Thoughts going in, Sunday May 15th

For it is a grace when someone, because he is mindful of God, bears up under the pain of undeserved punishment. 20 For what credit is there in bearing up under a beating you deserve for doing something wrong? But if you bear up under punishment, even though you have done what is right, God looks on it with favor. 21 Indeed, this is what you were called to; because the Messiah too suffered, on your behalf, leaving an example so that you should follow in his steps. 22 "He committed no sin, nor was any deceit found on his lips." 23 When he was insulted, he didn't retaliate with insults; when he suffered, he didn't threaten, but handed them over to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the stake, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness - by his wounds you were healed.25 For you used to be like sheep gone astray, but now you have turned to the Shepherd, who watches over you. (CJB)

Longtime followers of my 'thoughts' probably know that I typically use the TNIV translation. It is my translation of choice for being gender inclusive, and a good up to date 'thought-for-thought' rendering of the text. This week, however, I've found the somewhat obscure Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) to be of more interest. This is primarily because in looking at the Greek & some other translations this a.m, I saw something I've never seen before.The wording of v 19 uses the word "chari"....a word that almost everywhere else in the bible is translated as "grace," yet most English translations prefer not to do so here in this passage. They usually translate it as "a credit" or something like that. Well, the CJB....I think.....gives us a really neat nuanced understanding of this passage by letting 'chari' be 'grace.' And so regardless of the question of whether or not Peter is using chari in exactly the same way Paul did (which has a lot to do with why the other translations don't use that term)......it seems some what 'broadening' to our topic to read this verse this way.

This is a fascinating little passage.
The gist seems to be that ..... in the eyes of God, the suffering--even/especially unjust suffering--that his servants go through is not empty or pointless. That in itself is HUGE. How many times have we thought....."if this only just MEANT something, .....if this had SOME redeeming quality.......if this was ACCOMPLISHING something..... then it wouldn't be so bad."
Well, Peter says.....GOOD NEWS.....your unjust suffering DOES mean something; it DOES have some redeeming quality....it IS accomplishing something---- it is a grace in the eyes of God.
Why?
Cuz we're so good & righteous & holy?

Of course not.
But rather because our suffering is an 'example' of THE SUFFERING of the Messiah. Ours is reflective of his.....and his MEANT EVERYTHING. His was REDEMPTIVE.

At this point, most exegetes, I think, stop.....and consider the interpretive task to be complete. Christ's suffering is redemptive & exemplary; Our suffering reflects his (btw, ONLY if we bear up under it as he did). End of story. Our suffering is like a visual aid that points others to consider the ultimate Suffering One. Or, you might say.....our suffering is merely *symbolic......devoid of substantial meaning in & of itself, but pointing to the real thing in Christ.....sorta like the bread & wine of Holy Communion point to the real body & blood of the Savior.
OH WAIT!!!!
Don't we have some kind of theological understanding that symbols USED BY GOD to point to ultimate reality **participate in that reality themselves???

In that sense, the Christian who bears his/her suffering AS CHRIST did ....MUST be not only involved in following Christ's example, but also in some *real sense participating in Christ's redemptive act for the world. (a) Suffering *like Christ makes them more *like Christ to those they come into contact with. In this sense, the actual event of the suffering need not be publicly visible at the time it happens in order to have this effect. (b) but certainly the public display of Christ-like bearing up under suffering is another way the Christian's actions are redemptive. When the Roman soldier saw Christ's act of suffering, IT ALONE was enough to cause him to exclaim: "Surely this man was the son of God (Mt 27:54)." In the life of the Christian, hence, we may assume that Christ-like bearing up under suffering causes others (whether we see it or not) to exclaim: "Surely, this person.....is a child of God....surely, they have been given a grace to endure....that I do not have; surely, they have a Savior I need."

Of course the text a traditional Good Shepherd Sunday text, as the last verse of the passage brings out.
Yet, I think we need to remember not to bracket off that last verse. It's not that Peter had been going on & on about suffering & then threw some Good Shepherd material in at the end. Indeed, he's already told us about the fact that Our Shepherd is a suffering shepherd. Ergo, to paraphrase Henri Nouwen, ......we wounded sheep follow a wounded Shepherd. But this isn't a bad thing. WE HAVE A SHEPHERD. Wounded/suffering tho we all may be, he is leading us to the green pastures where woundedness & suffering will be no more. That we suffer now, a little, for a little while, can be endured because (a) Christ our Shepherd endured it & he empowers us and (b) because it draws others into the flock. As sheep of the Good Shepherd, may we learn from him that giving up something of ourselves in this manner.....FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS......is a very GOOD THING. It is a grace.


Cheers,

TM