the paradox of suffering

I've been thinking a lot this week about why bad things happen to good people. A good friend of mine just found out some really bad news regarding her dad. He has to endure something that he doesn't deserve. He is being punished for something he didn't do and I can't figure out why. Why did God not intervene? Why did God not bring his justice when it was needed the most? I can't answer those questions and it bothers me.

And then I read the story in Mark 8:27-33 where Jesus asks his disciples about who they say he is. Peter is the first to answer, "You are the Messiah." Jesus then immediately begins to talk about all the suffering that the Messiah must endure. I can imagine how conflicted the disciples must have been hearing about that. Their understanding of 'Messiah' had nothing to do with suffering. They believed the Messiah would be a conquerer, a king - someone who would destroy their oppressors in a blaze of glory.

Only trouble was, Jesus' blaze of glory had nothing to do with the death of Israel's enemies and everything to do with his own death.

Peter can't stomach the things Jesus is saying. "Don't, stop, please. You're scaring the men. You're not going to die. You're not going to suffer. You're the Messiah! God wouldn't let that happen."

And Jesus rebukes him. "Get behind me, Satan. You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

My humanity prevents me from seeing things from God's point of view. I want instant gratification. I want all my friends and loved ones to be protected from pain and suffering. I want God to put a force field around me and all Christians so that they never have to endure any kind of hurt. But that's not the way it works. Even my Jesus had to suffer. Even my Jesus had to hurt. Even my Jesus had to die.

Life on this planet will never be free of suffering. Adam and Eve's choice to sin ensured that. Jesus' choice to suffer and die, however, ensures that Christians are not bound to suffer forever. Our pain and hurt are temporary. The injustices we endure at the hands of our fellow humans will not be repeated in heaven. In fact, they'll be straightened out in heaven.

The war has been won, definitively. Satan has no power over us anymore. That doesn't mean he won't still try to hurt us, though. When we set our mind on divine things, we begin to see our suffering for what it really is - the work of an angry, defeated enemy. We begin to see that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12).

Fight on.