Wine and Suffering

Philippians 2:5-8

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, through he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Perhaps these are familiar verses to you as they are to me, yet let us not forsake them.

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus, the Son of God, would humble himself to be born of a woman in a manger to be the earthly son of a lowly carpenter? That was only the beginning of drastic changes for Jesus. No more heavenly places, no more glorious throne, no more direct fellowship with his beloved father. Yet out of love, he gave up all of these for redemption’s sake. He suffered even unto death.

I was reading in John 2 the other day about the first miracle of Jesus. He was at a wedding in Cana when the wine ran out (a huge deal in that culture in those days). Jesus’ mother was with him and very aware of his power, and so she informed the house servants to do whatever he said. In his response in verse 4, Jesus said  “my time has not yet come”.  Most commentators agree this does not mean that Jesus did not intend to perform a miracle by turning water into wine. Instead, by saying these words, Jesus was referring to his divinity and to his future suffering.

Think about the atmosphere of this situation for a moment. It was a wedding, and in those days, celebrations lasted as long as the funds did.  Everyone was dancing and singing and having a great time of celebration. Then there’s Jesus: a man who had not yet performed any miracles, thereby keeping his identity as the Messiah and God’s own son a secret. He knew of the judgment that would come upon him on the cross. He knew how he would be spit on, mocked, beaten, and denied. He knew that the beginning of his ministry and his miracles meant that the time of his suffering was growing closer. He knew what wine would later signify. He knew that it would represent his bloodshed and that he would drink it on his last night with his disciples. And here, he gets the ball rolling with his ministry by creating wine, that those around him might continue in gladness.

Jesus’ suffering was by no means all at once, on the cross. I cannot even imagine what agony he must have felt to be in the midst of the everyday and yet aware of what he would later endure. Throughout his entire ministry, Jesus chose to move closer to that suffering. He chose to surrender his rights and his authority every single day he lived on this earth. What great love is this that he would not only lay his life down on Calvary’s tree, but that every day prior he would choose humility.

It makes so much more sense to me now why Peter would command us in 1 Peter 4:1 to arm ourselves with this same kind of suffering as our Savior. If we clothe ourselves in suffering, we will be able to rejoice in our suffering as Jesus did in the midst of rejoicing. We live like we don’t have the right to suffer. Why not live as if we don’t have the right not to? The Bible does not promise anything to those who refrain from suffering, yet it promises great blessing and sanctification to those who for the sake of Christ do. Celebrate the suffering of Jesus Christ with me! May our seasons of suffering and prosperity honor his name and cherish his sacrifice.

Blessings.