Joyful Ruins

Matthew 16:21-27 Jesus Predicts His Death

How do you respond to suffering?

I know how I do, and it is very similar to Peter in this passage.

Peter responded to Jesus sharing that He “would suffer many things” and “be killed”, with “Never Lord! This shall never happen to you!” I pretty much say the same thing when suffering comes my way.

I do not know about you, but I’d like to hope for and believe suffering will never happen to me or those I love. When suffering inevitably comes, I fight it. When it comes, I imagine it is my enemy and it is not a normal part of life.

However, Jesus sees life and suffering very differently from us. In fact, He sees Peter’s response as sinful. He sees the denial of suffering as Satan’s voice.

Why is that?

Well, in this case specifically, the suffering and killing of Jesus was for God’s glory and the salvation of all mankind. The suffering was God’s purpose… more than that, it was His masterpiece.

Jesus goes on to explain to the disciples and us how God sees our life, that suffering is an intricate, beautiful, necessary aspect of being active in God’s kingdom. To follow Him means “denying ourselves”, “taking up our cross”, “losing our life”, and “losing the world”.

I definitely identify with Simon more than Jesus most of the time. My response to pain, loss, trials, is often to want the easiest and quickest way out. I imagine God has it wrong. He must have messed things up somewhere and just needs to correct it. But, that is not the voice of God. That is the voice of Satan.

God’s kingdom does not only include suffering, it is built on it and requires it. This is not to say that God wishes us to be miserable or that every Christian must suffer deeply, but that God’s kingdom glory is more greatly revealed in suffering than at any other time. Through death, comes resurrection. That is the story of our suffering. That is the upside down kingdom we are part of. Let us learn to understand and receive it as Jesus did.