Suffering has many faces and revelations. It means one thing to this person and something else to that person. On occasion the truth about it to the one is not the truth about it for the other. This means the helping individual must be alert to the complexities, and adapt accordingly – in the compassion of Christ. Some persons encountering suffering have been so offended by the approach of helpers that lifetime friendships have been lost. To analyze suffering from theological points of view may be far afield from humanistic perceptions. Evaluations must be made within the context of the individual’s life formation.
God relieves us from making judgments about others, reserving such matters to him, so excused from judgment we relieve suffering no matter what the cause, or where it is found. I may deplore the lifestyle of a person, knowing or believing that it was the cause of his suffering, but at this point it is not for me to discuss the history, the warnings, the follies, or whatever may be perceived to be causes. My purpose is to relieve the situation in whatever legitimate manner I can. Causes may be addressed later or perhaps no opportunity given to address them. This is ministry. We remember that Jesus served all persons who came to him, without finding fault, even though he knew the fault was here or there in human systems. Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: he said in discussing the desperate situation of a man he healed. This did not mean the man was a saint, but only that personal sin in members of the family was not the point to be addressed – now. It is of great comfort that we do not have to account for causes in the suffering of mankind, until the present troubling factor has been addressed to what we might call healing. Even a condemned killer can’t be executed if he is ill, or found as a medical patient by legal diagnosis. If declared to be mentally deficient, the person can’t be jailed, but is remanded to a hospital and restricted indefinitely. He/she may later be reviewed, and be meted out some penalty. The accused may be released if found recovered, and declared irresponsible at the time of the tragic event.
Suffering becomes a part of the nature of a world that is imperfect. This is partly seen in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. One of the prayers of Jesus was on the issue: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. The prayer was for persons who had visited such great horror on him through beating, berating, soiling, and disregarding those who loved him – the nailing, the loss of dignity, the distortion of truth, the general violence, the absence of spiritual perception. Even one of the malefactors, perhaps a Jew, also suffering some ignominy, made remark that meant he believed Jesus to be a lie: If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. The malefactors talked across the person of Jesus on the center cross. The rulers, well learned for their time, concluded that Jesus was false: He saved others, let him save himself, if he be Christ. In other words, he must be guilty of wrongdoing or he wouldn’t be in this fix. For the reader the striking matter was that whether learned leaders or guilty malefactors, they knew that there were declarations of Scripture, of a Messiah. Enough to give pause, but the depravity of man, even in the suffering, was even more manifest in the total. The one enlightening moment was found, at last, in the malefactor who repented. He found forgiveness and promise. Our suffering is foreshadowed in the malefactors. It draws us to faith or falsity. Choose. We need to remember that there is always something that doesn’t fit in the piece. For example: If Jesus did save so many others, why would that mercy be discarded because he refused to save himself? The questions related to the one and the many need answers.
Nothing in humanistic education can satisfy the meaning of this and related matters that we find in Christian Scripture. One seeks faith uniqueness of what may be known from the unknown of God when acting within nature. Christ’s suffering is the highway for humanity opened to God, not only for eternal hope, but for daily life. Spiritual possession is current with physical for those with faith. The world context is amended for the Christian, but it remains as practical application for life, and fills in the omissions caused by ignorance, capacity, human references for life context and experience. Redemptive faith that works for the faithful is like that. Obedient to Scripture, Christians ought to be relaxed in self. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020