It Must Have Been So Painful

Kenneth Berding — April 03, 2017

Have you ever experienced pain from someone you deeply love? I have. Few things in life are harder. The hurt penetrates even deeper when the person who has spurned you also turns his back on the Lord. Following is a list I drew up in my journal some time ago during a period when I was facing rejection from someone I deeply loved. This list helped me remember that there are examples in the Bible of others before me who experienced relational pain from close family members, friends, or mentees, but who continued to look to the Lord in the midst of their sorrow.

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It must have been so painful for Joseph to be rejected and then sold as a slave by his brothers.

It must have been so painful for Moses to come down from Mt. Sinai and find the children of Israel engaged in idol worship.

It must have been so painful for Samuel when Saul spurned his counsel and pursued a downward cycle of rejecting the Lord.

It must have been so painful for David when his wife Michal mocked him after he danced in worship before the Lord.

It must have been so painful for David when his son Absalom tried to steal the hearts of the people from David so he could steal the entire kingdom.

It must have been so painful for Job when his wife told him to curse God and die.

It must have been so painful for Hosea when his wife was unfaithful.

It must have been so painful for our Lord Jesus when he was betrayed by his disciple Judas.

It must have been so painful for Peter when Ananias and Sapphira looked him in the eye and told him a bald-faced lie.

It must have been so painful for Paul when Demas loved this present world and deserted him.

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So when I feel pain because someone I deeply care for rejects me, I find spiritual help in these God-given examples of trust in the midst of relational rejection.

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Kenneth Berding

Kenneth Berding is a professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology. He is an author of various books, some academic (such as Polycarp and Paul), some semi-academic (such as What Are Spiritual Gifts? Rethinking the Conventional View), others for-the-classroom (such as Sing and Learn New Testament Greek or The Apostolic Fathers: A Narrative Introduction), and still others for-the-church (such as Walking in the Spirit or Bible Revival: Recommitting Ourselves to One Book). He has published articles in such journals as the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vigiliae Christianae, New Testament Studies, and Journal of Early Christian Studies. He is the director of . Before coming to Talbot, Berding was a church planter in the Middle East and taught at Nyack College just north of New York City. He has a heart for God and ministry, has written many worship songs, and has served as a worship pastor in local church ministry.

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