The first letter of Peter says, “Christ suffered for us.”
What does the word “for” mean? It can say Christ substituted himself for us or changed places with us, as in “Christ suffered in place of us”. We ought to have suffered, but Christ suffered and we did not suffer.
It can speak of how. Christ, as God, could not suffer, but through our human nature, which he received from us, he could suffer. Christ, as a human, one born of the Virgin Mary, could suffer.
It can speak of cause. Because we sinned, Christ had to suffer. Because Christ is the cause of our salvation, he had to suffer.
It can also indicate a means through which something happens. By or through his human nature, Christ suffered. His human nature was the way for him to suffer.
It could also say that through his leadership, he suffered. Christ, united with us, as the head to the body, suffered for us and all of us, therefore, have suffered with him.
We are united with Christ. Through our baptism Christ had made us totally one with himself. He did not substitute himself in place of us, but he identified himself with us: he is one with us. With Christ, through our baptism we have died with Christ and, if we have died with Christ, we shall likewise rise with Christ. Christ, having died once, can never die again.
Christ is our leader. We follow him. When he was suffering, we likewise were suffering with him. In his death we have died.
All this is done in mystery. In mystery, we experience a part, and another part we do not experience physically, but this other part is real. We share the resurrection of Christ in our baptism in part, but we are going to experience its fullness in heaven.
We have to be patient with the sufferings that come to us. We must likewise live for righteousness. At one time we were separated from Christ, but now, we are joined to Christ and are in Christ, made one with God the Father. If we have suffered with Christ, then Christ also suffers with us. Christ and we are made one. He is our leader and we follow him. He is the head and we are the body.