… and a witness of Christ’s sufferings …
Summary: When Peter says that he is a ”witness of Christ’s sufferings” he invites us to not only examine Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, but the way that Jesus lived his life and what he endured while here on earth.
What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “Christ’s sufferings?” Quick now, what comes to mind?
Are you thinking of the cross?
If so, that is the first thing that comes to my mind, too. Yet that wasn’t the only indignity that Jesus suffered. As Isaiah foretold about Jesus:
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
(Isaiah 53: 3)
Luke tells the story of Jesus returning to Nazareth, the town where he grew up. At first, people seem impressed. Luke says, “all spoke well of him.” Then Jesus gives them a dose of reality, and within minutes the crowd is ready to kill him. In fact, they do try to kill him by throwing him off a cliff. (Luke 4: 14-30)
Later Jesus is asked to dine with a Pharisee named Simon. But Simon makes it clear that he does not hold a high opinion of Jesus. Simon ignores the common courtesies he would extend to anyone else he respected.
Mark tells us about a time when Jesus’ own family came to take him away for his own good. They were so distressed about Jesus’ behavior they said, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3: 20-21) His own family thought he was nuts!
Being snubbed by the Pharisees, threatened by his hometown neighbors, and called crazy by his own family is one kind of suffering. It is the emotional rejection that we care about most. It is the people we look up to whose rejection cuts the deepest. Yet, there was more. He also suffered physically.
Physical suffering was not new to Jesus. Peter may not have witnessed this personally, but he knew about it. After Jesus was baptized, he was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. There he fasted forty days and forty nights and the Bible says, “he was hungry.” In my book that is code for “he suffered.”
Mark shares a story that intrigues me. Jesus and his disciples are walking through a grainfield. The disciples pick heads of raw grain to eat. Do you know how hungry you have to be to eat raw grain? (Mark 2: 23-28) Jesus must have been a hard man to keep up with.
The kinds of suffering Jesus endured on earth are endless. Emotionally and physically he was attacked, insulted, and deprived. He had his faithful disciples, but even they seemed to question their leader at times.
When Peter says he witnessed Christ’s sufferings, I am sure that the Big One he is thinking about is the cross. Yet Jesus, the man, never got a break. His life was not easy, his work was hard. His only goal was to please his Father. (John 8:29)
As we meditate on our suffering in this life, I think it makes sense to join with Peter for a minute and witness Christ’s sufferings. If we do that, perhaps we will find a new perspective on our own.
Application: Keep in mind that Jesus suffered every day like you and I, only more so.
Food for Thought: How does knowing that Jesus suffered all throughout his life help you with your suffering?
This is one of the truths I love most about our Savior. Since He suffered, He personally understands what we are going through when we suffer. He can comfort us and grieve with us. He can walk with us through the pain.
He grieved with Martha and Mary at the death of Lazarus and evening cried with them (John 11: 35) . He is there to comfort Us as well. Hebrews 4: 14 – 16; 2 Corinthians 1: 3 – 7.
Thank you, Rich.
Well said! There are so many examples of his suffering, but grieving with Mary and Martha is one of the big ones. I’m glad you mentioned that.
How does knowing that Jesus suffered all throughout his life help you with your suffering?
I believe every believer has/will suffer to some degree during their life as they live for the Kingdom of God rather than the illusion of this world.
What I will never forget is the freedom from sin and the ETERNAL LIFE I had been given when I accepted Jesus. I was different, excited, optimistic, and at peace with God. My family disowned me, I separated myself from all worldly companionship and lived for my God as I studied and applied His word to my life. I was quite content to live the rest of my life working, studying and attending church. All was good.
Eventually it was obviously time for me to begin telling others about Jesus and I was used to lead a number of men to the Lord. This is what the suffering began, and it became stronger and stronger as I grew in the Lord and He continued using me to lead people to Him. This is when I began to think more of how Christ had suffered for me.
1.) Jesus lived a totally sinless life and I had lived a totally sinful life.
2.) Jesus allowed and endured suffering at the hands of those He loved and had created, while I suffered by the acts of acquaintances.
3.) Jesus suffered physically, emotionally, while people just took my things and called me names.
4.) Jesus suffered far more than I can imagine for His enemy, and I am being asked to suffer for a friend, my God.
5.) Jesus suffered the maximum our enemy could throw at Him, while God has protected me by limiting the degree of my suffering to what I can endure.
6.) Christ suffered in obedience to God, received eternal life as the first of many. I know I am one of those many.
The Holy Spirit has always gotten me back on my feet and back onto the path of working for the Lord, who has given me new sight and discernment. Christ is more than an example, He is my strength everyday. I seek to walk in Him, share with Him and listen as He directs me. I know I am on temporary assignment, serving our creator God who is Sovereign. I listen to men, but turn them off when I should, and give God authority in my life, what others of this world think of me just does not matter anymore.
Ron,
I really appreciate you sharing your personal testimony. I am always encouraged and always gain insight from your words.