Tag Archives: Suffering

Lessons from Mark, Part 2

Posted on by under God, Scripture

Journal 2018

“That’s why I have come.” (Mark 1:38)

Jesus declares He’s there to preach, but He keeps getting sidetracked by people just wanting their physical needs met. Yet He doesn’t view meeting people’s needs as a distraction. He has compassion on them, even as He continues to fulfill His mission to preach. But there were consequences to His compassion (v. 40). Jesus is hindered from preaching in the villages after He agrees to heal a leper who disobeys Jesus’ command to go to the priest and to keep quiet about it. Jesus may not have been as comfortable sitting on a rock in the sun outside the village instead of meeting people in the privacy of a home or in the synagogue. But God’s Word will not be thwarted. The people find Him and come to Him.

The Triumphal Entry (Mark 11:3)

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

When Jesus gave instructions to His disciples about finding a colt, they were to say to the owner, “The Lord needs it AND will send it back here shortly.” I’ve never before noticed the “and.”

Who kept up with it the whole time they were in Jerusalem? Who returned the colt and when? I know the donkey incident fulfilled scripture, but I still ask, on a practical level, why He did it. Why ride when no one else does? And why a colt?

On Regret (Mark 14:72)

After he denied Jesus three times, Peter broke down and wept.

This strong, overconfident braggadocio with a choleric temperament falls apart when confronted with his own failure. Weeping and repentance are appropriate, but regret can paralyze. Afterwards, shame rushes in to keep one bound. Only Jesus’ gentle question, “Peter, do you love Me?” releases all the shame and regret.

On Envy (Mark 15:9)

Pilot knew that the chief priests handed Jesus over to him out of envy. Envy so blinded their hearts and minds that they were ready to commit murder and release a murderer, Barabbas. How ironic and twisted is that?

Why envy and jealousy? What did Jesus have that they didn’t and that they wanted? A following? Respect? Their pride revolved around self-righteousness. Keeping and teaching the law required years of study and hard work. They had their Ph.D. in the subject, after all, and along comes an uneducated Galilean who has more wisdom and more knowledge than they’ve gained in a lifetime of study. And something else—He has power. They’d never seen anything like it, and they were afraid because they were losing control. When we lose control, we feel powerless and vulnerable, and we don’t like that feeling. What if Jesus was teaching the truth? Then my lifetime of self-effort turns to dust, and I am left humble and humiliated like Saul.

Humble yourself in the sight of God and He will lift you up (James 4:10).

The way up is down. Counterintuitive. “Let go and let God” is more than a cliche.

Jesus’ Torture (Mark 14)

We usually focus on the whipping, which would be pain beyond endurance in itself, but today as I read this account, I realized He most likely had brain damage or a concussion due to the blows on His thorn-crowned head. And add to that, sleep deprivation. No one without supernatural ability could stay present through this all and have a coherent thought in his head. All a person wants in the midst of torture is for the pain to cease. How did Jesus stay true to Himself?

“My God, My God” (Mark 15:33)

A popular song claims that the Father turned His face away at the cross. What utter nonsense. Jesus was feeling temporary separation from His Father, but God does not turn His back on us when we suffer or sin. The Father’s love is infinite and complete, and He embraced the pain along with His Son. Turning away would be avoidance or denial. Pain yes, but not separation. As part of the Trinity, the Spirit felt pain at the cross as well.

My trauma clients often ask, “Where were You, God, when it happened?”

And He always answers, “I was there. I felt your pain along with you.”

Five Theologies

Posted on by under Choices

Journal 2005. I can’t remember the source or author, but I found this in my files. I’d be happy to attribute it correctly if anyone knows who wrote it.

The author listed five types of theology and stated a local church must have at least three of these to be balanced and effective.

  1. The mystical (emphasis on inner healing, Holy Spirit)
  2. Suffering (third-world countries often live here)
  3. Sin-Salvation (fundamentals of the faith)
  4. Social injustice warriors (feed the hungry, heal the sick, anti-abortion)
  5. Self-fulfillment (typical American, those who live in peace and prosperity)

To make it personal, I wonder how these apply in my own life. I’m moving toward the first one. I’m acquainted with suffering vicariously through my clients and African roots. I’m intimately familiar with #3 because of my MK upbringing. I agree with the need to address social injustice but don’t do much about it. And I have the luxury of living in peace and prosperity. Does this mean I’m balanced and effective? I’m not sure.

Where does your local church fit in this list? Where do you? Do you agree with the author?

A 2021 update. I have become more laser-beamed toward #1 because of my ministry and #5 because of my current culture. Perhaps I’m a little imbalanced, according to this author, but I think I am more effective because I understand my gifting and calling. But when the church body works together, we can partner with others who live out a different theology.

Learning Through Suffering

Posted on by under Emotions, Scripture

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered (Hebrews 5:8 NASB).pexels-photo-551590

Was it only at Gethsemane and the cross that the Son of Man suffered and therefore learned obedience? Or was He learning it all along?

How was junior high for Him? Was He rejected, accepted, or loved by His peers? As a toddler, did He get into trouble for wandering off? When did He first understand enough to respond in obedience to Mary or Joseph’s commands? As a ten-year-old, ever feel sad when He saw injustice, poverty, or illness, and knew that it wasn’t His time yet to make things right? That he had the power to heal, but didn’t because He was learning obedience to His Father? What about His temptation in the wilderness?

Was it a shock to Mary when she had a second child and found that he had a sin nature? Did Jesus’ sibs feel jealousy toward Him? Was He given preferential treatment because He was the firstborn, or because He was such a goody-goody? I suspect Jesus’ suffering began at conception—the Creator of the space of the universe confined to the space of a womb.

Why am I surprised when someone reacts positively during a trial? I expect him or her to struggle, to rage, to cry and complain. But when someone gives glory to God and rejoices in the suffering, I’m suspect. Is she for real!? Perhaps it’s because I know my own heart. . . .

Why do I/we believe that we don’t deserve sorrow and pain? Our behavior is often an attempt at pain denial or pain removal. When is pain part of God’s plan and we should embrace it and lean into it?

Past emotional pain—remove it. Present pain—lean into it.

There’s always a purpose for our suffering . . . God never wastes our pain. Jesus learned obedience. What have you learned?