What's lacking in Christ's afflictions?

The verse that make you cough, splutter, and read again...

I really enjoy reading the epistles of Paul—Ephesians, Colossians, and Galatians are quick, enjoyable reads that entice you to join the dots with Romans, roll up your sleeves, think, and write.

There are verses that sit easy, like a cappuccino on a cold morning in a nice café. Then there are verses like Colossians 1:24—verses that make you cough, splutter, and read again, just to be sure you didn’t misinterpret them. Seriously—"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church."

At first glance, it looks like Paul is suggesting that Jesus’ suffering was lacking, as if the cross wasn’t enough. Really? And in a world where people barely skim Scripture on a Bible app before getting lost in social media outrage, you can bet this verse has been taken out of context more than once. I was trying to memorise Colossians once, and this verse put the brakes on so hard, the ABS kicked in!

Paul isn’t saying that Jesus’ suffering was incomplete or that the cross wasn’t almost enough. Far from it—it was finished—Jesus said so Himself (John 19:30). No, what Paul is getting at is something far more unsettling: that suffering for the gospel isn’t an exception to the Christian life. It’s built in.

The Cost of Carrying the Gospel

If you’ve ever shared the truth and been mocked for it, you’ve seen a glimpse of what Paul means. If you’ve ever lost a friendship because you wouldn’t compromise, you’ve felt it. And if you’ve ever spoken out and been hit with mockery or cynicism—maybe even accused of spreading "misinformation" while people gleefully repost actual mistruths from secular antagonists and influencers—then you know first-hand that following Christ has a cost.

Paul knew it better than anyone.

He wasn’t suffering because he made poor life choices. He wasn’t in prison because he’d mismanaged his social media presence. He was there because he carried the message of Jesus into a world that didn’t want it, and that message came with scars. Real scars that bled and took time to heal, not to mention shipwrecks, beatings, hunger, and cold nights in a prison cell. And yet, Paul says he rejoices in it. If you want to get your head around being a church planter, Paul’s your man. Paul rejoices in the hardship—and that’s the kind of statement that makes people uncomfortable because rejoicing in suffering sounds unnatural, irrational. But Paul wasn’t insane—he was seeing something deeper.

The Suffering That Saves vs. The Suffering That Sends

This is where it gets good! The suffering that Jesus endured on the cross was the suffering that saves. Nothing can be added to it; nothing was missing in His completed work.

Where are we to go with this, then? Well, there is another kind of suffering—the suffering that spreads the gospel to a world still hostile to it. Jesus bore the full weight of sin’s penalty, but His followers bear the cost of making that victory known. Think of it like this: Christ’s suffering was atoning. Ours is apostolic. His was to redeem. Ours is to proclaim.

And proclaiming comes with a cost. Jesus made that clear: "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). The moment you align yourself with Christ, you become a target—the world that crucified Him will not roll out a red carpet for you with a sumptuous buffet at the end.

Why Rejoice in Suffering?

Here’s where it gets truly staggering. Paul doesn’t just endure suffering. He actually, wait for it... rejoices in it.

Not because he enjoyed pain like some kind of spiritual masochist. No, Paul saw something we often miss: suffering for Christ is proof that you belong to Him. It’s evidence that His mission is advancing and a sign that the enemy is worried.

When you suffer for Christ, you suffer with Christ. We must understand that—it means you are walking the same road He walked, carrying forward His mission and participating in something eternal.

And this is where it gets personal.

If you follow Jesus, this verse is not just about Paul. It’s about you. You won’t face Roman prisons or whips on your back, but the cost is still real. Maybe it’s your reputation or relationships, or getting cancelled online because you won’t bow to the latest talk-to-the-universe ideological trend. Maybe it’s the loss of opportunities because you refuse to trade truth for acceptance. Still, Paul’s words stand: Rejoice. Not because the suffering is pleasant but because it is purposeful.

Paul didn’t suffer so that his own life would be difficult. He suffered so that the church—the people of God—could hear the gospel and be strengthened.

His scars were the pulpit from which he preached, and his hardship was the road that carried the gospel to others... that eventually... reached you personally.

If you are serious about following Jesus, suffering is not an if. It’s a when. Not because the cross was weak, but because the gospel is dangerous to the world’s system. Time to grit your teeth and cringe a little. And when the world sees that danger—the emancipating, liberating, transforming gospel—it fights back.

When it does, remember Paul’s words, remember his scars, and most of all, remember the scars of the One who went before him. The One who finished the suffering that saves and who calls you into the suffering that sends.

And when you do, by His grace, you just might find yourself rejoicing too.

I think that's what Colossians 1:24 is about.