began to spontaneously recover, but then their second son was killed in a tragic car accident. (Barbara had to return to the same funeral home to identify that son’s body as well!)
By 1976, things appeared to be going well for the Johnsons…until they learned that their brilliant son who had just graduated from a Christian college was gay and was already pursuing a gay lifestyle. The shockof this discovery nearly tore the Johnson family apart for awhile, but they learned to cope and to continue to reach out in love. (Eventually they were reconciled with their son.) It was at that point that Barbara wrote “Where Does a Mother Go to Resign?”
As a result of all these experiences, the Johnsons founded a ministery they called “Spatula Ministries.” The Johnsons felt that families suffering any kind of trauma might need a spatula to scrape them up or to scrape them off the ceiling! At the same time, Barbara found herself in demand as a Christian speaker who could find joy and humor in all kinds of problems and who could help others to do so as well. Ultimately, both Bill and Barbara succumbed to cancer of different types, but before they died, they had given hope and help to millions around the world. (Barbara battled cancer for 6 years, continuing her public speaking and encouragement all that time.)
No matter how much we suffer in this world, we can never suffer as much as Jesus has already suffered for us! Most of us suffer justly – we deserve what we get. But Jesus took the sins of the whole world upon himself and suffered the most shameful death possible, death on a cross. Even before that, Jesus allowed himself to be mocked and scorned and beaten, even though he could have stood up and called out all of those who were abusing him. No, we cannot suffer as much as Jesus has suffered for us.
Barbara was correct; all of us will endure pain, but we can look to Jesus, who has left us an example. Jesus ultimately triumphed over death and the grave. If we will truly follow Jesus, we will have joy even in the midst of our suffering.
What trials are you enduring today? Whatever your problems, Jesus already knows about them and can give you joy even in the midst of them. When we “die to sin and live to righteousness,” we exchange lives of sorrow for lives of hope.
PRAYER: Father God, we don’t want to suffer! We don’t even like the idea of suffering! But we also want to follow you. Help us to bear whatever suffering comes our way, knowing that you can give us joy in the midst of that suffering. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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