Is Christ Worth It?
The Choice to Suffer
When we read about suffering, we are often reminded about our own personal encounters with pain, despair, or grief: the death of a loved one; the shattering of a close relationship; the persistence of an oppressive illness; the pain of broken family life. These are sufferings that we must somehow endure. But there is another kind of suffering: the suffering we can avoid; the suffering we must choose. It will impose itself upon us only because we are torn in two by the choice: should I suffer, or should I not? Our strong inclination is to play it safe and to avoid suffering at all costs. But, relentlessly our conscience wails against us: if you don't take the hard path, it says, then you will have sinned.
“If anyone would come after me...
Having to face the hard, sacrificial, costly and potentially excruciating consequences of following Christ can occur in a variety of different situations. It could be that you are tempted to shut up about the gospel with particular friends or family, because you know that if you proclaim the Lord Jesus to them, even in a small way, they will look on you as odd and slowly but surely withdraw from you. Though it gets harder and harder to act as a Christian around them, you cannot face this: not only will you look like a fool but you will also lose the close friendship of people you are very attached to. “Surely”, you say to yourself, “God wants me to stand up for Christ, but not when it will hurt so much and encourage such scorn for the gospel and for a Christian! God will save them if they are elect, so for the moment I'll just pray and see what happens...”
...let him deny himself,...
Or, it could be that you have prayed and worked hard until you are set up for the perfect career—suiting your family, church, and ministry—but you notice one small problem. It could be the colleague who's far too attractive and interested in you, or the growing temptation to live greedily for recognition of your work, or the sudden change in the long-term demands of your family. Whatever it is, you realise that it may challenge your commitment to your family and ministry and so, in time, lead you to sin. “But”, you argue with yourself, “I have prayed and waited so long for a career like this: stable, satisfying, and accommodating to my ministry, church and family! How can I just dash my life's plans and make such a shattering change? Sure, I see problems coming in the future, but I'm certain that with God's help I can avoid them without changing my career path...”
...take up his cross daily...
To suffer or to sin? In whatever situation, what do we decide? Perhaps, unable to merely procrastinate, rationalise or avoid the nagging reminder of the hard but godly option, we will then kneel in prayer, saying, “Father, I want to serve you, but, it is very hard; help me obey your will!” Strengthened, we may then steel ourselves to act rightly—to stand for Christ or to reject worldly comfort—but we fall short and fail. At many times the near agony of wanting to take the easy path but knowing we should take the hard road consumes us. In a proverbial sweat, we earnestly turn again to the word and prayer in desperation. But prayer seems a chore and God far away. Finally, as we rise from prayer, maybe we will be shocked to find we are doing what we can no longer deny ourselves to be doing: “Sure, I know in my mind that I should follow Christ, but if it means suffering this way, I deep down wonder... Is Christ worth it?”
...and follow me.”
By God's gracious work in us, the gripping conviction that following Christ is worth suffering all things will help us choose suffering rather than sin throughout our Christian lives. This conviction comes as we completely re-evaluate these hard choices, asking ourselves, “what is really the best way to live?” Is it not God's way of life for the people who he saved and cleansed and now directs by his very spirit? For, God sustains our lives daily: if we reject him we reject life that will last. He made us to richly relate to one another; our rejection of his ways is a rejection of right and fulfilling relationship. He made this world according to his good purposes; if we reject God's way of enjoying and using this creation, do you think we will ever be satisfied? Do we believe that God has prepared a life for us in his new creation through the blood of Christ that is utterly satisfying, moral and lasting, because it will be in complete submission to our maker and redeemer? Do we realise that in following Christ now we are living true life, growing closer and closer to this new creation? This is the best life in this world: choosing to suffer in earnest anticipation of being perfect followers of Jesus and in solid rejection of the falsely attractive, selfish and godless life that ultimately leads to death. We have come to realise that in choosing to suffer for Christ we deny nothing but our sinful nature and miss out on nothing but sin; our suffering is in fact gain.
“The Son of Man must suffer many things...
Even more so, we do not even deserve to suffer in this way. Rather, due to our rejection and ignoring of God, we deserve to be trapped in the falsely attractive life: ceaselessly satisfying our selfish desires only to hunger for more in a decaying world until we finally die. Even worse, we deserve to face the culmination of such a life: the greatest suffering of all; that is, facing God's anger and punishment. To stand before the judgement throne of our Almighty maker and bear the everlasting punishment for our crimes against him is incomparably worse than any loss of friendship or stifled career.
...and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes,...
Yet we can enjoy suffering for Christ though we deserve to bear the awful judgement of God. Why? Because this Jesus, who deserved no suffering, was willing in his obedience not only to suffer as we do, but to bear the ultimate suffering of God's wrath which we earned; for he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross. He considers his fate at the Mount of Olives with his disciples:
And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to his disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
[Luke 22: 40-46; ESV]
It is for our sinful choices and corrupt life that he is about to bear punishment, showing his abiding love for us. In exchange, this risen King of all creation gives us the promise of true life, so that we can now live choosing to suffer in a way that revokes the sinful life leading to death and embraces the life of growing godliness. And yet we would balk and complain! Would we choose to embrace the sinful life - by hiding the gospel or living for the world—that leads to suffering the wrath of God, or, submitting to King Jesus, would we rather suffer in the godly life that leads to undeserved satisfaction in heaven? Loving us, he suffered the wrath of God that we deserved, granting us the ability to suffer when living God's good way—denying ourselves and forsaking the world—while waiting for the perfect life with him in heaven. So, is Christ worth it?
...and be killed,...
Hopefully, as our understanding is shaped by the word of God, we will appreciate more and more that Christ is surely worth the loss and suffering of all things. And this appreciation will bear fruit in our actions, enabling us to obey the risen Jesus even when it will hurt, whether this involves speaking the gospel, striving to put godliness before our career, or anything else. We need to pray, asking not only for this understanding, but also for the strength to trust God and obey him even when our sinful minds lack this understanding of Christ's magnificent worth. For, even when we are blind enough not to see it, our Lord who loves is still always more than worth it.
...and on the third day be raised.”
Maheesha Sabapathy is an arts student by nature and got this article in right at the last minute. With practice, you too can call him Mash.
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