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Some days ago, I visited a sister who has been hospitalized more than a year. I asked to her, "What do you recently think on the bed?" Her answer was, "Looking at a lot of incidents in this summer, I think the God is really stern and cruel.", and made me startled. What she mentioned are incidents such as a crash of JAL123(on 12 Aug., 1985, JAL Jambo jet crashed in Mt. Osutaka). She seemed to feel distress at many news, and wonder why the God permitted especially those innocent children to face terrible disasters, and concluded the God is cruel. Her reply is a problem we often face. How the God, who created everything in the Heaven and on the earth, is reflected on our sight of heart. Do you see the God we believe as a cold, cruel, horrible God, who does unreasonable things? Or, is He a God who hold us with unbounded and pouring love? This is a huge issue. Everyone, especially Christians face the question, if the God is almighty, and full of love, righteousness and truth, why these brutal trials happen. But how severe these problems are, we are requested to stand still on the base of faith. And if we feel He is cruel, I think our faith is actually lamentable. In the Chapter 25 of Matthew, Jesus told a parable, ordering every Christian to hold his faith firmly and make it fruitful. The Master entrusted five talents of money to a servant, to another two talents, and to another one talent, and went on a journey. He returned and settled accounts with them. Matthew, 25:20,22-26
It is the biggest problem for the third servant that the God is reflected on the eyes of his heart as a hard man, harvesting where he has not sown and gathering where he has not scattered seed, a dreadful person or a severe person. Is it true? How do you feel the God? Actually, sometimes He hits us hard. No one can't follow Him without being hit. But it is His way to deal with us for us to leave from sins, to turn our heart to the true God, to be filled by His holiness, to know His greatness more and more. If we inquire like an outsider why such an incident happens to him, or why it is permitted to happen, we won't be able to find answers. But when we are put into a problem, we necessarily recognize the way He deals with us is righteous, how hard, severe, unreasonable experience it is. All we have to do is to focus only on the God. It is futile to ask Him why as an outsider. John, 21:20-22
The disciple whom Jesus loved appears on the Verse 20 is said to be John. Peter turned and asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "It's none of your business. You must follow me." A relationship between the God and us is important. If an incident happens, the interested party will learn the true meaning of the incident by the Lord. We should not blame what He does out of our turn, and of course we don't authorized to do so. But, actually, we often do it. The God won't answer the question, "Why did the God permit a sin prevail in this world?" He just keeps silence. On the contrary, He asks us, "How do you stand before me?" or "Are you righteous before me?" We ask Him a lot, "Why?" especially before we were saved, we frequently asked with a know-it-all look, "Where is the God?" "There's no God, isn't He?" But this is a stupid question. Because it is us, human beings, who are asked "Where are you?" In the Holy Bible, the God asks again and again "Where are you?" Those who can answer this question are those who know the God. Those who don't know the God will never realize where they are. He's been asking through this question which way our life is moving, where we are, and why we are. But we can't know it by ourselves. It is our foolishness that we ask where the God is without knowing where we are. I think all of us once burned with a sense of justice. Being angry against a contradiction of society, we might have tried to stand against it. But the Holy Bible tells it is an undeserved attitude, forgetting who we are. Psalms, 131:1-3
Here David says, "I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me." He didn't forget who he was and knew he was only a weaned child before the God. We sometimes get angry against a contradiction of society and crimes, and in some cases, we blame and complain even against the God, as if we were a judge. But, as a matter of fact, we are unqualified to do so. Because we can't help even ourselves. David knew it. If we learn more about the Book, we will have an illusion that we know all about the society, and we are the guide for the blinds. By no means! We really don't know anything. We will just wander out of His way, unless we are humble and crushed. It is the beginning of all to realize our sinful life. James, 4:13-16
It is when we realize we live not by ourselves but by His pity that we can turn to Him righteously. Romans, 9:20-21
