Isaiah 53: 10-11; Psalm 33; Hebrews 4: 14-16; Mark 10:35-45
We open with “It was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.” It is NEVER the will of the Lord to cause pain. “My plans for you are plans of shalom:” peace, healing, wholeness, integrity. Yet, like many of us, trying to make sense of the suffering, we look back on it as God’s will. First of all, the “him” who is crushed is not Jesus but Israel, a corporate person, who was crushed in the Babylonian exile. As Israel looked back on the exile, to whom else could they attribute both their pain and their deliverance? Only God. God is the answer to their every question. Making sense of a tragedy usually occurs only after it is over and one can see again, see the fruitfulness. “Let your steadfast love be upon us,” the psalmist prays. Why not in us? A rabbi taught that God lays love on us so when our hearts break, the love may fall into our hearts for healing. Hebrews highlights Jesus sympathizing with our weakness so that we may approach the throne of grace boldly. In the gospel, Jesus invites us to be servants, as he is. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Only after the tragedy of the crucifixion, could the disciples see how God made this unjust and evil death fruitful.
When has suffering or tragedy struck you? How did you relate with God then? How was Jesus able to sympathize with your weakness? What is paining you now, personally or as you watch the world news? Approach the throne of grace boldly right now and make your needs known.
Deliver your people from death, from famine, typhoon and earthquake. You are the creator of the world. Do not rest. Be with us and all your people, strong to save.