- Benny Nalkara,CMI
Suffering is a profound dimension of human life, and the Bible takes it very seriously. The Old Testament approaches the problem of suffering from different perspectives: suffering as a consequence of sin; suffering as an inexplicable mystery (as in the Book of Job); and suffering as redemptive, benefiting others, as seen in the theology of the Suffering Servant. In the New Testament, suffering is presented as the path through which Christ redeemed humanity and as the sure way to glory (cf. Lk 24:26). From this understanding, Paul develops the notion of suffering as a creative reality that can produce endurance, character, and hope (Rom 5:3–5), leading to the paradoxical affirmation that we can “rejoice in our sufferings” (Rom 5:3). In his Letter to the Philippians, Paul refers to his joy amidst intense suffering, especially during his apostolic work—likely during the Ephesian captivity, not the Roman imprisonment (CE 61–63).
For Paul, suffering was not a barrier to ministry, but the very mark of its authenticity. He found creative and transformative meaning in hardships, interpreting them as a path to communion with Christ and a royal road to glory.
Paul’s apostolic ministry was marked by suffering from beginning to end, as he details in 2 Corinthians 11:24–28. In 2 Corinthians 11:24–28, Paul offers a gripping personal testimony of his hardships as a servant of Christ. It is not a complaint, nor an attempt to gain sympathy, but rather a profound declaration of the cost of true discipleship and apostolic integrity. It is a hymn of hidden glory. In this verse, Paul refers to a specific Jewish form of punishment known from the Mishnah (the Jewish oral law). According to Deuteronomy 25:1–3, a guilty person could receive up to forty lashes: “Forty lashes he may give him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your eyes.” To avoid the risk of accidentally exceeding the legal limit, Jewish tradition reduced the number to thirty-nine lashes (forty minus one). This became a standard disciplinary measure used in synagogue courts. The lashes were administered with a whip made of three cords, each strike counting as three. The punishment was both physical and public, intended for correction and not destruction. Only Jewish authorities had the right to impose this form of punishment—not the Romans. This account of receiving “forty lashes minus one,” five times remains as the symbolic depiction of the grave and continuous sufferings Paul had to undergo during his life of discipleship.
From the moment of his conversion to the offering of his life for Christ, Paul endured physical and emotional hardships—persecution from both Jews and Gentiles, and even from communities he had founded, such as the Corinthians. He interpreted his sufferings from a Christocentric perspective: sharing in Christ’s sufferings and becoming like Him in death, hoping to attain the resurrection (Phil 3:10–11). In Second Corinthians, Paul offers a deep reflection on the meaning of suffering. Having emerged from a period of intense conflict with the Corinthian community, he writes after receiving divine consolation. This comfort was so profound that it inspired him to console others in their suffering. For Paul, suffering was not a cause for blame, but a pedagogical opportunity for growth into Christian maturity. He expresses this attitude in 2 Corinthians 4:8–11, affirming that though our outer nature is wasting away, the inner self is renewed daily. He considers present affliction as momentary, not worth comparing to the eternal weight of glory it prepares (2 Cor 4:16–17).
In a culture of comfort, we are challenged to recover the redemptive value of suffering as taught by St. Paul. He embraced pain and limitations as a creative reality that produces endurance, character, and hope, leading to authentic spiritual maturity.
For Paul, suffering was part of God’s kairos—the divine moment—where he could grow and mature. This kairos was always the NOW (2 Cor 6:2), in which he faithfully lived out his apostolic vocation, with all its challenges (2 Cor 6:4–10). It was the most authentic path to fulfill his calling. In every scar, Paul bears witness to the crucified Christ. In every trial, he proclaims a Gospel that is not cheap but costly. For Paul, suffering is not a detour; it is the royal road to communion with Christ and solidarity with His Body, the Church.
In Paul’s understanding of creative suffering involves pain, limitations, denial, and rejection, all of which are willingly embraced and integrated into one’s being. The outcome is transformation: growth, maturity, and authenticity. It helps restore one’s true self. Christian life, likewise, is a continual invitation to embrace suffering. It is a journey with Jesus on His way to Jerusalem. As Paul teaches, “we shall be glorified with Him, provided we also suffer with Him” (Rom 8:17). This is a consistent Pauline teaching. It is also a timeless truth that we grow more through suffering, rejection, and limitation than through affirmation, praise, or comfort. True spiritual authority, Paul suggests, comes not from external credentials but from a life conformed to the Cross—marked by suffering, weakness, and love.
The phrase “five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one” is more than a record of beatings; it is a testimony of Paul’s fidelity to Christ, a window into early Church tensions with Judaism, and a model of courageous discipleship. For Paul, suffering wasn’t a barrier to ministry—it was the very mark of its authenticity. Amidst the rise of a hedonistic culture amid material progress which signal a spiritual decline within Christian life, our challenge is to recover the redemptive value of suffering as a path to authentic transformation and glory. Paul, who could find the creative and transformative meaning of sufferings, inspires us in this pursuit of life.
