Jesus Suffers With Us

Scripture

 Hebrews 2:10-17

¹⁰ It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ¹¹ For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, ¹² saying,

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
    in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”

¹³ And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Here am I and the children whom God has given me.”

¹⁴ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. ¹⁶ For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.  (NRSV)

Devotion

I don't know about you, but I feel like I have been surrounded by a lot of suffering of late.  Each day, people share tails of grief, anxiety, depression, anger, despair, etc.  Some folks feel as if the past 18 months has caused them to come untethered from all they knew or trusted about the world.  About their friends and loved ones.  About their leaders.  Even about themselves.   And as they drift in this sea of troubled emotions, they often find themselves wondering where God can possibly be amidst all the world's suffering.

The question of theodicy (or where is God in the midst of evil) is not something that can be easily answered.  From a Christian standpoint, it is difficult to reconcile our belief in an all-powerful, all-loving, and always-present God with the fact that evil and suffering exists...and that we are harmed by these things. Setting aside the debate on WHY evil exists in the first place (which is a conversation for another day), we can look at the question of what God is doing when bad things happen to us or our loved ones.

Christians have posed several different answers to this question.  Some believe that bad things happen because God is punishing us for our sins in a manner that can inspire repentance.   Others believe that God has a master plan that requires a certain amount of pain in order to bring about our salvation.  They find hope in saying that while we may feel sad or angry now, we will eventually understand how even the most painful and awful things we can imagine were ultimately for our good.   Others believe that God uses suffering to test or strengthen our faith.These folks usually say something along the lines that God will not give us something that his faithful cannot handle.  

All of these theories show a certain sense of logic and are consistent with specific scripture passages.  All of them have been known to provide a certain sense of comfort to people.  And I am personally dissatisfied by all of them.  I do not believe, for instance that God would hurricanes, terminal illnesses, or the death of loved ones to punish us.  I think that some things that are just too horrible to justify any potential "good" that might arise in the future.  As someone who has sat in the ashes with people who have been crushed by pain, trauma, or grief (and as someone who has been that person myself a couple times), I can say with certainty that some things are too heavy for even the most strongest and most faithful of Christians to handle on their own.

The theodicy that I put the most faith in claims that through Christ, God shares in our suffering.  Because Jesus became human and "like us in every respect" and went on to sacrifice his life for us, he knows how it feels to suffer deeply.  And because he is also fully God, Jesus is strong enough to handle the worst that life can throw at us.  I believe that when we are in crisis--when we are so heavy-laden that we feel crushed or our hearts feel like they have been shattered--Jesus comes to our aid.  He does so by coming alongside us and spiritually taking on the weight of our pain, just as he bore the weight of his own cross.  We may not always realize he's there beside us in the moment, but Christ's willingness to take the majority of its weight onto his shoulders makes our suffering ultimately survivable.  He will keep carrying that weight for as long as we need him to do so. 

Some pain in so deep--some suffering so great--that it stays with us our whole lives long.  Depending on the situation, Jesus will bear that weight forever.  But I also believe that when our initial pain begins to subside and we become a bit stronger and more capable to handling our pain, Jesus starts letting us experience a little more of its weight.  Over time, the benefit of hindsight will allow us to realize just how much of the load Christ has carried for us.  And if the remaining load ever becomes to much for us to bear again, Christ will take some of it back.  

As for why evil (either naturally occurring or human-made) exists in the first place: well only God can truly answer that question.  Until we see can ask God about it face-to-face, let us trust that Christ our brother understands our suffering and is here to help.  Indeed, he he has already helped us more than we could ever know.  And with Christ to help us bear the load, we can be assured that we shall see the day when all evil and all pain will be no more.

 

Prayer

 Jesus our brother, kind and good, you know pains that afflict me.  The sorrows that weigh me down.  The doubts and fears that assail me.  The anger that threatens to consume me.  Come to me now and help me bear the weight of my suffering.  When the evils of this world feel like to much to carry, may your constant presence remind me that I do not carry it alone.  And that with you to bear whatever is too much for me to carry on my own, no weight will ever be too great to keep me from ascending into God's holy kingdom.