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Colossians 1:24

miskandemiskande
edited December 1969 in Faith Issues
Can anybody help me understand this verse?
"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the Church...."

the underlined part kind of confuses me?!?  ???

God Bless

Comments

  • rpmrpm
    Sure got me confused as well. I guess Fr.Peter could help us out. He has a wonderful way of explaining things. In the meantime, I looked up some other translations to see if they could help. Here they are...............


    (AMPLIFIED) Even now I rejoice in the midst of my sufferings on your behalf. And in my own person I am making up whatever is still lacking and remains to be completed on our part of Christ's afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church.

    (CEV) I am glad that I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue [c] the suffering of Christ for his body, the church.

    (NLT)[ I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.
  • miskandemiskande
    The verse takes on a nice meaning in the NLT and CEV translations:

    (CEV) I am glad that I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue [c] the suffering of Christ for his body, the church.

    (NLT)[ I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.

    Reading it this way, St. Paul is saying he's continuously suffering for the sake of the church, even though Christ suffered and bought it with His blood on the cross, St. Paul's preaching is causing him afflictions from outsiders for the sake of the Word and so his suffering continue on with Jesus' mission.....

    I think  ;)


  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    Yes Omelnour, I think you are right.

    Suprisingly the Commentary of the Fathers doesn't really say much of significance about this verse, but other commentators do suggest that it means that St Paul in his suffering on behalf of the Gospel and the Church is participating in a secondary sense in the suffering of Christ on behalf of the Gospel.

    Of course this suffering does not have the same salvific content as that of Christ himself, but it is a genuine suffering on behalf of others and for the service of God and so belongs to Christ in a sense.

    This is an encouragement for St Paul and for us all. When we suffer (not only physically) on behalf of the Gospel and for the sake of the Church then we are not just pointlessly putting up with hardship but are bearing it with Christ, and for Christ, and in Christ.

    Father Peter
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