In the Bible there is more than one cause of suffering.
Some people suffered because of their sin or the sin of others.
Others suffered as a consequence of a bad decision, or someone else's bad decision.
Still others suffered from sickness or natural disasters.
Some suffering was self-inflicted, while some suffering appeared to be no fault of the sufferer.

Suffering was so prevalent in the life of Jesus that He is known as the "suffering servant" (Isa. 53) and the final week of his life is referred to as his "Passion" or "Suffering" (the terms "passion" and "suffering" are the same in Greek and Latin, identifying the link between our willingness to suffer and that which we care passionately for).

Jesus himself suffered for a variety of reasons. He suffered as all of mankind does as a result of Adam's sin. He suffered on our behalf as the result of our sin. He suffered punishment, ridicule, hunger, the death of loved ones, bad weather and more - but none of it was the result of His sin. Despite being sinless, He still suffered. Jesus is evidence that good behavior is not a guarantee against suffering.

Perhaps more significantly, Jesus suffered for obedience. Jesus' obedience to God was the primary, underlying cause of all His suffering. Jesus' obedience to the Father caused Him to willingly leave Heaven and come to Earth, knowing what lie ahead.

Jesus suffered for the sake of obedience and, in fact, learned greater obedience through what He suffered (Heb. 5.8). Jesus was "perfected" through suffering (Heb. 2.10).

Most people would admit that suffering can bring our selfishness, pride and doubt to the surface, forcing us to honestly deal with them or ignore them until the next round of suffering. But Jesus didn't have any sin to be surfaced, so how was He "perfected" through suffering?

In Jesus' suffering He narrowed His focus. His suffering provided clarity on His mission. His suffering revealed His passion. His suffering increased the glory on His life - the weight of His calling. Suffering increased His influence, His credibility, the clarity of His message and the power with which He ministered.

Here's why this matters; a great deal of American Christianity is pro-comfort and anti-suffering. Which means that a great deal of American Christianity can be anti-obedience, anti-sacrificial, anti-passionate, anti-focused, anti-sanctifying and anti-glorious.

If your life is built around comfort you will not have clarity, passion or glory.

No one should pray that they receive more suffering, but no one should expect that following Jesus will eliminate all suffering from their lives. Jesus, the Suffering Servant, is not an escape from earthly suffering - He's an invitation to suffering - an invitation to a passionate, focused, weighty life.