He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:3-4
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. I would say that the above image is worth at least ten thousand. It immediately caught my attention when it came on the television screen this morning. And it broke my heart.
What do you see in this picture? A statue being spirited away to safety? A grim reminder of the toll the Russian invasion is taking on Ukraine?
I see a graphic representation of the Lenten season. I see Jesus’ body being taken down from the cross. I see people of faith handling his scarred and broken body with reverence and sadness. I see Jesus at his most human.
In this season of Lent, we reflect on Jesus’ suffering and death. This is as it should be. But, let’s also not forget the suffering and death of God’s children. The suffering in Ukraine alone is tremendous. The death toll is in the thousands; the number of refugees is approaching two million and may climb as high as six million.
Meanwhile, the Coronavirus is still among us. Worldwide, it has taken over six million lives, though the real number is probably twice as many (some countries under report). In addition to claiming lives (and businesses), the virus has put an incredible strain on our healthcare workers.
All around us, people are struggling. And always the question is why: why does God allow suffering? It’s an understandable question, but not one with any good answers. Or, perhaps, there are too many answers.
We live in a world broken by sin. We live in a world where people desire power, money and fame. These usually (if not always) come at the expense of others. The real question is why do we allow suffering to continue? We have the resources to end hunger and homelessness tomorrow, but we lack the will to make it happen. We could end war if people stood up to imperialist leaders, but too many of us lack the courage to do so. Instead of curing social ills, we try to insulate ourselves from them.
You might argue: “What about illness, natural disasters, etc. – we can’t control those. Is this God’s will, that we suffer?”
No, God does not want any of his children to suffer. Why are some people struck with horrible illnesses? I don’t have the answer. The same with natural disasters. But, I do know that God doesn’t send these as punishments (see Luke 13:4). To be truly honest, only God can answer why these things happen.
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:32
However, let’s not forget that Jesus is here, in the midst of our suffering. God may not always take away our suffering, but God will be with us and use it as an opportunity to draw us close.
This is my comfort in my distress, that your promise gives me life.
Psalm 119:50
Too often we humans try to explain things that happen in our world when we really can’t. And we are forced to expend a lot of words in the effort. Sometimes it is better to just be still and listen for God. As I may have written before, instead of asking why, we should be asking where, as in “where is God in this?” That is a question we can answer. God is right here, closer than a breath.
Ultimately, that’s what I see in the picture above. It took me over 600 words to get here, and I probably could have just let the picture speak for itself.
Divine Overtones 