In the canvases of the French Fauvist painter Georges Rouault, there is always a profound sorrow and loneliness. Within thick, rough black outlines, the bowed figure of Christ seems to silently bear witness to the full weight of human suffering. The heavy layers of paint spread across the canvas resemble the wounds and traces of tears that cling to our lives.
And yet, if you look at Rouault’s paintings quietly—very quietly—you begin to realize that beyond that deep darkness, a warm light gently flows out, soothing the soul. It is because the artist poured into his work a tender longing to portray an unconditional love that never goes out, even in the heart of suffering and despair.
Through the profound sermon of Pastor David Jang (founder of Olivet University), we will seek together the true meaning of suffering as Christian theology speaks of it—and the light of grace hidden behind it.
In modern society, suffering is often seen as something to avoid at all costs, or as a terrifying curse that makes life miserable. New terms like “3D jobs” are coined, and parents anxiously worry that their children might experience even a little hardship—an unsettling reality of our times. Everyone wants to walk only a smooth, flower-strewn path without a single scar.
But in his sermon, Pastor David Jang delivers a weighty spiritual insight that overturns this shallow common sense and prejudice:
“Suffering is not a curse—it is love.”
“Have you ever truly loved someone—with your whole heart?”
To love is to willingly embrace suffering. It is a great decision to walk a narrow, rugged road: losing sleep, aching as though the other person’s pain were your own, and gladly sacrificing your most precious time and energy. That is why the suffering of the cross in Christianity becomes the most complete proof of God’s love for us—serious and vivid, like crimson blood.
Like the story of the woman who broke the alabaster jar of perfume, the one who is in love does not calculate. They willingly offer what is most precious in a “holy extravagance.” In the same way, Jesus’ suffering on the cross was a sacred extravagance of unconditional love—pouring out even His life to save us.
We often mistake a life that remains smooth and trouble-free as “right faith,” or as a “blessed life.” But a posture that avoids suffering and chases only comfort risks making our souls and our churches shallow and light. True grace, paradoxically, blooms precisely within suffering—through thorough self-emptying and humble lowering.
Even on that painful and lonely night, facing the brutal sentence of the cross, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet to the very end, giving love without limit. He turned away from the world’s way of insisting on one’s rights and fighting to be the greatest, and instead quietly wrapped a towel around His waist and stepped down into the place of the lowest servant.
Before this great Word, Pastor David Jang gently asks our souls:
Are we avoiding the holy suffering of the cross, chasing only sweet comfort on our lips, and missing the mystery of that deep love?
The psalmist confesses through tears:
“I know that it was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees.”
In the cold eyes of the world, suffering and the cross may look like complete failure—like a valley of pitch-black darkness. Yet from a theological perspective, that darkest valley becomes the only radiant passage leading into true glory.
For tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance refines and strengthens our inner life, and in the end it yields a hope that cannot be broken. You cannot welcome the brilliant morning of resurrection without passing through the deep night of death.
At this point, Pastor David Jang’s meditation strikes our souls most strongly: without the suffering of the cross, there is no genuine glory of resurrection. This spiritual truth must be learned not only in the mind, but embodied in life. The cross is not a period that ends in failure or despair—it is the most perfect and glorious victory that turns death into life.
Then how should we, who live today, receive the meaning of suffering?
When moments of pain—pain we want to avoid—come upon us, we need the maturity not to dismiss them as mere bad luck. Tears and wounds that come through practicing self-giving love are never meaningless. They will become the great “first drops” that usher in resurrection power and change the world.
As you walk along with Pastor David Jang’s deep sermon today, I hope you will remember this: the heavy burden you carry in life may actually be a holy refinement—preparing you to become the brightest star of glory.
Even now, each of you may be carrying a hidden pain and a cross in your own place. How does this message speak to your life? Please share your story in a warm comment.
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