The Presence of Suffering-Why?

I continue the message from last week on the topic of suffering. Last week we focused on whether the presence of suffering proves the absence of God, and a simple story helped illustrate that it does not.  Stories are powerful tools to help us wrap our minds around seemingly abstract concepts like suffering. Jesus often used parables to teach important lessons about His Kingdom from the simple elements of our earthly existence.

There is much suffering in our world today. When our first parents in Eden made the fateful decision to disobey the commandment of the Lord and eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, their choice unleashed a “Pandora’s Box” of suffering on our world. Since then, we have been writing a history steeped in the blood, sweat and tears of the human race.

The Lord had given Adam and Eve every advantage in their perfect Eden home, yet they failed the one test of allegiance he placed in their path. Had he not put this test before them, satan would have accused him of making beings with no moral choice, mere robots acting on his whim. The Lord did not want a nation of robots; he wanted a people whom He could love and who would of their own free choice, love Him in return. Their eyes were already opened to good since He had open communion with them in the beautiful garden; it was only the knowledge of evil that was withheld from them but only as long as they desired not to know evil. They made their choice. They longed to know both good AND evil. Satan had conveniently tricked Eve into thinking that they were missing something when actually they were not! His clever use of rhetoric that fateful day is still felt in our world today in the form of terrible suffering from the consequences of years of sin. (Gen 3:1-10)

However, Christ did not leave us alone in our suffering. He, of His own volition, joined the ranks of suffering humanity to ensure that we would not die from the curse of sin. The blood, sweat and tears we shed in this life mingle with the blood, sweat and tears the loving Saviour shed as he walked the dusty streets of Galilee, and as He hung suspended on a cruel cross, too sinful for Heaven to regard Him as He took upon Himself the sins of all humanity, yet despised and rejected by the ones He came to save.

Christianity is no bed of roses. If you think by becoming a Christian, you will escape suffering, you are sorely mistaken. In fact, many have increased their sufferings by joining Him. “In this world you will have trouble,” He said, WITH THE CROSS STILL AHEAD, “but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?"-Gen 3:1-9