Suffering

Just saying the word makes me flinch…
I pondered upon the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, was His physical suffering through the Passion more painful than the spiritual suffering of knowing there will be those who will not accept Him and be with Him in
Heaven? The reference best used is oneself, the physical and spiritual struggles and sufferings one has experienced…
Take some time, right now, don’t wait… pause here and ponder this. Just a few minutes. Dig deep.
So, what conclusion, if any, have you reached? Journal time…
Can you see yourself in Jesus?
What struggles do you have the most difficulty with?
Physical or spiritual?

From Michael Barber, Coming Soon: Unlocking the Book of Revelation and Applying Its Lessons Today:

1:1–2. “As we have seen, the Book of Revelation was written during a time of
persecution and suffering. Because of this, John sets out from the very beginning to
explain suffering. Thus, in the first verse, he speaks of himself as a “servant.” The word
“servant” evokes the image of the “suffering servant” in Isaiah 53. From the earliest
times, this passage was understood as a prophecy about Jesus, the true suffering
Servant, who “makes himself an offering for sin” (Is. 53:10). It speaks of our Savior, who
“was wounded for our transgressions … bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed” (Is. 53:5).
Christians may also be called “suffering servants,” since they have a share in the
work of Christ. Paul explains, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my
flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the
church” (Col. 1:24). Paul first began to understand this relationship between the
suffering of the Church and the suffering of Christ when he encountered Jesus on the
road to Damascus. Although Paul was persecuting the Church, Jesus explained to him,
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5).
Christians share in the work of Christ, the suffering Servant, when they join their own
afflictions to His. John is Christ’s servant because he has been exiled on account of his
testimony to Him. Likewise, the Book of Revelation is written to those being persecuted
for the Lord, John’s fellow servants.”