Where Jesus Stands
When we stand ready to suffer for our faith, we are standing where Jesus stood and where he stands even now. He stands with one foot in heaven and the other upon earth, his hands and side scarred by nails and spear. He stands at the very heart of human history human suffering, human death, anguish, and tragedy.
But he stands there like a rock! He stands there having endured everything every human suffering in thought and body. And he says to us, “This is where you must stand, not in a dreamland of faith that deceives you into thinking you can float into heaven on a billowy cloud.
No, if ever you are to enter heaven, you will do so at the cost of serving God at the vortex of human suffering and tragedy, and your only earthly reward will be that people curse you for it.”
In offering this to you, Jesus is merely suggesting what he already has endured. Saint Paul points to this truth when he suggests that we “run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1-2).
So it is! If we follow Jesus closely enough we may experience all that he endured. Do you remember the poignant question he put to his disciples, “Are you prepared to drink of the cup from which I shall drink?” Yes, the giddy disciples responded. And so they did.
This must be our answer also. Then when suffering and sacrifice are required of us, we must respond like Isaiah.
—Norman Shawchuck
To follow Jesus is not to escape suffering—it is to stand in the very place where He stood. Norman Shawchuck reminds us that Christ doesn’t call us to a dreamlike, painless faith, but to a gritty, faithful walk into the heart of human suffering and need. Jesus stands with one foot in heaven and one on earth, scarred and strong, a rock at the center of tragedy and hope. And He calls us to stand with Him—not above the world’s pain, but in it, serving with love and courage, even when it costs us. This is not a path of ease, but it is a path of purpose. When we embrace it, we echo the response of Isaiah: “Here am I. Send me.” And we join the long line of saints who chose the way of the cross because they fixed their eyes on Jesus—the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. If your journey leads through suffering, know this: Jesus has gone ahead, and He stands with you still. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics