Suffering Produces Sympathy

04.21.19

The greatest honor in this life is not receiving the benefits of the cross, but rather entering into a place where you become one who tenderly shares in the sufferings of Christ. Many join the kingdom to receive the gifts that come with salvation, but few are willing to intimately encounter Jesus in a way that is more about what’s on His heart, than what they can get from Him. Of course, we should want the fullness of what He paid for, but more than that, we should want to know what consumes His thoughts. In fact, it is a paradox of sorts, because the greatest way to encounter his blessings, is to focus your attention on becoming a blessing to Him. Matthew 6:33 (TPT) puts it this way, “So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from him. Then all these less important things will be given to you abundantly."

It’s time for the church to start asking the Lord, “what brings you suffering and grief?” I’d venture to say that truly knowing a person has just as much to do with understanding their dislikes as it does understanding their likes! We should yearn to know it all, even if it makes us uncomfortable. He is worth the discomfort. There’s nothing that bonds two people like sympathizing over similar hurts. There’s this odd comfort that comes from talking to someone who understands your pain when you’re in the midst of trials. We should yearn to be those who do this for Jesus.

On Easter Sunday, our church put on a play about the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Christ. I’ve seen plays like this before, I’ve watched the Passion of the Christ and read the Biblical accounts many times, but this time, a different part of the story wrecked me. A part of the story that I’ve seemingly overlooked as insignificant. After Jesus had been beaten, they made Him carry His cross to Golgotha. A man named Simon was forced to help Jesus carry the cross part of the way, because His pain had become so intense. As I watched the actors reenact this portion of the story, I had an open vision of myself as Simon. At first I didn’t want anything to do with carrying the cross. I felt bad about what He was going through, but not enough to do something about it. The guards forced me to do it, and as I did, I looked into the eyes of Jesus and began to feel His pain in such a way that motivated me to do whatever it would take to lessen His suffering. I had a change of heart in that moment of sympathy. Sharing in His suffering gave me the determination to act!

Luke 14:27 (TPT) says, “And anyone who comes to me must be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple.” I want to be like Simon, who entered into the sufferings of Christ and carried the burden of His cross, to bring Him relief, even if just for a moment (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). I may never be able to fully understand the weight of everything He carried, but if I can just get a small glimpse, it will be worth it to love Him more deeply. I want to bring comfort in His sufferings and add joy to His victories! So many want to celebrate the victories of the kingdom, but it was the suffering that brought us the victory. The most triumphant moments in life come from conquering the greatest battles. If we are not willing to participate in His sorrow, we will never fully receive the joy of what He has overcome.

“And I continually long to know the wonders of Jesus more fully and to experience the overflowing power of his resurrection working in me. I will be one with Him in his sufferings and I will be one with Him in His death. Only then will I be able to experience complete oneness with Him in His resurrection from the realm of death. I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfill and wants me to discover. I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory-prize through the anointing of Jesus. So let all who are fully mature have this same passion, and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires, God will reveal it to them.” Philippians 3:10-15 (TPT)

Romans 8:17-18 (TPT) says, “And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all His treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that He is and all that He has. We will experience being co-glorified with Him provided that we accept His sufferings as our own. I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us.” The word for sufferings in the Greek is “sympaschō” which means to suffer or feel pain together or to suffer evils (trials, persecutions) in like manner with another.” This is the word we derive “sympathy” from in English. Sympathy is “an affinity, association, or relationship between persons or things wherein whatever affects one similarly affects the other” and “An inclination to think or feel alike, in emotional or intellectual accord (Merria—Webster Dictionary).” If we want to think and feel as Christ does, and if we want to be united with Him, we must sympathize even with the disappointments and hurts He feels.

He saved us from suffering the fate we deserve that we might know Him deeply enough to suffer the things that cause Him sorrow. When you understand the pain and agony associated with the loss of one of His children, you’ll be empowered to reach out to those who are nearing that place of being lost forever. As we gain experiential knowledge of hating what God hates, our fear of God will overpower our fear of man. Proverbs 8:13 (NKJV) says, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverse mouth I hate.” You will know you have stepped into truly fearing the Lord when you come to a place in your walk with the Him where you are grieved constantly by things that grieve the Holy Spirit.

Part of the reason we lose our joy and peace so fast in life is an inability to discern what Jesus experiences as joy, and what He experiences as true sorrow. You may consider it suffering to wash the dishes or clean the house with no help from your spouse or roommate, but Jesus considers it a joy to serve and love His family and friends. You may consider it suffering to work for a rude or demanding boss, but Jesus considers it a joy for you to have an opportunity to present yourself an example of the loving kindness of God to him or her. You may consider it suffering to deal with the inconvenience of a car breaking down, or catching the flu, but Jesus considers it a joy to have an opportunity to work a miracle in your life That will glorify God to all who know you. Many of the thing we consider suffering and compare to what Jesus endured on the cross are completely trivial in the grand scheme of eternity.

I do not believe that the Lord delights even in our trivial sufferings (regardless how small or big), but I do believe that He sees it with an entirely different perspective. This is why Paul was able to say, “....Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!” Romans 5:3b- 5 (TPT) Jesus came to deal with the one matter that caused Him true grief— humankind being separated from God for eternity. Anything that contributes to this one issue, becomes something that causes Him grief. And everything else? He considers it a joy to use it to transform us so that we can grow in intimate knowledge of Him.

“We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! So consider carefully how Jesus faced such intense opposition from sinners who opposed their own souls, so that you won’t become worn down and cave in under life’s pressures.” Hebrews 12:2-3 (TPT)

Jesus suffers when the pain and agony of the cross and the victory of His resurrection are not received by those He so dearly loves. We void the price He paid every time we choose not to cash in on forgiveness and grace. We take His sacrifice for granted every time we knowingly choose sin over loving Him through our obedience, and every time we ignore an opportunity to bring others to the knowledge of this gift He gave for them. Anything done out of selfishness and pride is the very antithesis of His perfect selflessness. Therefore, entering into His suffering simply looks like being moved by compassion to see those that He loves walking in relationship with Him.

“Beloved friends, if life gets extremely difficult, with many tests, don’t be bewildered as though something strange were overwhelming you. Instead, continue to rejoice, for you, in a measure, have shared in the sufferings of the Anointed One so that you can share in the revelation of His glory and celebrate with even greater gladness! If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are greatly blessed, because the Spirit of glory and power, who is the Spirit of God, rests upon you. Let none of you merit suffering as a murderer, or thief, or criminal, or as one who meddles in the affairs of others. If you suffer for being a Christian, don’t consider it a disgrace but a privilege. Glorify God because you carry the Anointed One’s name.” 1 Peter 4:12-16 (TPT)