In the last two blogs, we considered what Jesus’ best friend, the apostle Peter, had to say about suffering in his letter that we call 1 Peter. Unfortunately, we will all encounter some sort of suffering, and we all will experience death. Suffering, evil, and pain all make our understanding of God difficult. Why does God allow suffering? Although Peter, the one who was crucified upside down, doesn’t answer all of our questions, he does provide helpful insights:
IN SUFFERING, WE WITNESS FIRSTHAND THE PRESENCE OF GOD
In the book of Job, God doesn’t answer Job’s questions of “why” with a spoken answer. Instead, he responds with His very Presence. God “shows up” in the midst of suffering (Job 38-41). In the same way, Peter knows firsthand that it is God who suffers with us. For Peter, God is not aloof or distant. God is “with us” in all of our sufferings and suffers with us. Jesus, as God in the flesh, experienced suffering, and, in particular, he experienced unjust suffering. Peter says that Jesus was “rejected by men,” but he was chosen and precious in God’s sight (1 Peter 2:4). Jesus’ suffering was actually on our behalf, or as Peter says, it was “for us” (1 Peter 2:21), the “righteous for the unrighteous,” to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). Peter says that “Christ suffered in his body” (1 Peter 4:1), and Peter himself was a witness to the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 5:1). Peter is fond of Psalm 34, quoting directly from it that “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.” (1 Peter 3:12). Psalm 34:18 says that “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” This God can be close to us when we are broken-hearted because He knows exactly what we are going through.
SUFFERING CAN PROVIDE CLARITY AND REFINING
If you only had a few months to live, would you live differently? Suffering and death make us view life from a different perspective. Suffering also can have a way of “purifying” our character, making us more compassionate toward and patient with others. Suffering enables us to take a “long” view of life. Just like metal is refined in the fire, so this “veil of tears” can have a purifying effect on our souls. Peter tells the churches to whom he is writing that their unjust suffering has come “so that your faith, of greater worth than gold, which is perishable even though refined in the fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7). A refiner’s fire is scorching and dangerous and can destroy things put into it. But, as Tim Keller notes, “if used properly, it does not destroy. Things put into the furnace properly can be shaped, refined, purified, and even beautified. This is a remarkable view of suffering, that if faced and endured with faith, it can in the end make us better, stronger, and more filled with greatness and joy. Suffering, then, actually can use evil against itself.”[1]
IN OUR SUFFERING, WE CAN “PARTICIPATE” WITH JESUS’ SUFFERING
Peter urges us to “participate in the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 4:13) and to rejoice when we suffer because suffering allows us to suffer with Jesus. It is at such times that “the Spirit of glory and of God rests” on us (1 Peter 4:14). What does Peter mean by saying we should “participate” in the sufferings of Christ? To the churches who were first reading his letter, the suffering was a participation in Christ’s suffering because they were being persecuted for being Christians. They were actually suffering on account of Jesus and, in that sense, participated with Jesus in suffering. Although Christian persecution is prevalent throughout the world today, most of the unjust suffering we experience in Western culture is not persecution, but rather health problems, financial issues, or the loss of a loved one. But even that sort of unjust suffering can be viewed as a “participation in the sufferings of Christ” if we consider suffering as an opportunity for God to use us through our suffering. We can decide how we cope with suffering. We can complain about the unfairness of it and the pain involved, or we can turn it over to Jesus and see it as a means to “participate” with Jesus’ suffering. In other words, God can “redeem” all suffering and use it for good things, just like he did with Jesus’ suffering. If we view our suffering in this way, the very Spirit of Jesus can “make contact” with our spirits, and we can feel the presence of God and allow Him to provide meaning to our suffering. Martin Luther King, Jr. had these insightful thoughts about redeeming our suffering:
My personal trials have taught me the value of unmerited suffering. As my suffering mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation–either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I have lived the last few years with the conviction that unjust suffering is redemptive….There are those who will find the cross a stumbling block, others consider it foolishness, but I am more convinced than ever before that it is the power of God unto social and individual salvation.[2]
GOD HIMSELF IS OUR MODEL OF UNJUST SUFFERING
The classic example of one who suffered unjustly on behalf of others is Jesus. It was his suffering that made us realize that God is not aloof to our suffering—God took it upon himself to experience our pain. It was Jesus’ suffering that made us realize that God loves us so much he would go to the extreme measure of the cross to forgive us and woo us to him. It was Jesus’ suffering that made us realize there is no sin or action that we have committed that is beyond God’s ability to forgive. It was Jesus’ suffering that has “redeemed” the whole world, one individual at a time. God knew that our freedom to choose would bring with it pain and suffering. Yet, even before the creation of the world, God not only provided a way for our forgiveness in the cross but also decided to “take the lead” in suffering and serve as a model of how we should suffer (1 Peter 1:20). Peter says that “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footstep.” (1 Peter 2:21). What is the example he left? That he didn’t retaliate against unjust suffering; instead, he “entrusted” himself to his Father God. Like Jesus, we should commit ourselves to our “faithful” Creator and continue to do good (1 Peter 4:19). Jesus stands as the prime example of what God will do when someone entrusts himself into the care of God. God will “raise him up” and use his suffering to bring about blessings and good in other’s lives.
FINALLY, SUFFERING IS TEMPORARY
Please don’t misunderstand all this talk about “redemptive suffering.” There are great things that come out of our suffering if we turn it over to God. But unless there was a “faithful” Creator who will make things right in the end, all talk of suffering is pointless and morbid. But this is what makes Christianity and the message of Jesus utterly different from any other view of life or suffering. Our hope is based not only on the death of Jesus but also on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The term “resurrection” or “raised” is paramount in Peter’s thinking, appearing more than five times in 1 Peter. Even more than that, nine times Peter makes statements to the effect that Jesus’ glory or vindication will be “revealed” or that there will be a coming day when Jesus is revealed or “visits us,” when we will receive our final salvation. Peter wants us to know at the very beginning that our hope is a “living” one through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). It is in this hope that we greatly rejoice, though for “a little while” we may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials (1 Peter 1:3—6). Our suffering really is only “for a little while.” Peter reminds us that we are “strangers” here, temporary residents who will not be here forever (1 Peter 1:1, 17; 2:11).
You can read more of what Peter says about suffering and resurrection in my book From Fish to Glory: 1 Peter for Daily Living, available on Amazon and at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/from-fish-to-glory.
[1] Timothy Keller, Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering (New York: Dutton), 8.
[2] Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1963), 152-153.