Suffering...

We can't ignore suffering. Having a social and moral conscience is now THE NORM and the lack of concern for the poor & helpless will only see us getting labeled as 'heartless', 'selfish' and 'socially-insensitive'. Even the business world has an acronym for it--CSR (corporate social responsibility). While it doesn't make business sense, companies deem it as an implied obligation and the lack of it results in undesirable consequences.

China & Myanmar have now become the latest "victims" in "acts of God" and this raises the ubiquitous question-- "If God is good, why does He allow suffering". My friend's 6-year-old daughter asked her this question recently and I don't envy her position at trying to explain philosophy and theology to a 6-year-old! :p

I won't share my views on why God allows suffering but keeping in mind the suffering in the world today, I'm brought back to the period of 3 B.C. to A.D. 33. To the kind of world Jesus Christ lived in....

First of all, Jesus' birth was during the reign of Herod the Great. An author wrote this 10 years after his death, "an arrogant king...a reckless and godless man...who will exterminate their chief men...and bury their bodies in unknown places...he will slay the old and the young and show no mercy...terrible fear of him will come over all the land". This was the king who killed 2 brothers-in-law, his own wife and 2 of his own sons. 5 days before his death, he ordered the arrest of many citizens and decreed that they be executed on the day of his death, in order to guarantee a proper atmosphere of mourning in the country. Under Herod's regime, hardly a day went by without an execution. And specific to Jesus, Herod was hunting him down for fear of another 'king of Jews' (Matt 2:1-6)

Imagine raising a child under these circumstances!!
Funny how seldom we think of this during Christmas...

Fast forwarding to the time when Jesus was growing up and eventually starting his ministry, Judea and Galilee weren't too peaceful and safe. Violence was commonplace as the Romans took over direct command of these regions. Pagan soldiers patrolled the streets and abused their power, Roman taxes reached new heights and the governor of the land, Pontius Pilate, had the notorious reputation as being one of the most cruel Roman governors. Journeying through the regions of Judea & Galilee was by no means a walk-in-the-park

So... Jesus knew suffering. He'd seen it, felt it, lived within its filthy stench. His beloved Jews had sunk to an all new low and its leaders had desecrated the purposes and meanings of the old Law. What was once set there for righteousness, became a myriad of rules and regulations, demeaned to become a legalistic nightmare. What's more, they were now mere puppets, under the control of the Roman empire. I can't begin to imagine the emotional and spiritual turmoil all these must have brought about in Him. (Matt 23)

In addition, Jesus' own background and social status didn't earn Him any favours. Socially, He was ridiculed as being a Nazerene (Jn 1:46) and professionally, He was but a carpenter (Mk 6:3). Jesus, in all His supreme divinity became human. He experienced hunger (Matt21:18), exhaustion (Jn 4:6) and thirst (Jn 19:28). People exalted Him as King one week (Matt 21:1-11) and crucified Him the next (Lk 23:26-49). His closest confidants and friends, even after seeing who He was and all that He had done failed Him at his darkest hours (Matt 26:36-46; Lk 22:54-62).

Jesus knew suffering. But in midst of it all, He never asked any questions. On the contrary, He looked to His Father for comfort and help. His whole life was an example of ultimate obedience (Heb 5:8)... obedience till death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:8).

If one of the key issues in life were suffering and the alleviation of it, Jesus need not have entered the world in the most humble of manners. He could have displayed his infinite might by coming down in a pillar of fire and taken charge of the governments of the world by proclaiming Himself as the rightful King. He could have, in a loud voice, rebuked all the natural disasters of the world and shouted, "BE STILL!" He could have removed all diseases and plagues threatening to engulf all biological life on earth.

He could have...

But instead, He came "under the radar", dwelt within the throes of humanity, subjecting himself to all the physical rules that He Himself set in place, being one of us in all our weaknesses.

So whilst we might never fully understand why God allows suffering, we know that HE has suffered too. And more importantly, Jesus Christ WILL come again to end ALL suffering.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come.