“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24).
One is immediately struck with the thought, "What could be possibly be lacking in the afflictions and anguish that Christ bore on the cross?" As a person, he was mocked and humiliated and held in contempt to a degree that would destroy all self-esteem in most. As a man, he was literally beaten to death with vicious cutting scourges that likely bared the bones of his back. Then, he was nailed to the cross where he must scrape that abraded back up the rough wood, pushing on the spike through his feet, in order to relieve the strain on his lungs and gasp life-giving breaths. When the agony in his feet became too great, he would scrape painfully back down to hang on the spikes in his wrists—over and over and over...
As the Son of God, Holy, Blameless, he felt the crushing weight of all the horrifying filth of sin as he was “made to be sin on our behalf” (2Cor 5:21). A gang-raped virgin was never so defiled as he was by our sins. Having been in fellowship with the Father from eternity before time was, he was ripped from the presence of the Father by MY sins, by YOUR sins and screamed out, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34).
What could Paul possibly be referring to that was lacking in such suffering? We are the answer, in that he rejoiced in his sufferings for the Colossians’ sake. Jesus was not in the world suffering that they might have the gospel. Paul was doing that in Christ’s stead. This was as God intended, that we may have the privilege of sharing in Christ’s sufferings.
So, this meal, this bread and juice, are not merely a memorial to his sufferings so long ago, they also are a commitment to fill on our part, that which is lacking in Jesus’ sufferings.
It should be obvious that this suffering does not refer to cancers, blindness, disasters, as these also happen to the wicked and are not “for his body’s sake.” What are we committing to suffer when we take this bread and drink this cup? Paul was imprisoned for preaching the gospel, suffering much to carry the gospel to the lost and to see that churches grew from infancy to self-sufficiency (2 Cor 11:21-32).
Our opportunities to suffer for the sake of the gospel in behalf of Christ are not likely to be so dramatic. It seems trivial to place giving up a favorite television show, my privacy, my precious routine, the big game, and other such things alongside Jesus’ suffering or Paul’s work to fill up the lack in them, until we consider that we seldom manage to accomplish even these small things on behalf of the body. Just what, if anything, have we managed to give up at all for the sake of his body this past week?
Perhaps when we step it up, when giving up even these smallest things becomes second nature to us, God will grant the privilege to genuinely join in with Paul in filling up that which is lacking in the suffering of Christ.
"For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.…Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation… All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; …entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (2Cor 5:17)." (2Cor 5:14-15).
Keith Ward