There seems so much suffering in the world, it can be overwhelming. Why does a loving God allow it to happen? It’s probably the greatest reason why people say they refuse to believe in God. Atheists may think that believers have never really faced the problem of suffering – if they did, they would give up naïve fantasies that there is a good God. However, the cross stands as a major question mark for anyone who gives up their faith because they can’t conceive how God can allow evil in his world. At the heart of Christian faith stands the fact that God allowed His Son Jesus to die a cruel and tortured death.
The cross informs us that God knows suffering only too well. God, in the person of the Son, knows what it is to suffer abandonment, agony and death. Whenever a Christian suffers, they know, even if at the time it doesn’t feel like it, that God stands close – not as a distant observer, but an intimate participant who knows intimately what pain is. As Jesus is the unique Son of God, God is no stranger to suffering. It was important for the early Church to emphasise that Jesus suffered in his human nature. Suffering cannot overcome God. God is eternal but suffering and pain are not. Suffering cannot pierce the very essence of God – there will be victory over suffering.
When we endure pain – emotional or physical – two things make it bearable – to know we’re not alone and to know it’s temporary. The Christian knows both of these are true. While suffering is real and strong; God is stronger.
Christian faith offers us comfort in our suffering and the promise of ultimate release from our suffering. But may also lead us back into suffering. Jesus told his would-be followers that they would need to ‘Take up their cross and follow Him’. His contemporaries in Palestine would know what that meant – they would be identified as criminals. In those times, persecution for their faith was a reality so suffering was grim and visible. We may not face that today but our call is to love. Loving others make us vulnerable. Soft hearts get damaged easily compared to hard ones. Hard hearts don’t get broken – you can reduce your suffering by not loving.
When we understand the cross in a personal way – when it dawns on us that the cross reflects how much God loves us, our hearts soften. Realising that our sins led Jesus to that degree of suffering makes us reflect on our own weakness and softens our hearts towards others.
So, the Christian answer to suffering is to look at the most intense suffering of Jesus hanging on the cross. Then to take up his invitation to ‘take up our cross’ with Him knowing that God is ultimately beyond suffering, as we can be, if we continue our life journey with Him.