The idea according to which the afflictions endured by Christians in this world become in the Kingdom their glory, already probably became a commonplace. And nevertheless: what wants to say the apostle, speaking about afflictions, which in "the unseen", on which it is only necessary to look and of which it is only necessary to have in mind, turn around in glory...
The idea according to which the afflictions endured by Christians in this world become in the Kingdom their glory, already probably became a commonplace. And nevertheless: what wants to say the apostle, speaking about afflictions, which in "the unseen", on which it is only necessary to look and of which it is only necessary to have in mind, turn around in glory? Do his words mean only that in the eternal life, in the fullness of the Kingdom "nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten", and every feat of faith of every Christian will receive in his new life a worthy evaluation? Probably, this also. But only it? What is it, in reality, this glory, about which Paul writes? The greatness, the celebrity? Probably, no all the same.
At least, in the Greek-speaking biblical books, this word corresponds to the Jew, which means glory, as God's presence, this very luminous presence, which accompanied the Jewish people throughout their history, beginning with the Exodus. And if to speak about such a glory, then it is necessary to speak already not about the memory and even not the rewards, here it is not about the encouragement of the heroes, even those who completely deserved it.
It is necessary to speak here about this measure of the fullness of God's presence, which is given to the man who seeks for the Kingdom and joins it. Well then it turns out that these persecutions and afflictions, that the Christian endures for his faith and for his faithfulness, open not only to himself the fullness of the life of the Kingdom, but also sanctify him, making him a bearer of this presence of God, which during centuries accompanied the people of God and that penetrated the Kingdom. And the problem here is not in the fact that the afflictions in themselves move the man closer to the Kingdom.
The problem is in what the Savior had already spoken Himself, calling back the inevitability of the persecutions: these persecutions are a kind of compass showing that the persecuted was not on the wrong way. Of course, these persecutions can take various forms, but the aversion by the fallen world of those who bring to this world God's presence, was, is and will be, otherwise the fallen world would stop being itself.
The time will come, when that will take place, the day of the triumph of the Kingdom, when its inhabitants and the carriers of the glory of God will become in the world his’. But for that the world has to be completely transformed, its nature itself has to become other, transparent for the actions of the breath of God and obeying it completely. But for the moment the conflict is inevitable, and "a light affliction open "an eternal weight of glory". "Light" because all which is connected to the fallen nature of the not transformed world is temporary. "Eternal weight" because the Kingdom is for ever.
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4:17 Our light affliction - The beauty and sublimity of St. Paul's expressions here, as descriptive of heavenly glory, opposed to temporal afflictions, surpass all imagination, and cannot be preserved in any translation or paraphrase, which after all must sink infinitely below the astonishing original.
4:18 The things that are seen - Men, money, things of earth.The things that are not seen - God, grace, heaven.