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| Honor without Suffering |
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We are all the same. We want the health and wealth and glory and honor of God's kingdom now as well as forever, but we don't want the suffering. Isn't it interesting that in Matthew 20:20-22 the mother of James and John seemed to have completely ignored Jesus prophecies of his suffering in order to ask him if her sons could have positions of honor when he came into his kingdom. I think that we are the same. We focus on the comforts, the blessings, the good stuff and not the suffering.
One time I asked my father-in-law if he was ready to enjoy life now that all the struggling to raise a family was over. He implied that I was naive if I believed that all of life's struggles are over once the nest is empty. Eventually, we all become orphans as our parents die one by one, and then we must pass through the time of one or other spouse dying before the other. Life has its blessings, but there are also struggles for our entire lives even for the most blessed of us.
What was Jesus' answer to James' and John's mother's question? He replied, "...You [plural] do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?..." (Matthew 20:22 NASB) After the two brothers said yes, Jesus then went on to confirm that they would indeed drink the same cup. Next time I drink the cup of wine at communion, I want to ask myself if I too am able to drink of the same cup of suffering that Jesus did. I hope that we are not among those naive Christians who believe there is no suffering for the righteous?
Only in eternity is there honor without suffering. |
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| To add a comment to "Honor without Suffering" |
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| October 22, 2008 |
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| Thanks for sharing this, it's so true we don't like to suffer, for some reason we think it's o.k. that Christ suffered but when we do we kick and scream this isn't fair! |
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| October 22, 2008 |
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| If Jesus was made perfect through sufferings what makes us think we would be any different. I may not like it, but truth be told the "fellowship of His sufferings is the greatest place to be." |
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| October 23, 2008 |
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| I must respectfully disagree with the notion that Jesus was made perfect through suffering. He was perfect since the moment of conception or before if you believe He Was before coming to us via Maria. A precondition (LOL) of His birth was that Maria had to be virgin so He would not be tainted with the "original sin". So to claim that we could achieve the same status of perfection through suffering is naive. That we need to be strong through life's ordeals and learn to deal with our struggles and sufferings while staying the course is true, but to say we need to suffer for the sake of suffering and at the same level or more than Jesus seems to be self inducted pain. As far as I know Jesus was not into self inflicting pain, He actually would have prefer to no drink of that cup had not been for it was God's will and He will do as His Father wanted to save us. (OK, got my shield, ready to receive the rocks, LOL.) |
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| October 23, 2008 |
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| 1. I didn't say that at all in the blog. 2. The Bible does say that in Hebrews 2:10. 3. I will not disagree with the Bible. 4. The word "perfect" in Hebrews 2:10 does not mean "faultless" as we think in modern English, rather it means "complete," so I really don't think there is a point of disagreement here, just semantics, because we all agree that Jesus was and is God, and therefore perfect in the sense of faultless. 5. Therefore, no rocks will be thrown. 6. The Word Biblical Commentary suggests that to the Hellenistic ear, this would have been in the context of popular culture, the legend of Hercules becoming a champion or savior. Jesus as the true Savior achieved this "perfection" by suffering. 7. Regarding the the use of the word perfect in Hebrews 2:10, it is interesting to note how the word was used in history. For example: "In ceremonial texts of the Pentateuch the verb is used to signify the act of consecrating a priest to his office (Exod 29:9, 29, 33, 35; Lev 4:5; 8:33; 16:32; 21:10; Num 3:3)...The emphasis falls on the notion that he was fully equipped for his office." (Lane, W. L. (2002). Vol. 47A: Word Biblical Commentary : Hebrews 1-8. Word Biblical Commentary (57). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.) |
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| October 23, 2008 |
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| Thanks for the explanation Grant. BTW, I do not agree that Jesus is God. But since we are to believe that Christianity only has ONE god then of course Jesus and God are one. I have no problem in believing in Jesus as a separate entity, nor do I have a problem calling Him a god. Actually the concept of a divine family appeals to me more than of a single divinity and for that reason I wonder about the divine wife and mother. (OK, now am getting the full armor out, LOL). Nonetheless, since I am trained in believing THE ONE (not that one, HA HA), I will not engage in further deposition and will retrieve to the safety of the Trinity concept. |
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| October 23, 2008 |
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| You don't believe that Jesus is God? Wow! Perhaps you should buy a good theology book and stop listening to the cults. You don't want discussion. I respect that. So, I challenge you to examine the issue of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) in some good theology books. Maybe I will blog that topic sometime. |
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| October 23, 2008 |
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| I listen to no cult Grant. I do have theology books. I like and appreciate a good discussion any time, but I pick my battles. What I meant by not engaging in further discussion was to not get into a senseless back and forth. However, I would listen to you and those like you who would engage in a respectful discussion on this or other topics. |
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| October 23, 2008 |
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| I'll take this to a separate blog. |
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| July 10, 2009 |
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