Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body—for the sake of his body, the church—what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.
Into the Text
Paul has made it clear in the preceding verses that the redemption found in Jesus was enough to reconcile us to God. So what does he mean when he says that his (Paul’s) sufferings are filling up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ? Were the sufferings and death of Jesus not enough to completely cover our sins after all? Is there still something missing that we have to make up for?
Looking at the context, Paul writes that he worked hard to reach people with the gospel. God had called him to take His Word to the nations and call the people to faith. Paul “labored” and “struggled” for this to happen (Colossians 1:29). As we know from the book of Acts, Paul suffered greatly on his missionary journeys. He was regularly mocked, beaten, whipped, imprisoned, and even stoned.
What was lacking in the sufferings of Jesus was that they were not known to the world. Paul’s sufferings gave the people a picture of the sufferings that Jesus went through and died for. That’s why Paul can rejoice in his own sufferings. He knew they were for the good of the church.
God wants us to make the work of Jesus known. But doing this will involve suffering. Are you willing to endure hardship in order to tell others about Jesus? It may involve talking to someone who is hostile toward Christians. You may be ridiculed, or you may have to give up precious free time to teach the Bible to someone. God may call you to give sacrificially to missions.
Loving others in the name of Jesus can be very costly. But, as Jesus said in Mark 8:35, it is the only way to find true life.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, please give me courage and joy to live and suffer for the sake of the gospel. Amen.