Hebrews 2:10
“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
What does it mean when it says that Jesus was made “perfect through sufferings”? We often look at the word “perfect” as being sinless, but that is not what the word means. “Perfect” means complete. In other words, without sufferings a person cannot be complete.
It’s strange to think that Jesus was not complete without suffering. When this verse is talking about Jesus being complete, it is not insinuating that Jesus lacked in qualities, but it means that His sufferings completed His course. Without the suffering of being beaten, He would not have completed the Word of God. Without the suffering of the cross, He could not have died for the sins of mankind. Without the suffering of death, He could not have risen from the grave and conquered death. Without the resurrection from the grave, He could not have ascended to Heaven to prepare Heaven for us. Without ascending to Heaven, Jesus could not come again to receive the saved to Heaven someday. All the sufferings Jesus endured were important to complete what He said He would do. Without suffering, Jesus could not be the Saviour of the world.
If Jesus needed suffering to complete His course, then you also need suffering. To think that Jesus needed completion and you don’t is completely absurd. Jesus is the Son of God; yet, He needed suffering to be complete. You are a sinful and finite human, and without sufferings you cannot be complete. Let me give you some thoughts about being complete through suffering.
Suffering will complete you as a Christian. When I go through trials, I often find my weaknesses. Suffering reveals the cracks in our Christian life, and without suffering we would not know what we need to correct. Though you may not enjoy the suffering you face, it is through suffering you see what you need to change. It is through the suffering of the fire that gold is purified from the dross. It was through the suffering of the fiery furnace that the three Hebrew children were released from the cords of the world. It was through the suffering of being enslaved and the prison cell that Joseph learned His weaknesses that molded him into a ruler. It was through the suffering of a leg out of joint that Jacob became Israel. It was through the suffering of the wilderness that Moses learned how to be the leader he became. You will never find your weaknesses without suffering. Instead of griping about the suffering, let the suffering complete you by revealing your weakness so you can correct it.
Furthermore, suffering helps to complete your course. Notice, without the suffering of the cross, Jesus could not have been victorious over the grave. Likewise, suffering is a stepping stone for God to use you in a greater fashion. I know when God sends me through hard times that He is getting ready to use me in a greater way. God uses suffering to promote His children. Friend, if you want God to use you in a great way, then you are going to have to endure suffering. No, you don’t have to joy in suffering, but you must endure it so that God can use your affliction to help you help others.
You can either look at suffering as though God is hurting you, or you can look at suffering as though God is trying to complete you. Your perspective of suffering will determine how complete you become. You will never be the person God intended for you to be without first going through suffering.