Articles
Woe is Me
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I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. (Col. 1:24)
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The torture and crucifixion of Jesus serves as the hinge upon which all of human history pivots. Martyrs are honored for their sacrifice, but this is a sacrifice like none other: a perfect man offering up himself to purchase our eternal salvation. His death is the magnet that has attracted millions to His cause.
Yet in this passage, Paul says that Jesus' suffering on the cross was not enough. As terrible as they were, the afflictions of Christ are "lacking," and Paul saw his own afflictions as the "filling up" of this deficiency. He was completing, as it were, the work that Jesus began on the cross.
Paul cannot be arguing that the death of Jesus was inadequate for its purpose. Only a few verses earlier, he described the blood of Christ as sufficient to "reconcile all things" to God (v. 19-20). So what does he mean by describing the sufferings of Christ as "lacking"?
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was adequate for God's purpose, but His enemies, including Satan, were not done with their work. That's why they continued to hound, harass, persecute, and kill His followers. Suffering is the common lot of disciples of Christ; it comes with the package, and we must learn to accept it as a natural extension of our connection with Him. It is our fate to know "the fellowship of His sufferings," as well as of His resurrection (Phil. 3:10).
This union with the experience of Jesus should influence how we respond to the adversities of life. When we respond with a bitter "woe is me" attitude toward our misfortunes, we display how little we understand about the mission of Christ. His was a life of privation and hardship; are we better than Him? How can we claim to admire His example of self-denial, yet demand only the best for ourselves?
When life treats us harshly, we need to see the larger picture of what is happening. Just as our Master suffered, it's now our turn to suffer. Like Him, we must learn to accept our destiny with optimism, and "commit ourselves to Him who judges righteously" (1 Pet. 2:23). Someday God will make it all right . . . but not yet.
It is up to us now to fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ. Let's stop whining, and get on with the mission.
--David
