Love

I probably have told you before that our text from Romans bothers me. Paul seems to be wrong here. Suffering does not always produce character that brings endurance leading to hope. I can tell you of many instances when I have had someone in my office whose suffering has done the opposite. I have even been stopped on the street by strangers to berate God for their suffering. Paul was not perfect and made mistakes. Some of those mistakes came from his own biases, this is not one of them. We remember that life in the Roman Empire was not easy. For most people it was hard. There was no safety net for those who stumbled upon tragedy. The people in power often exploited those below them. Life was harsh and unforgiving. Add to that the fact that Paul is writing to Christians who were often mistreated and persecuted for their faith. Paul is not talking about the suffering that comes from the everyday on and off again suffering. He is talking about the suffering that Christians were undergoing because of their faith.

This distinction may be lost in our busy world. We are constantly bombarded by messages that tell us that suffering is not normal. There are plenty of people trying to sell you a bill of goods promising to relieve your suffering. And, like everyone else, you have swallowed their promise, hook, line, and sinker, only to find out, once again, that they were selling snake-oil. Paul knew the snake oil salesmen of his time. He probably had taken some himself. But he had found a different solution to the problem. Actually the solution had found him, knocked him down, and left him blind, emptying him of his previous assumptions and prejudices filling him with love. He gave up his previous life and joined those whom he had been persecuting. Now that is love. So too did those he persecuted show love by accepting him. 

The suffering that Paul is talking about is that suffering that came about because they were Christians and fulfilling the call of Jesus to proclaim that the kingdom of God had arrived. They were suffering for the benefit of others. Because they had experienced God’s love and forgiveness their suffering did produce character which led to hope. 

They were following after the seventy whom Jesus sent out. If you noted they were given authority to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with a skin disease, and cast out demons. That is a pretty impressive list of responsibilities. Now Matthew (or the oral tradition he received this story from) might have added some of those tasks, the primary task was to prepare people to receive Jesus’ gift of salvation. In fact, Matthew may have edited this account because his community had first-hand experience with how Christians were treated. When he warns of strife in family and among friends, he is probably talking from experience. What we need to hear from this text is that Jesus has sent us out into the world and told us to proclaim that the Kingdom of God has come. We can answer Jesus’ call to this task because we have been filled with the Holy Spirit and given an endless supply of God’s love. 

You have experienced God’s love throughout your life. In times of joy and in times of sadness; through suffering and exuberance; life and death. Look at your life and see all that God has done for you  and answer Jesus’ call to share that love and you will find that God holds you in the palm of his hand.