So, we're about 16 posts into this blog and the majority of the subject matter has been less than positive. I mean, I've spent a great deal of time attempting to tackle the deep and heavy subject of suffering within Christianity and to be honest, I haven't even gotten into the revelatory depths of this subject yet.
You may be wondering at this point what the benefit of Christianity is. I mean if being a follower of Christ is all about suffering and pain, what's the upside? If God's ultimate goal is 'conform us into the image of His son', what exactly does that look like? If you know your Bible, you know that Jesus' story wasn't exactly something that most people would aspire to copy unless you've got masochism issues.
Of course, as with all things relating to God and His Word, Will and Ways, there is much more to Jesus' story than suffering and death.
At the risk of oversimplifying a very complex system of doctrine and faith, I would like to summarize Christianity in one word: Relationship. This entire exercise that God has engaged in is all about relationship; specifically, restoring a healthy relationship with His creation gone wrong.
I'm going to tread very carefully on the bleeding edge of blasphemy here and attempt to look at this world through the eyes of its creator. Consider for a moment the Genesis account of creation from God's perspective. You have just spoken the universe into existence with the power of your Will and Word. You have carefully planned and executed the creation of a planet with a widely diverse ecosystem and an equally diverse assortment of creatures from single-celled amoebas to Blue Whales and everything in between. You have endowed these creatures with inherent instincts that are vital to their survival as a species. You have placed them on a vibrant and fertile planet capable of sustaining their existence till the end of time.
But the crowning achievement of your creative abilities is a creature unlike any other. You have specifically created this being in your own image and given them the same abilities you have, albeit at a considerably diminished level. This creature is not governed by raw instinct but by thought and reason. Like you, this being has the capacity to create, to plan and execute that plan, to laugh and love. This creature is much more to you than an instinct driven animal or an animated clay figurine. This creature is your offspring, your heart's delight, your child.
Like a loving parent, you provide your child with everything they will ever need to live an life of abundant joy, love, peace, and prosperity. Since you are omniscient, you know this creature will need purpose and so you give your precious creation the responsibility of oversight of your perfect paradise. This responsibility is not a punishment or a hardship but a primary facet of this creature's purpose.
Only you can know this creature's potential. Only you can see that in due time, this creature has the capacity to build on the foundation you have laid and create works of art, music, architecture, literature, and so much more. Only you can see the kingdom that you and your precious creatures can build together; a kingdom that will surpass the animal kingdom, insect kingdom, or any other kingdom that You have already put into place. A kingdom that will be based on you as king and on your relationship with your children. A kingdom that, when completed, will make the paradise you've created on Earth look like a fixer-upper. A kingdom that, when finished, will last forever.
But, there is one caveat to this plan. You have given to your child one more ability that will make or break this entire plan. It is this ability that sets him above everything else You have created. This ability is the power of choice and you have given it to your child for a very specific reason.
You have created everything from angels to a zoological paradise but the one thing you want more than anything else is a creature that will choose to walk with you in the cool of the day because they love you, not because that's what they were created to do. You desire to have a relationship with your children because of the choices they have made and not because they were pre-programed to love you. What you desire more than anything else is for your children to desire You above everything else on the planet.
So you put a test in place; a rule that will force them to make a choice. The rules are simple. You have provided them with everything their hearts could ever desire. Just stay away from this one thing. If they obey your one rule, then you have what you desire. But, if they choose to disobey you, they will lose their perfect relationship with you. They will open their hearts and minds to an alternative plan that establishes them as kings and queens over their own little kingdoms. If they disobey your one rule, your place in their hearts will decrease as their wants, wishes and desires for themselves increase.
Of course, we all know how that test turned out.
There's a story in John 11 that I would like to invoke now as a perfect encapsulation of what I'm talking about. The story is Lazarus' death, burial, and resurrection. If you aren't familiar with the story, I'll summarize it for you.
Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary. Word reached Jesus that Lazarus had fallen ill and was near death. The Bible records that when Jesus heard this report, He stayed where he was which was several days journey from where Lazarus and his sisters lived. Two days later, Lazarus died. By the time Jesus finally arrived, Lazarus had been buried for four days.
As Jesus made his way to Lazarus' grave, he had to face the sorrow-filled accusations of Lazarus' family and friends. Martha led the charge by meeting Jesus outside of town and straight up accusing him of neglect ("Lord, if you had been here..."). By the time Jesus reached the tomb, he was surrounded by weeping mourners.
It is during this scene that a very curious verse appears. It is commonly referred to as the shortest verse in the Bible. In fact, it is so short that if you blink, you can completely miss it. The verse contains two simple words that speak volumes about the depth of God's love for His creation.
"Jesus wept." - John 11:35
Now, I need to ask, why do you suppose Jesus cried at this moment? I mean, if you consider how this story ends, it is reasonable to assume he is not crying over Lazarus. After all, Jesus knew he was going to raise Lazarus before he ever started on his journey toward Lazarus' tomb so it is logical to conclude he isn't mourning over a man that is going to be resurrected in a few minutes.
So, is it the mourners? Is Jesus so overcome with compassion for these people that he loses his composure for a few moments? God knows I've been in similar situations at far too many funerals where I struggled to maintain my composure in the face of overwhelming emotional displays from mourning loved ones. Certainly that could be a reasonable explanation.
But I believe Jesus' tears go much deeper than this small gathering of mourners. Again, Jesus knows what he is there to do and understands those tears are about to be wiped away with one miraculous act. So, while it is nice to picture our savior displaying compassion in a moment of sadness, I tend to think God's tears were not limited to this impromptu funeral.
Consider where Jesus is in this scene. He's standing at a tomb of one of his precious children. If you understand Jesus' part in creation, you understand that Jesus was the one who did the actual creating. It was Jehovah God who formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. It was the pre-incarnate Christ who put his hands into the earth and put the creative plan of the Triune God into motion. It was this same Jesus who was rejected by Adam in Eden and who had spent the last few millennia watching his precious creation stumble, fumble, and fall into sin and death.
I believe Jesus wept, not for the moment of death and sadness that surrounded him but for what humanity lost when the choice was made to hide from God instead of walk with Him. I believe Jesus wept over all of sin-cursed mankind in John 11 and not just for one man that would shortly walk out of his tomb.
Now, I could be completely wrong here. But when you consider the price God was willing to pay in order to reestablish the broken relationship with his precious creation, I don't think it is a stretch to see the incarnate God standing in front of a symbol of man's greatest failure surrounded by tear-soaked faces and imagine him thinking back to a time when mourners and tombs were not in his children's future. I think we can all understand why God would cry over His children when you consider that God's original plans for us never involved funeral homes, morticians, or graveyards.
Perhaps, when viewed in this light, we can begin to understand why God is so desperate to transform us from selfish sinners into selfless saints. Maybe we can start to grasp why God has sacrificed everything to provide us with a way to regain what was lost in Eden. Maybe you and I can stop looking at the seasons of suffering as punishment against our sin and see God's methods for His children as the actions of a loving parent who desperately wants more for us than our eyes have seen or our ears have heard.
Maybe we can understand why we've all got an appointment in our Potter's kiln.
NEXT: MORE MUSINGS FROM THE KILN
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