Suffering:

Shut Up, and Take the Pain!

by Dale M. Sides

In a recent movie, a very vivid scene depicted an aspect of suffering the Bible clearly teaches. The scene involves troops of American and Vietnamese soldiers silently stalking each other at night in a jungle during the war in Vietnam. Suddenly gunfire broke out, filling the night sky with blazing tracers and earth-shaking explosions. When the firing stopped, a large number of dead bodies lay all around on the cold damp ground, and one single, wounded soldier. More because of his fear than his pain, the wounded soldier began screaming, piercing the night with shrieking blasts of terror and fright. All the other so1diers stood frozen in terror because of his screaming and the horror surrounding them.

The master sergeant, realizing that fear was spreading through the rank of soldiers, took control of the situation. He slapped his hand over the wounded man’s mouth, leaned over him and quietly, but very authoritatively, said to him, "Shut up, and take the pain!"

This is what Jesus did when he suffered-he neither reviled, nor opened his mouth, but courageously faced death, pain and suffering. He shut up and took the pain.

Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 1 Peter 2:22-23

Unfortunately, the subject of suffering gets little attention in most churches and Sunday schools. There fore Christians are sparse in their understanding about this vital subject. They are rarely taught about righteous suffering and likewise have very little instruction on how to respond when suffering comes upon them,

The Bible is very clear on this subject and hopefully this expose on suffering will help to provide some much-needed insight. The two points we want to cover are:

1. Righteous people do suffer; and

2. When suffering does come upon us, we are being tested (and we are not supposed to complain).

Righteous People Do Suffer

The subject of suffering is often excused away by a false doctrine that infers only unrighteous people suffer, because of sin. A couple of verses of scripture will quickly dispel this common misunderstanding. First of all, Jesus suffered and He certainly was not unrighteous.

God perfected Jesus through suffering and likewise does the same thing for all His children.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor; that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:9-10

This shows that not only does God allow us to go through suffering, but that He is in fact some- times the actual Initiator behind the scenes. Examples of God proving His people through suffering are abundant throughout the scriptures. He proved Job's faithfulness and patience through suffering and testing; Abraham through testing him with Isaac's life; Joseph by suffering in prison (Psalms 105:19); and Moses and the children of Israel by suffering for forty years before entering the Promised Land.

This is not to say that every time suffering comes, it is from God. There are obviously persecution and sufferings that comes from the devil and his cohorts. Christians clearly suffer and it is not because they have sinned.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.  2 Timothy 3:12

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter: 1 Peter 4: 16

In addition to these verses, other truths show the merit of suffering and that it is a righteous thing that everyone experiences.

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, Philippians 3:10

Furthermore, one of the most compelling reasons for enduring suffering patiently is because it proves us worthy to enter into the Millennial Kingdom with Jesus Christ upon this earth.

and if children, then heirs -heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified togethe1:   Romans 8: 17

strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. "  Acts 14:22

If we suffer; we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:  2 Timothy 2: 12, KJV

We have determined that suffering happens to righteous people, and that it is a trial or qualification to prove us worthy to reign with the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth during His 1,000 year reign. Now we will see how we are to respond to suffering.

Shut Up, and Take the Pain

Although these words may seem gruff and insensitive, the Word of God exhorts us to endure hardness as good soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3). None of us likes to suffer and Jesus even told us to pray to the Father to lead us not into temptation (Matthew 6:13). Actually, Jesus Himself besought God three times to let the cup of suffering pass from him. Likewise, the Apostle Paul also asked the Lord to remove his "thorn in the flesh."

There is, however, a godly understanding behind suffering, but even with this perspective, none of us welcomes suffering. Suffering requires us to put the flesh in subjection to the spirit.

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin," 1 Peter 4: 1

Realizing that our flesh is under the curse of corruption and will only be delivered from the bondage at the resurrection, we do travail and groan in pain, waiting for the redemption of our bodies. Even if we are in prime health and age at this present time, each and every one of us must accept that eventually we will suffer in the flesh. How we handle this, and also how we maintain our flesh throughout life, is a major aspect of how we prove ourselves worthy to rejgn with Jesus in His millennia! kingdom on the earth.

The verses in 1 Peter 2:1-21 provide keen biblical insight into the Lord Jesus Christ and how to graciously handle suffering. This tells us that even if we suffer wrongfully, and we patiently endure it, this is graciously acceptable to God. The next verse, although quoted to underwrite most every aspect of the Lord's life, is directly specific to the example He left us in how to handle suffering .

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 1 Peter 2:21

The example He left for us is to patiently endure the pain. The Lord did not hang on the cross and whine and complain about suffering wrongfully. He only spoke seven times and those utterances were either for the benefit of others or to fulfill scripture. He had control of the hole beneath his nose. He committed Himself to God's righteous judgment and died with respect and humble obedience.

Bluntly stated, God does not like whining and complaining. Complaining is announcing to the world that from your perspective, God is not adequately taking care of you. 1 Corinthians 10:10 tells us that murmuring and complaining caused the children of Israel to die in the wilderness at the hand of the destroyer. Then verse 11 tells us that all of these things happened to them as examples for us. It is very apparent that God does not approve of complaining.

God's plan of salvation includes not only the spirit and soul of mankind, but the body and flesh as well-but it is in His timing and not within the jurisdiction of mankind. Our bodies are saved in hope (Romans 8:23-25), and part of that test is how we handle suffering-to prove whether we are worthy of the kingdom of our Lord on the earth. Isn't a thousand years with Jesus in all His glory worth enduring whatever suffering this life may hold?

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18

So, in conclusion, it is true that no one likes suffering. Likewise, and just as accurately, no one that has ever lived has escaped it. Suffering is an integral part of the Christian life. If you are not in it now-just wait, you will be. When it comes, or if it is on you now, it is a test. Remember the example of Jesus Christ:

For even hereunto were ye called. because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: I Peter 2:21

Endure hardness as a good soldier. Shut up, and take the pain!

©2000 Liberating Ministries for Christ International, Inc.