The Lord was pleased to crush Him in infirmity.
Why did it please God for His beloved Son to suffer? Does it please Him to crush us as well?
Why Suffering?
Suffering is a great mystery for all of humanity. And the seasoned Christian will often notice that his own journey seems fraught with more challenges and heartaches than that of his nonchalant, unbelieving neighbour or friend. The battle rages strong against believers in Christ.
Sadly, personal suffering has caused many Christians to lose faith in a just, merciful, and loving God. If God exists, they reason, He is either unjust and unloving – letting the innocent suffer and the wicked prosper – or impotent, unable to stop wicked men from oppressing and tormenting the righteous.
Jesus Suffered for Us
In today’s Gospel, Jesus, the Suffering Servant, reveals to James and John the secrets of the Heavenly Kingdom and outlines important spiritual truths relating to the role of all believers.
Greatness in Jesus’ Kingdom and in the afterlife, comes from servanthood, even slavery, rather than through dominance and power.
Jesus is always in total submission to His father’s will in assigning both trials and Kingdom positions of honor, power, and glory. Jesus predicts His own future suffering and that of his Apostles James and John, the “Sons of Thunder” (perhaps so named because of their audacious demands). Jesus expects His disciples to “take up their cross and follow Him.” He knows the time is soon coming when these ambitious brothers will also have to bear unimaginably great suffering for His sake, but His grace will be sufficient for them.
Jesus – Our Older Brother and Model
The words of the acclamation hold the key to Jesus’ two-fold purpose on Earth: “The Son of Man came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Likewise for the believer, servanthood and suffering in the Christian life serve both to sanctify the believer and to win the salvation of many. However, our suffering need never be without freely available heavenly consolation and grace.
Thus, the story of the Christian church is one of suffering as the source of salvific grace to the body of believers. Jesus, the new Adam, and our older brother, “gives his life as an offering for sin.” Since Jesus was similarly tested in every way, yet without sin,” we can “confidently approach the throne of grace… for timely help” during times of temptation, trial and suffering. In every century since, we have had martyrs and saints who have ‘held fast their confession because they put their trust in Jesus, the High Priest.’
Today’s scriptures, and many others (Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:17, 1 Peter 4:13, Colossians 1:24) offer much consolation to the suffering saints in the church. May we find hope and strength in knowing that the God who sees all, will one day wipe every tear from our eyes. (Rev 21:4).
[Readings: Is 53:10-11; Heb 4:14-16; Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45]
