The Suffering and Submission of Christ: A Heart of Praise and Awe
When we consider the life and suffering of Jesus Christ, it is easy to focus on the physical agony of the cross. But a deeper examination of Scripture reveals not only His physical suffering but also a significant spiritual and emotional suffering tied to His complete submission to the Father’s will. This submission, described so powerfully in Philippians 2 and 3, stirs a heart of awe and praise as we realize the magnitude of what Christ endured—not only for our salvation but also to give us His very life and live His life through us.
In Philippians 3:10–11, the Apostle Paul writes:
"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Paul expresses a deep desire to know Christ, not only through the victory and power of His resurrection but also through the fellowship of His sufferings. Many interpret "fellowship of His sufferings" as enduring the hardships and trials of life—some caused by our own actions, others seemingly independent of us. While Christ is present with us in every trial, Paul’s focus here goes beyond life’s difficulties.
Paul’s longing to share in Christ’s sufferings is tied directly to the mindset of Christ in Philippians 2. These sufferings are the ones we experience when we surrender our own will and desires—whether good or bad—to align completely with the Father’s will. This kind of suffering involves daily taking up our cross and following Him, an act of obedience that mirrors Christ’s journey to the cross. It is the suffering of denying the persistent desires of our flesh and walking in the life Christ has already set before us.
For Christ, this suffering was unique. He had no sinful desires to overcome, as He was without sin. Yet, in His humanity, He would have experienced pure and righteous desires, such as a longing to heal all pain, comfort all sorrow, and right every injustice. However, His mission required Him to lay down even these desires, choosing instead to follow the Father’s will in perfect submission.
The Mind of Christ: A Model of Humility and Submission
The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:5–8:
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
This passage reveals the mindset of Christ—one of total humility and submission. Although Jesus was fully God, He willingly “emptied Himself” (Greek: kenosis) by taking on human form and setting aside the independent use of His divine power. This self-emptying was not a loss of divinity but a choice to live as a fully obedient human being under the will of the Father.
Imagine the tension this would have caused:
As a human, Jesus would have felt deep compassion and an overwhelming desire to heal every broken heart, every wounded body, and every injustice He encountered. His human emotions would have been stirred by the pain and suffering around Him.
As God, He had the power to act instantly and perfectly. With just a word, He could have eradicated all suffering and set the world right.
Yet, Jesus chose restraint, not because He was indifferent to suffering, but because His mission was to fulfill the Father’s will, not His own. He declared, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19). His submission is a model for us: a life of humble surrender that glorifies the Father.
The Suffering of Divine Restraint
One of the most striking aspects of Christ’s suffering was His voluntary limitation. Every fiber of His being as a compassionate human would have longed to fix the brokenness He saw. Yet, His divine mission required complete submission to the Father’s timing and purpose.
Consider these examples:
Healing selectively: Jesus healed many, but not all. He did not indiscriminately empty hospitals or cure every illness, though He had the power to do so. Instead, He healed where the Father directed Him, declaring, "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30).
Delaying action: When Lazarus was dying, Jesus waited before going to him, allowing His friend to die so that God’s glory could be revealed through the resurrection (John 11:4–6). Imagine the tension as He restrained Himself, knowing Mary and Martha’s heartbreak.
Enduring rejection: Jesus wept over Jerusalem, lamenting, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Matthew 23:37). Yet, He did not force their repentance, even though He longed to save them.
This restraint was not indifference. It was obedience—a costly surrender to the Father’s perfect plan.
The Ultimate Submission: The Cross
Nowhere is Christ’s submission more evident than in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prays:
"O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."
Here, we see the full weight of Christ’s humanity. He foresaw the physical agony of the crucifixion, the spiritual burden of bearing the world’s sin, and the temporary experience of estrangement from the Father in His humanity. While the divine nature of the Son remained fully united with the Father and the Spirit, Jesus, in His humanity, bore the full weight of sin’s alienation, crying out, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ This immense suffering was not a break within the Trinity but the human experience of the relational separation caused by sin."
This obedience led to the cross, where He bore our sins, redeeming humanity at the greatest cost. But Christ’s work on the cross was not only about what He did for us—it was also about what He would do in us and through us.
The Rest of the Gospel: Christ’s Life in Us
Many Christians understand the gospel as the good news that Jesus died for their sins. But the fullness of the gospel—the “rest of the gospel”—is that Jesus also rose from the dead to give us His life, so that He might live His life through us.
Paul captures this truth beautifully in Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Through the cross, Jesus not only dealt with the penalty of our sins but also exchanged His life for ours. This “exchanged life” is central to understanding why Jesus went to the cross:
To give His life for us: By dying in our place, Jesus paid the price for our sins, reconciling us to God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
To give His life to us: By rising again, Jesus imparted His resurrection life to us, enabling us to live a new life in Him (Romans 6:4).
To live His life through us: As we surrender to Him, Christ works in and through us to accomplish His purposes on earth (Colossians 1:27).
A Heart of Praise and Declaration
Reflecting on Christ’s suffering, submission, and resurrection should stir us to worship and gratitude. Christ has already given us everything we need for life and godliness. The life He lives through us transforms us, empowers us, and enables us to glorify God in all we do.
Let us declare His truth:
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" (Revelation 5:12).
"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Let us live as those who have already been made alive with Christ, walking daily in His resurrection power and resting in the victory He has accomplished for us.