We are sharing in Christ’s afflictions because He is in exile now, rejected by both His nation and the nations by and large. As ambassadors for Him, preaching reconciliation to God by the finished work of His son, we too are rejected, mocked, dismissed, etc. It’s during His absence that we must operate by faith, not by sight, and man in his natural state rejects those things that cannot be seen, felt, heard, tasted, or smelled. We are as rejected as He was when He walked here. We are filling up the rejection that Christ continues to have, daily. A JOYFUL affliction.
Interesting explanation not rooted in any Scripture.