Above: Christ Giving Sight to Bartimaeus, by William Blake
Image in the Public Domain
God, Beside Us in Suffering
JULY 21, 2018
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The Collect:
O God, powerful and compassionate,
you shepherd your people, faithfully feeding and protecting us.
Heal each of us, and make us a whole people,
that we may embody the justice and peace of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 42
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The Assigned Readings:
Jeremiah 12:1-13
Psalm 23
Luke 18:35-43
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The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures he makes me lie down;
to still waters he leads me;
he restores my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for the sake of his name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me.
You set a table before me
in front of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me
all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for endless days.
–Psalm 23, The New American Bible–Revised Edition (2010)
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Jeremiah lamented the fact that the wicked (many of them, anyway) prosper and that the righteous (many of them, anyway) suffer. He also prayed for divine wrath against the wicked. That was a predictable and understandable attitude, one which many people have shared. May we be honest, O reader? Have you and I not rejoiced to learn that some scoundrel got his just desserts?
I perceive, however, that Jesus never rejoiced in that. Yes, he became angry with and confronted people who acted in certain ways and harbored certain attitudes, but I sense that he would have preferred that they repent and follow him. He did not even seem confrontational with the wealthy man in Luke 18:18-30, just a few verses before healing a blind man near Jericho. Later our Lord and Savior prayed for those who executed him and consented to his execution.
Blessed are you when people hate you and ostracize you, when they insult you and slander your very name, because of the Son of Man. On that day exult and dance for joy, for you have a rich reward in heaven; that is how their fathers treated the prophets.
–Luke 6:22-23, The Revised English Bible (1989)
The same God who sets a table for us in the presence of our enemies abides with us during difficult times. I have known that presence during my darkest hours. I treasure the blessing of that presence without possessing any nostalgia for the context thereof.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu told a story about a Jew during the Holocaust. A Nazi guard was forcing him to perform an especially dirty, degrading, disgusting, and unpleasant cleaning job.
Where is your God now?,
the guard asked sarcastically. The Jew replied,
Beside me, here in the muck.
Here ends the lesson.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 4, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE EVE OF EASTER, YEAR B
THE FEAST OF BENJAMIN HALL KENNEDY, GREEK AND LATIN SCHOLAR, BIBLE TRANSLATOR, AND ANGLICAN PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT GEORGE THE YOUNGER, GREEK ORTHODOX BISHOP OF MITYLENE
THE FEAST OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/god-beside-us-in-suffering/
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