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

Finding Glory in the Cross of Shame

As Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, the tears rolled down his face. The prophecies of Is 53 must have flashed through His mind and the frail garb of His humanity shuddered at the thought of the brutal death that soon awaited Him, but mostly the weight of sin that He would have to bear and the resulting separation from His Father. He faced the greatest trial of His life on earth and He faced it alone.

Every person on this earth faces trials on a daily basis. Jesus has not promised us a life of ease but He has promised to be with us “even unto the end of the world.”  In John 16:33, our Lord warned us that in this world we would have trouble, but in His mind as far He was concerned He had conquered the world even before the Cross! He did not say “I will overcome the world.” He said “I have [past tense] overcome the world”!

As followers of Christ, we are called to “take up our crosses” and follow Him (Matt 16:24). Sometimes it feels like we don’t choose our crosses, but rather they choose us. However, God has promised that He would not let any trial befall us that we are not able to bear (1 Cor 10:13). It stands to reason therefore, that the stronger in God you become, the greater your trials will be.

Even those who do not believe in God face trials! The difference is that we have our forerunner, Jesus Christ, who has shown us how to conduct ourselves in the face of looming trials with confidence, grace and strength. Living in the shadow of the cross of uncertainty is not easy, but Jesus Christ has given us the Holy Spirit who is our Comforter and “in all these things, we are more than conquerors because of Him who loved us and gave His life for us.”

Many of our trials are not as serious as that which Jesus faced. The uncertainty of tomorrow is not as serious as the knowing certainty that tomorrow brings only suffering and a cruel death. We sometimes struggle to sleep before a big exam, but can you imagine how Christ felt the night before His crucifixion! We think that working under conditions of looming retrenchment is cruel; what about living your whole life knowing that you were born to die for a race of humanity that would largely reject you? Christ still faces pain and anguish when people who know the truth about Him willingly backslide and fall back into sin because that basically means they think nothing of the cruel death He  suffered and the price He paid to save them (Heb 6:6). Tomorrow, in all likelihood, I will have the gift of freedom. My hands and feet will not be nailed to a cross. Therefore, I have much to thank God for! My trials at this moment are lighter than those of Christ and His persecuted church.

If we cannot deal with the light afflictions of today, how will we deal with facing death for the sake of our faith? Remember, Jesus Christ was “the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” but He is our victorious Saviour who found “joy in the cross”!

"Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."-Heb 12:2

"Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered."-Heb 5:7-8

 Scripture refs: Heb 5:7, Matt 26:37-45, Is 53, Heb 4:15, Heb 12:2