The movie 42 tells the story of baseball’s black barrier being broken by Jackie Robinson through the brilliant business transactions of Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In one particular scene Rickey drops two common English words with deep Greek roots. First, after Philadelphia manager, Ben Chapman, unloaded a verbal tirade of abuse on Jackie Robinson drenched in hateful racism, Rickey noted the irony that the city draws its name from the Greek, “phileo” which means love and “adelphos” which means brother. Thus, Chapman, not to mention the city itself, was acting anything like the “City of Brotherly Love” they try to market. But then, secondly, Ricky makes a profound statement that the Greek word for sympathy means, “to suffer with.” Chapman’s approach is backfiring, at least according Ricky. Instead of galvanizing Americans further into racism, he’s creating sympathy for Jackie. People are stepping into that sympathy “to suffer with,” unbeknownst to them, the future Hall of Famer.
We live in a world filled with suffering, and you don’t have to look very long or hard to find it. Another school shooting creates more emotional scars. Children go to bed hungry and often abused by the adults who are charged with caring for them. We walk into homes on a regular basis as our patients, stricken with a terminal disease, seek comfort while family members seek a direction. Suffering is like the poison ivy in your backyard, we can cut it away or kill it with chemicals, but it will grow back, wrap its vines around you in order to suffocate the life out of you. Simply, to suffer in this world means we are participants in a fallen world, ravished by sin and evil. No one is immune or exempt. It’s not about suffering in and of itself. We all experience suffering. It’s about something more.
Paul is pleading with the Corinthians to reconcile their relationship. Part of the problem is that Paul’s suffering has become a stumbling block to their perception of the gospel. Surely someone who has undergone such a vast amount of suffering cannot have God’s favor. We might think of it like this: good things happen to good people while bad things happen to bad people. Too many bad things have happened to Paul. His suffering wasn’t the only reason the church was pulling away from him, but it was a factor. It may have been a huge factor. And Paul wants to remove that obstacle so that, not only can reconciliation occur, but also that the gospel can be clearly experienced.
Second Corinthians 6:4-10 contains an affliction list which leads us to suffer with each other. The list can be broken down in four smaller bite size increments, with each having its own theme. Let’s look at them now (from Scott Hafemann, 2 Corinthians, NIV Application Commentary, 269-270).
● Facing Hardship (v. 4b-5), Paul says in the first group, “. . . in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger . . ..” Life is difficult in and of itself. We all deal with troubled relationships, financial setbacks, and failing health. Even more is the challenge to stand by faith convictions, especially when we’re in the minority. The pushback can hurt, particularly when the resistance is from an unexpected source.
● Displayed Graces (v. 6-7a), he continues with the second troupe, “in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God . . ..” Such language draws us to the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23. God works through us, not always in the big moments like having the faith to move mountains, but more so in the small daily increments of faith as small as a mustard seed. It’s the little things we do every day that tend to mount up over time of being authentic Christians. Just because they tend to be small, doesn’t mean being patient or kind or pure is easy. It’s not. And it wears you out trying to live on such a plane.
● Life’s Ups and Downs (v. 7b-8), he adds in the third cluster, “with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as imposters . . ..” Whatever life throws at us does not alter our behavior. Whether we are on a mountain high or depths of a valley, who we are won’t change. We live consistently, certainly not dependent on which way the wind is blowing at the moment. By the way, one can see Paul’s hurt bleeding through as he’s been given a bad report by someone touting him as an imposter. No matter the report, Paul remains genuine in his faith and dealings with Corinth.
● Divine Deliverance (v. 9-10), he concludes with the final set, “known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” Oscillating between extremes is not an uncommon experience. People know us, but then they are surprised by our behavior because they do not really know us. We weep, but find great joy in living. We’re not wealthy, though in America we are, but what we bring to people – a smile, a hug, a word of encouragment, or the gospel itself – is beyond measurement by wealth standard.
While there is so much more to unpack here and beyond the amount of time we’re allotted, it’s clear that we have two takeaways. First, the suffering Paul experiences places him right in the middle of Christ’s own suffering. Undoubtedly some of the things mentioned can be a direct correlation of his faith and following Jesus. That said, some of the things he mentions are about navigating life in general. Secondly, his endurance through suffering is a result of the resurrection of Christ living out in him. The power within Paul to endure suffering does not come from himself, but from God. We identify with Christ crucified through our suffering, but we’re empowered by the resurrected Christ to endure such suffering. We suffer with Christ and others on Good Friday, but live with power to press on and endure from Easter Sunday.
Paul’s decision to endure through suffering is not the end game. As Paul is pleading with the church for reconciliation, he is removing the stumbling blocks (v. 3), and views himself as a father figure to the church (v. 13) and has opened his heart to them in hopes that they reciprocate (v. 12). In doing so Paul is neither just suffering alone, nor is he simply suffering with Christ. Paul is enduring the hardships and trials as a means to suffer with the church in Corinth. Paul is calling them or us to sympathize through our suffering.
Sometime after I started working in hospice, I was asked to sit with a patient in a nursing home. I had never met the patient nor the family. I had no emotional ties to them. He was an elderly man with a granddaughter in her early twenties. Eventually, the patient passed while I watched the family mourn. I saw the granddaughter weeping over her grandfather. I was soaking in the scene, then began viewing my life in twenty some-odd years. I imagined the scene before me with my granddaughter weeping over me. I quickly left the scene behind, and as they were leaving, I offered prayer. During the prayer, and feeling the emotion of the family, I started getting a little emotional myself, even choking up a bit. I now realize that I was identifying with the family as I was suffering with them.
Back to the movie 42 and the Jackie Robinson story. When the Dodgers came to Cincinnati to face the Reds, Pee Wee Reese met with Branch Rickey hoping to opt out of the series. Reese was from Ekron, Kentucky, a hop, skip, and a jump to Cincinnati where his family comes to watch him play. In the movie he had received a letter from a fan speaking for the so-called silent majority about playing with Robinson; among other things, Reese was called a “carpet bagger,” because he was accused of acting like a post-Civil War northerner profiting off of the South. Rickey acknowledged the bind Reese was in as he walked over to a filing cabinet filled with hate letters intercepted by Rickey with death threats to Robinson, his wife, and even their son. The names he was called should not be uttered or repeated. Reese backtracked and wished he could just play baseball. Just. Play. Baseball. Rickey agreed, and wished Jackie could just play baseball too without the racist names, hate mail, and leading the league in being hit by a pitch.
The conversation was a turning point for Pee Wee. Before the crowd at Cincinnati Reese walked over to Robinson, whether historical or myth, he put his arm around Jackie. It was a public form of identification. Pee Wee saw Jackie as something or someone more than a teammate. He saw him as a fellow human being. Thus, Reese was willing to stand with, to sympathize, and to suffer with Jackie.
Maybe we need to stop dehumanizing people and start perceiving them through the lenses of Jesus. When we do, we then can stand with, sympathize with, and suffer with them. It may be the most Jesus act we can do.
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)