Suffering Together

 “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 

Most Christians I’m acquainted with say they want to know Christ. We say we want to know the power of his resurrection. But when it comes to the fellowship of his sufferings, we draw the line. We know people suffer, but desiring it? That seems a little extreme! One has to be a fanatic or crazy to want such a thing! And yet that’s exactly what Paul says.

If you think about it, it’s not really as odd as it first appears. Paul speaks not just of suffering, but of the fellowship of suffering. If you’ve been through a particularly difficult experience—rejection, death of a loved one, depression, life-threatening illness, etc.—someone may come alongside you to offer comfort. They mean well, but only those who have been through a similar experience themselves can really understand. When they come alongside you, there is a depth of understanding that brings a measure of comfort no one else can offer. That’s what Paul means when he speaks of the fellowship of Christ’s suffering.

He wants to know Christ so deeply that he can in a sense, come alongside him with an understanding that is only available through his own suffering. And conversely, he wants to know Jesus so deeply that when he (Paul) suffers, he can experience the comforting Presence of Christ that’s only possible because Jesus went through the same, and more.

We don’t look for suffering like some masochist, but we desire to know the fellowship that only mutual suffering can bring.