In this world there is suffering. Anyone who would deny that fact has not yet taken time or does not have the aptitude to see life. It is easy to ask why is there suffering if there is a God of love. A parent that loves their child does not want the child to suffer. Why would God allow his children to suffer? Our Lord Christ Jesus suffered. He suffered a brutal beating and the cross. He also suffered before the cross. He suffered with the misunderstanding and abuse of the Word that was given. He suffered when He saw the dealers selling animals for the sacrifice in the temple. He suffered to see the law become more important that the Lawgiver and a stone put around the necks of mankind.
As parents we would love to keep our children from pain and suffering. But we cannot. We watch our children grow and we know that some of the things they do will bring them pain. We try to tell them and maybe even punish them to keep them from harms way. But we cannot. And we suffer in our hearts. God suffers also. How could the All Knowing God not know what our mistakes can cost us in pain? Jesus suffered when His disciples could not understand. Jesus knew that the misunderstanding would/could cause pain to the disciples as well as those that followed. In Mark nine verse nineteen Jesus asked, “How long must I suffer you?” Some Bible translations say, “How long must I bear with you?”
We cannot end our children’s suffering, no matter how hard we might try. But we do suffer with them and we suffered before they did. A mother suffers pain to bring a child into the world. Both parents suffer the pains of raising children in an uncertain world and it has always been that way, uncertain. Eve brought Cain into an uncertain world. And both Adam and Eve suffered the loss of Abel and the curse on Cain. Even as our children do things, they see as fun, we suffer knowing the outcome. And when the pain catches up with our children, we suffer the more with them. If we could take it away, we would. But we cannot. God suffers in these ways with us. And God suffers all the more, being the Father of all of mankind.
Jesus came to the earth and lived and suffered and died so that we could know that we are the children of God. Jesus Christ came out of His tomb so that we would know that life is more than what we suffer today. When we take the bread that is our Lord’s body we are saying that we are part of what is and what is to be. When we drink the wine that is our Lord’s spirit, the blood of life, we say that we are not alone in the sufferings of today. When we take our Lord into our hearts we are the prodigal coming home. As parents we love it when our children return home. The returning home is not to live in the home, but reflects the child returning to values respected in the parent’s home. Just as our returning to God by way of accepting the suffering of our Lord and His offer of the Holy Spirit is a return to values respected in God’s home. Our home becomes a house of God and we a home for the Holy Spirit.
As soon as Jesus had transcended into heaven, mankind began to unravel the meaning of His life, death and resurrection. It has been said that if no God had existed, mankind would have created one. The statement is sometimes used as a disproof of God’s existence. Diamonds exist but there are still man-made diamonds. Does that prove that diamonds do not exist? It is easy to see that mankind has created gods, but man did not create God. Man created gods because they do not know God. In the same way mankind has created a lord, or more than one, because they do not know the Lord Christ. Some created a lord of and worship only the tithes and offerings they collect in His name. Our Lord Jesus Christ must suffer much seeing these abuses of His life and His name.
God is not just for some and nothing for others. Jesus is not just for some and nothing for others. God is our Father, a parent. Jesus is our Lord and our brother. We are all children of God, both the lost and the found. There is no price to pay for bringing our Lord into our hearts. He paid the price. There will be suffering. Just as our Lord suffered the unbelieving, we will also. It will bring pain to see a brother or sister, and all of mankind is our brother and sister, suffering. It will bring pain to see our Lord’s Word being abused. And sometimes those without understanding will inflict pain on us. And life itself will bring us pain and in death many will suffer. Our Father and our Lord suffers with us and suffered before us. But today is not all there is of life. Do not suffer alone. Bring Jesus into your life. All your suffering will not end. But if you know why you suffer, you can find joy in it.