One of the things that’s so great about living in the light
of God’s truths is that ordinary words can take on greater depth and meaning
that the rest of the world may never know.
The word “comfort” is one such word.
Our culture’s definition of comfort is a state of physical
ease, a lack of pain or constraint. In other words, to feel comfortable is to
feel good and unhindered.
But is this how our Lord uses the word comfort in the
Bible? After a formal greeting, Paul
starts the letter we know as Second Corinthians with this passage:
Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all
comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we
may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with
which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's
sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and
salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you
experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as
you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
A closer look at the word comfort, repeated five times in that short passage reveals
something much richer than making a person feel good. The Greek word paraklēsis, translated as comfort, literally means “calling to
one’s side.” This coming alongside
another can mean encouragement or consolation, but it can also mean
exhortation.
When coming alongside a person who needs comfort, we may be
called to encourage them – literally, to strengthen one’s heart – by just being
present and offering simple consolation, OR we may be called to come alongside
in order to help turn them in a new direction, if they are going the wrong
way. This could be very uncomfortable by the world’s definition,
since it does provide constraint when the world wants no constraint.
At the root of Biblical comfort is the concept of needing a
Savior. In fact, in Luke 2:25, this same
Greek word is used when it talks about the “consolation of Israel” – a phrase
often used to refer to the waiting for the Messiah. True
comfort, or consolation, only comes when we are rescued from our sin by our
Savior. But, of course, in order to
be saved, one needs to acknowledge that he is in need of a savior… which is
uncomfortable to say the least.
When considering how we are to comfort others, we can look
to the best example, the Paraklētos
Himself, the Holy Spirit, our Helper or Comforter. He is not just a sweet, mystic cosmic hand
patting us gently, saying, “There, there, it will all be alright.” His job, according to Jesus, is to teach us
all things and to remind us of what Jesus said.
And Jesus said all kinds of uncomfortable things that we sometimes do
not want to be reminded of! And yet,
that is what the Comforter does…. because He knows the way to true comfort.
In our house we used to have a big banner up along the width
of the living room wall that said in giant letters, “It’s OK to be
uncomfortable!” I intended it to be a
reminder that our immediate satisfaction does not have to be out constant goal…
It’s ok to be a little hungry without completely freaking out, etc.
But, in light of this week’s sermon, maybe there is another
level to this truth. Sometimes our
uncomfortableness can actually be leading us to a deeper comfort, and maybe the
Comforter is at work in our lives. Now
that’s good news!
