Suffering for love

Today's readings: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15



In this week’s lectionary reading from Romans, Paul reminds us that through Jesus (that is, through his life, death, and resurrection) we have peace with God -- not just feelings of wellbeing between us, but we are actually in good standing with the Creator. We have great hope in the present and for our future because of this. But in the same breath Paul also talks “glorying in our sufferings”, as if suffering is a good thing. In some respects it is, because suffering, if we remain faithful to our Lord in it, creates in us perseverance, and then character, and then hope. Suffering can make us better people.

Suffering of one kind or another is pretty much a guarantee for followers of Jesus, whether it’s insults, rejection, or death. Why? In John 13, Jesus tells his disciples that they must love each other as he loved them, because by this the world will know that they are Jesus’ disciples. In theory, loving each other should sit very well with the way our world thinks. But Jesus says later in that same section of teaching that the world will hate and persecute his followers.

Why might this be? How can the world hate people who truly love? Maybe it’s because the world does not really understand love. It might think it does, but love that is not selfless and sacrificial is not really love.

So we will be tested. Will we persevere in love through suffering and persecution? If we do, we will become more like Jesus.

This week's readings: 1 Kings 18:20-43; Psalm 96; Galatians 1:1-12; Luke 7:1-10