Once upon a time there was a man named Job who lived in the land
of Uz. Don’t know much about his wife, but he had seven sons
and three “beautiful” daughters. They got along well
and often enjoyed family meals and celebrations. Job was a wealthy
man owning thousands of sheep, camels, oxen and donkeys along with
many servants. He was known in his community as an honest, upstanding,
God fearing man. He was thought to be “the greatest of all
the people of the east.”
Then one day, out of the blue Job was struck with tragedy. All of
his cattle and livestock were killed by foreign marauders. He and
his family were left unscathed for which he gave thanks to God.
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall
I return there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed
be the name of the Lord.” Job continued to praise God even
though he believed that God was responsible for his “naked”
status.
Things went from bad to worse for Job. He was afflicted with “loathsome
sores…from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”
So painful were these sores that for relief, Job “took a potsherd
with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.” Job’s
wife encouraged him to “curse God, and die.” But Job
remained faithful to God, but believing that God was responsible
for or at least allowed his tragedy to persist. In the midst of
his suffering Job began to question: was God testing him, was God
punishing him, had God abandoned him? Job began to curse himself
– cursing the day he was born. Why had he been born if only
to suffer? Little did Job know that Satan himself was in fact attempting
to tempt God by calling into question Job’s faithfulness to
God. Job was in no way aware of God’s continuing faithfulness
to him.
Three of Job’s friends came to console and comfort him. They
were completely overwhelmed and speechless at the horrific sight
of Job. They suggested that he must have down something terribly
wrong to bring God’s wrath down upon himself – so what
have you done, Job? They reminded him that God does not pervert
justice; “God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.”
They encouraged Job to search his heart and to come clean with God.
Job, you must have done something to deserve this. What was it?
Job could think of nothing, and begged God to reveal to him if there
had been some grave misstep on his part. Jobs friends were of no
comfort to him, only adding to his misery: “…miserable
comforters are you all.” Job, knowing himself to be a good
and decent man, was tormented by his friends. Job was left feeling
completely betrayed not only by his friends who now act superior
to him, but also abandoned, betrayed and belittled by God –
a God he had been faithful to for years. Why, why was this happening?
Finally, “The Lord addressed Job out of the storm…”
In the midst of the pain, suffering and tragedy God is present to
Job. The Lord reminds Job of all the universally marvelous and mysterious
creations. The Lord not only claims responsibility for these, but
also continues to be present in all of creation. He questions Job’s
ability to do what God has done. The Lord discounts the suggestions
of his friends. God does not send pain and suffering. Tragedy and
suffering strike good people, but not according to any preconceived
plan by God. However, God is present in the midst of pain, suffering
and tragedy. God is the creator of all that is good, holy, helpful,
loving, caring, marvelous, mysterious and beautiful. God continues
to reside in these and all creations and continues to be present.
The story ends with God blessing Job’s later years. He acquires
even more livestock, his family remains intact, his daughters grow
more beautiful and he lives 140 years enjoying his children, grandchildren
and great-grandchildren. Job repents and remains faithful to God,
recognizing “ …I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
What am I to make of this story? Like Job, I want explanations
for my own pain, suffering and tragedy. What did I do to deserve
this? This must be part of God’s plan – He wants me
to learn something from all this. What is it I am to learn? This
is some sort of test – to see how faithful I am, if I go to
church, if what? There seems to be something deeply engrained in
me – I need to understand. The answer may just be that I will
never understand. It is about mystery. The mystery of God, God’s
love and faithfulness for me; the mystery of ongoing creation, and
the mystery of good and evil and of pain and suffering. The good
news is that God is present within, in the midst of the storm –
the pain, struggle and suffering. Where? Who? How? That is for me
to pay attention to. In the ongoing struggle – who, where,
how are the moments, times, people, occasions of relief, comfort,
joy and love. God is not only the beginning and the end, but the
constant in the midst. The good news is that God is faithful, even
when I feel I am not and especially when life gets really lifey!