In the Face of Suffering
Introduction
In many ways, the current pandemic is happening at a terrible time. Not that there is ever a good time. But we are approaching Easter, the high point in the Christian calendar. COVID-19 is threatening to disrupt our Easter celebrations. None of us want that.
In another way, it couldn’t have come at a better time. People often ask about how God could allow suffering. The Christian answer is that God joins us in our suffering through the Son of God on the cross. Yes Jesus died for our sins but Jesus on the cross is also about entering into solidarity with our suffering. When we suffer, we look to the God who suffers with us.
What we are going to look at is the journey to the cross and Jesus’ experience on the cross before his death. This is done in front of different kinds of people and in their responses, we see the different ways we can respond to suffering.
Despair
After Jesus was condemned by the Romans, he was led to the place of his crucifixion. Jesus was so weak from his beatings that he required the help of a man named Simon to carry the cross. On that way Jesus encountered a group of women wailing and mourning. In one way, it is good that they were doing this. What was happening to Jesus was terrible. He was not just an innocent man, he was God incarnate. These women knew that this was wrong and so they passionately grieved this injustice. This is a good response if it is temporary.
The danger is that some people never get beyond the initial despair of the suffering. People get stuck. I experienced this a bit in my own life. Both of my parents are dead. My dad was sick for three years, he received treatment and he did far better than the doctors expected. We were prepared for his death. My mother, however, only learned that she had cancer a couple of weeks before she died. She moved in with us but was taken to the hospital after just one day and she never came out. Even years after her death, I would catch myself saying, “I’m not okay with this.” Things should have been different. I’m still working through some of my emotions about her death and that was eleven years ago. Grieving and mourning that things are not the way they are supposed to be is good but parking our mind in the place of despair is not healthy. During our current crisis, I can feel the pull toward despair. We should be concerned about the pandemic but we should fight against the long despair.
Mockery
The women were grieving what was happening to Jesus. Some of the other people had a different response. These people responded with mockery. Instead of having pity on Jesus, they sneered at him. This included both Roman soldiers and some of the Jews that were nearby. Crucifixion was a unique means of execution in that it was designed to be public. Part of the deterrent was not just the painful death but the humiliating nature of it. The Romans hoped that people would make fun of those who were dying. If that seems bizarre to us, we need to remember that it was not that long ago that whole communities would gather to watch an execution. One article I read said “An estimated 20,000 watched Rainey Bethea hang in 1936, in what turned out to be the last public execution in the U.S.”
People still respond in a similar way. In many ways this is the flip-side of the previous response. If despair is the turning inside of our strong emotions, mockery is the taking out of our emotions on other people. People may even react this way to protect themselves from those inward feelings.
Does this still happen today? Spend some time on social media during this current crisis. There are some pretty mean-spirited things being said. I’m not talking about those who make jokes about it. You can see that people are making biting comments that are intentional attacks on other people. My observations, both as a pastor and as a regular guy, is that a crisis will either bering out the best or the worst out of people. It is like that urge to take out our anger on someone else, even if they are undeserving, is just under the surface. When we are under pressure, it can feel good in the moment to hurt someone else. But in the end, it is not beneficial for anyone.
Calling Out to Jesus
In desperate situations, there is the temptation to take out our feelings on ourselves or on other people. But there is a third option and it is found in my favourite part of this passage.
Very often in Easter paintings, you will see a hill with three crosses. That is because Jesus was crucified with two criminals. One of the criminals mocked Jesus, just like the Roman guards and Jewish leaders did. But the other criminal, he had a different response. First he rebuked the other criminal for his comments, knowing that Jesus was an innocent man. Then the one criminal did something amazing. He called out to Jesus in faith. That may not seem strange since most of us have done the same thing. But this criminal saw Jesus at his lowest point. He saw Jesus nailed to a cross, soon to experience death. By calling out to Jesus in that state, that was a real act of faith. Listen carefully to what he said. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” There was no theology test. There was no opportunity to impress God with good works. It was simply a request, a pleading for Jesus to remember him in his kingdom. Remember the trial before Pilate and Herod and how they heard that Jesus was a king but didn’t believe it. This criminal, by speaking of the kingdom, is truly believing that Jesus is a king. A king on a cross but a king nonetheless.
Look carefully at Jesus’ response. “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The man calls upon Jesus and Jesus responds with grace. He asks no more of the man than that he join him in paradise. Paradise is a Persian word for garden and this is a reference to the Garden of Eden. Not that they go back to the physical Garden, but that they would go to a place where they could enjoy an Eden-like state. They would be back in the real presence of God.
During our crisis, we can fall into despair or we can attack other people. Or we could call upon Jesus. We acknowledge we are helpless in our own strength and fall upon the grace of Christ. If the criminal could have faith in Christ crucified, how much more can we have faith in Christ risen from the dead.
Conclusion
We will eventually get through this crisis. But there will be another one around the corner. It may not be global, like the Coronavirus, but something will come. How will we respond?
It is normal for us the grieve and mourn in difficult times. The danger is if we get stuck there. We may be tempted instead to take out our frustration on other people. We can mock people or make biting comments. That never helps. The criminal on the cross gives us the best response. Let’s just throw ourselves on Jesus’ mercy. We don’t have to have all the answers. I don’t think that the criminal had even a clue that Jesus would rise on the third day. But he did believe Jesus was a king and that he had a kingdom and he wanted to be included in that kingdom. That is enough for us as well. And remember, when we do that, paradise awaits.
