The Mystery of Lack

How do we respond when we feel that we are lacking? Naturally, the instant we are lacking in ourselves, we feel a deficit. We feel we don’t have as much as we should or could have. The Scripture says of Jesus that, ‘He who was rich became poor’. Phil2:7. He emptied Himself to the point of lack. How does God the Son who is equal with God the Father, suffer lack? He was part of the Triune God, He was born of a woman and walked the earth. The scripture tells us that all things were created by Him and for Him. Col 3:10.

After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended we are told that He created in Himself one new man. Eph2:15. How could that happen? He ascended as one man and sat down at the right hand of the Father. We could surmise that He still had lack, He had room in Himself, and in that space He created in Himself one new man. In the body of Christ there is room for us all. Christ has ‘created in Himself’ but firstly by emptying. He has come to lack and deficit so that we might have a place in Him.

Jesus began His ministry on earth by saying, ‘Blessed are the poor for they shall inherit the earth.’ And, ‘Blessed are the hungry for they shall be filled.’ Mat 5:3, 6. The Son, who existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit, became poor. I think we would agree that God the Father is the source of all Fatherhood, and the Son is the source of all Sonship. The Father could not have sons without the Son. Therefore we cannot be sons of God outside of Christ. Unless the Son emptied Himself to the Father, the Father could never have the many sons that He so desired.

It’s interesting to note that in the New Testament the word ‘seed’ is sometimes spora, sometimes sperma. However, it is always generative. The Father is the source of all seed and the Son is the context in which many sons are born. Of course, unless Christ emptied Himself there would be no room for us.

Charles Darwin made the point that those who lack will be consumed. And that the strong will rule over the weak. The rich will rule over the poor and devour them. While the Gospel does not promise that we will never lack, if we will rejoice in our lack, someone else will fill us.

The Son emptied Himself of His position and privilege; of all His God-being, and He lacked. If the Father had not given to Him the seed of life, the Son would be forever in deficit. The relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Trinity might be likened to a whirling wheel. Each is continually emptying to the other and being filled by the other.

The Apostle Paul says, ‘I do my part to fill up that which is lacking in the sufferings of Christ’. Col 1:24. Some translations may say: ‘make up’, but the literal translation is ‘fill up’. We may protest that there is nothing lacking in the sufferings of Christ! This is not what the apostle is saying. He is not implying that the atoning work of Christ is lacking. Paul is refering to our participation in the sufferings of Christ. If we will pour out and empty ourselves then we will be made full. If we are never in deficit, we cannot be made full.

Paul refered to the help given to him by the Macedonians that allowed him to continue ministering to the church in Corinth. ‘When I was present with you and was with lack I was not a burden to anyone, for when the brethren from Macedonia came, they fully supplied my need.’ 2Cor 11:9. They filled up Paul’s lack. The Philippian church provided material support to Paul when he was ministering to Corinth. However, on a later journey, when Paul was later visiting the Philippians, it was Epaphrus his co-worker, who supplied his needs. Paul said of Epaphrus that he had so emptied and poured himself out, that he was suffering extreme lack. He had risked his life to make up what was lacking in the Philippians’ service toward Paul. Phil 2:30. The principle of emptying and being filled had come full circle for the church at Philippi.

This is the Godhead model. It is the mystery of how Father, Son and Holy Spirit relate together. Back before you and I ever were, the Son did not waver. He was not thinking, ‘Oh no, now I’ve got to empty Myself to the Father. What will I have left?’ He who was rich became poor! Paul was trying to teach this principle to the Corinthians and the Macedonians. The goal is not to be full but to lack. If we lack because we are giving to another, we can be assured that we will receive an abundance. This was the faith of Epaphrus, whose giving took him close to death.

If we want the gospel, we have no other option than to empty ourselves. God disciplines us to bring us to the end of ourselves. In this way we learn to overcome anxiety and the fear of lack.

We need to discover the secret of emptying and being filled. Paul said ‘I have learnt the secret of being filled and going hungry’. Phil 4:12. He didn’t mean that he had merely come to terms with it – He had learnt the secret of how God is. However, having been filled we must not take the increase to ourselves, but rather continue to empty. We learn to empty again and again. We can learn the secret!

Sue Falk

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Feature Articles
March 2008

Reckoning Faith

The Sound of Home

The Duties of Wealth

The Mystery of Lack

A Good Shepherd

The Overstated Metaphor