SUMMARY
PaulThe Apostle Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was the author of several New Testament letters and the founder of many Christian communities. More portrays how the sufferings and consolations of the MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified... More overflow through us—not only imparting the Messiah’s presence to others, but also creating community with them through the Messiah. In so doing, Paul expresses his first hope for the letter—that he and his readers will be partners, sharing in one another’s sufferings and consolations.
ANALYSIS
The phrase “the sufferings of Christ” is rich with layers of meaning (2 Corinthians 1:5). Used in the apocalyptic literature of Paul’s time, the phrase was used to depict the way the suffering of the innocent and righteousA righteous person is one who is ethical and faithful to God's covenant. Righteousness in the Old Testament is an attitude of God; in the New Testament it is a gift of God through grace. In the New Testament righteousness is a relationship with God... More gives birth to a messianic age. Its roots were in Isaiah’s vivid depictions of how both God and Israel suffered the pangs of childbirth as God ushered in a new age for Israel in the midst of exile and oppression (IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More 42:14-16; Isaiah 66:7-13). Against this backdrop, the Gospel writers employed it to describe the “sufferings” JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. More as the Son of Man would undergo as he was rejected by religious and political leaders and eventually killed and raised from the dead (see, e.g., Mark 8:31, Mark 9:12).
But the phrase also implies our participation in the sufferings of the Messiah. Jesus’ death took place during the festival of “PassoverPassover commemorates the deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt as described in the book of Exodus. It is celebrated with worship and a meal on the fourteenth day of the month called Nisan, which is the first month of the Jewish year. The time... More,” which celebrates Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. Passover in Greek is pascha (for the Hebrew pesach), a word whose verb form is paschō, which means “to suffer” (LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. More 24:46). Consequently, at his last meal with his disciples, which was a Passover meal, Jesus instituted the sacramental practice Christians would later celebrate as HolyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine More Communion—in which we eat his body and drink his blood, thereby ingesting his “suffering” for us (Luke 22:15-20; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). In an analogous vein, baptismJesus was baptized (literally, "dipped") in the Jordan River by John the Baptizer, at which time he was acclaimed from heaven as God's Son, the Beloved. Much later baptism became one of the sacraments of the Church, the action by which a person is incorporated... More into Jesus’ death and life—another important sacramental practice—would signify, especially for Paul, not only an entry point but also a lifelong sharing in Jesus’ sufferings and death, which in turn cannot be divorced from knowing the Messiah “and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10).
These sufferings of the Messiah “overflow” for us in a double sense. On the one hand, as enacted, for example, in the Eucharist, the “cup” of Jesus’ sufferings signifies the “new covenantBecause Israel had broken the old covenant, the prophet Jeremiah declared that God would establish a new covenant, one that would be written on the heart. The New Testament is often referred to as the New Covenant because Jesus came to fulfill the law and... More” of his blood (1 Corinthians 11:25)—that is, his mission or destiny, which was to be “handed over to death for our trespasses” (Romans 4:25). On the other hand, through our baptism into his sufferings and death, we now share in the “cup” of this messianic mission (Mark 10:38-39). As Paul will say later in the letter, “death is at work in us, but life in you” (2 Corinthians 4:12).
It is precisely our sharing in the Messiah’s sufferings in this double sense that our consolation “overflows through the Messiah” since our being crucified with the Messiah also means that we do, in fact, “live with him by the power of God” (2 Corinthians 13:4; cf. Galatians 2:19b-20)—and that power, evident in the power of his resurrection, is what flows through us to others. Thus, when seen from the standpoint of our participation in Christ’s sufferings and death, the affliction we undergo in our lives can, in fact, become “consolation and salvationSalvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Paul preached that salvation comes through the death of Christ on the cross which redeemed sinners from death and for a grace-filled life. More” for others (2 Corinthians 1:6). Similarly, our being consoled becomes consolation for others as they persevere in the sufferings (of the Messiah) that we share together. God’s power—the power at work in the Messiah’s resurrection—is always a power at work not only for us but for those around us, whether we are being afflicted or consoled.
In view of this understanding of our participation in the overflowing sufferings and consolations of the Messiah, Paul presents his first hope for the Corinthians—the hope that they will partner with him, as members of the Messiah’s body, in Jesus’ mission and thus share mutually in each other’s sufferings and consolations (1 Corinthians 1:7; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26).
RELATED PASSAGES
Isaiah 42:14-16 – The Lord as a Woman in Labor
Isaiah 66:7-13 – Zion’s Labor and the Lord’s Mothering Comfort
Mark 8:27-37 – Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
Mark 10:35-45 — The Cup of Jesus’ Baptism
Luke 22:13-20 & 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
Galatians 2:19b-20 – Being Crucified into Christ’s Death and Life
Philippians 3:10-14 – Sharing in Christ’s Suffering and Death