The Choice to Suffer
“I thirst” is the shortest of the seven last words. In fact, it is only one word in Greek, the word διψω which is pronounced dip-sō.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” –John 19:28
See that Jesus is purposeful in his work. Jesus was fully in control and knew exactly what He was doing in the distress of the Cross. His purpose was to complete, to persevere to the very end, to finish the work that the Lord, His God and Father had given Him to do. It was a work that is found in the pages of Holy Scripture itself: the call to be the suffering servant.
One of the questions that arises in this is: why would anyone purpose to suffer distress? Indeed, the very idea sounds foreign to the ears of the people of our culture and day. We work so incredibly hard to avoid and minimize distress in our lives. Indeed, this has become an all-consuming dream of Americans. Pat Morley in his book The Man in the Mirror sums up that dream in what he describes as the “wrinkle free life.”
The “wrinkle-free life” is a dream of a life on earth where we minimize pain, we avoid suffering, we age without stress and we retire in comfort. Unfortunately, the more focused our culture has become on pursuing the self-serving wrinkle free life, the more surprised we are by the stress-filled lives we have created for ourselves. The Lord has a word to our cultural pursuit:
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” –Haggai 1:5-6
The more we pursue the “wrinkle-free life” the more it seems to elude us. Perhaps the goal is wrong. Indeed it is dead wrong. Paul writes of those who pursue the mindset of the world:
For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. –Phil. 3:10
Jesus calls us to pick up our cross and follow Him. That does not sound like the easy, stress free, pain-less path. On the contrary, the Lord is inviting us to join Him in “sharing in His sufferings.” (Phil. 3:10) Indeed, the followers of Christ must intentionally purpose to suffer and endure. This is a sinful and fallen world. In order to be on the side of righteousness and truth, grace and love, there will be opposition from evil forces and people. The world will marshal its force against us. If it persecuted Christ, it will persecute His followers.
One of the ways to steady ourselves for these unexpected moments of opposition and distress is to intentionally enter periods of distress as a way of steeling ourselves for the inevitable. The spiritual disciplines of self-denial have long been recognized by faithful Christians as useful for strengthening the character of the Cross in our hearts.
Examples of disciplines of self denial may be intentionally fasting from something that we enjoy, giving away money to the poor, keeping Sabbath worship, sacrificing our time in service to others or to the Church. Through actions of self-denial, the self-centered focus is brought into check. The fleshly nature is naturally lazy; it tries to avoid pain; it runs away from hard work.
The call of Christ encourages us to overcome the natural self-serving desires of the flesh. By engaging in the disciplines of self-denial in times of blessing and plenty, we are preparing our character for the necessary fortitude needed when the inevitable time of trial comes. Pastor John Piper called fasting, “The Hungry Handmaiden of Faith”. Fasting, almsgiving, service and other forms of self-sacrifice show us both our weakness in the flesh and give confidence of the character that God is working in us.
During this season of Lent, how are you engaging in the disciplines of self-denial? Where do you see God addressing the powerful forces of self-centeredness in your own life? In what ways have you been shaped by the world’s pursuit of the “wrinkle-free life?” In what ways is Christ shaping you into the character of the Cross?
The post The Choice to Suffer appeared first on St. Peter's Lake Mary.