Why we Sometimes Suffer

Hebrews 5:8-9 (NRSV): Why we Sometimes Suffer

Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Setbacks, difficulties, and losses are part of our human drama. And I am no stranger to setbacks. When I was 21 and fresh out of active duty military, I returned home to finish my college degree. One of my goals was to apply and gain acceptance to the Rutgers New Brunswick campus. When I got the admission letter from Rutgers, it stated that I was only accepted at the Camden campus, which was my required second choice. I was devastated. Here I was a young dad, military veteran, and transfer student with strong grades. Why wasn’t I good enough for Rutgers New Brunswick? I suffered and complained. After a few days, however, I gave in and registered at Rutgers Camden. I remember feeling let down and unenthusiastic about starting my classes. But through perseverance, focus, determination, and the support of those around me, Rutgers Camden was one of the best things that could have happened to me. I loved it there! Class sizes were small, the professors were inspiring, and the curriculum was rigorous. I was given a great opportunity that I initially saw as a setback. And I learned an important lesson: Suffering through difficulties often yields wonderful things.

Jesus’ story is one of suffering. From the very beginning of the gospels, people around him sought his death -- Herod, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees and Sadducees, even the people of his own home town. Hebrews 5:7-10 and John 12:22-30, both readings for this week’s worship, remind us that Jesus chose to suffer. In that suffering he could have demanded the Father save him, but he didn’t. For instance, John quotes Jesus in 12:27: “No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” Christ offered his suffering as an act of love for us. The question, however, comes back to us.  Are we willing to suffer, too? After all, Jesus mentions in John 12:26 that “[w]hoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.”

The poet Langston Hughes embodies the triumph of human suffering and perseverance in his poem “Mother to Son”:

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps

’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

The speaker of the poem, an older generation African American mother, addresses her suffering son. Perseverance, steadiness, and forward motion are the attributes that bring victory for the new African American generation of Hughes’ time. Hughes’ message, moreover, is one rooted in today’s gospel. We are to follow Christ, even when it means trudging through life’s trials. As Jesus models, the light of victory follows the darkness of our suffering.

I have always been a poor sufferer. Even the not-so-hard trials like fasting, prayer, and patience are a challenge for me. Jesus, however, is the perfect model. For “[a]lthough he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of [our] eternal salvation . . .” Hebrews 5:8-9.

I pray that we all embrace the difficult roads that lie ahead, knowing that God will provide the necessary grace for our victory. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Stan