He says why the creature can talk back to the creator, "Why do you do these to me?" The main theme of Job is that we are required to unconditionally accept what He does. Job was blameless and upright; he feared the God and shunned evil. He is a representative righteous man in the Old Testament. One day, astonishing disasters struck on him. They were trials to reveal how his faith was. Job gradually found answers to questions, if he believes the God because He protects his properties, if he believes the God because it is convenient for him, or if he believes the God because he can understand what He does. On Verse 9 to 11 in Chapter 1 of Job, the answer of Satan to the God is stored. Job, 1:9-11
Satan appealed that the reason why Job believes and fears the God is that He protects his belongings and gave him a happiness and blessings. Then the God said, Job, 1:12
Satan gained a permission to take away all his properties and ten children. In this trial, Job, 1:20-22
Job kept his good faith, so Satan attacked more severely. Job, 2:3-10
If we read Job, we will find that he hold firmly his faith, but gradually some complaints, frustrations, uncontrolled cries came out of his heart. As he can't complain against the God, he cursed that he was born and his existence itself. That's a reason of his bitterness. His wife told him to curse his God and die. But he know it's a stupid. If he looses his faith to the God, he will loose all he has and his position to consider. But He does what is beyond his understanding. This is his agony. Against his will to keep his heart calm, what's in his heart flows out of his mouth. He says again and again, "May the day of my birth perish. That day--may it turn to darkness." His grief is one for those who lost their ways out of His will, those who can't understand what He does and left in agony. Gradually, his complaint becomes bigger and bigger. Then a thought to plead Him because He hit him even though he was righteous, came to his heart. But finally he regains his faith. The Lord didn't directly answer his question, "The Lord, why do you do these to me?" Job, 38:1-6
His reply was to declare His position as the ruler of what He created, and the origin of all existing creatures. He didn't pointed out the reason why He did, but His absolute sovereignty. His answer was, "When all were created, where were you? You are just one of My creature." Job realized it. Job, 42:1-6
Job realized He can do everything, He holds all authorities, and no one is qualified to ask "Why do you do these to me?" We believe the God not because He protects us, He fills us with rich profit. We follow Him not because we can understand everything He does. If we can understand all, the God is helpless. We will never realize His will, His plan. Thus, finally he took a position to rely on the God unconditionally, absolutely. Abraham had the same experience. When he was ordered to offer his only son, Isaac, I think he couldn't understand anything about His will, and he was at the branch point on his way of faith. His decision to obey His order though he couldn't understand His will was became the base of our faith for every human being. Every Christian is destined to face these trials. Cruel treatments will be brought by non-believers and also believers, even though we don't have any reason to be treated so. Anyway, we should move under only a faith, not under our own reason. Otherwise, we will soon be apart from a faith. If we accept what He does even though there isn't any good reason, we will stand on the strong foundation. Martin Luther once said he will accept a pain in the hell if it's His will. It means, it is a faith to accept with REJOICE anything the God does. It is the Heaven where we can be with the Lord, so when we willingly accept His will, the true and rich peace will be realized. Paradoxically speaking, if we follow His will and go into the Hell, it will be no more the Hell, it will be the Heaven. Because, under His will, we will be able to walk with Him in REJOICE. We are surrounded by a lot of things we can't understand. A life is shrouded in mystery. We can't solve the mystery in our life by ourselves, even how hard we try. It is the key to solve it that we keep an attitude to accept anything He does. Paul wrote everything is right for the sake of Christ. That is, he willingly accepts anything for the sake of Jesus Christ, because the God offers us a salvation through Jesus. This is a faith built on really firm foundation. If our faith is self-centered, for example, if we believe Him because it is convenient for us, He will crush it into pieces. If we think we can use Him as measures to fulfill our desires, we will despise Him. The God in the Holy Bible is not such a tiny God. He is really great. It is the faith the Holy Bible expresses that we recognize everything He does for us is right, how cruel it may be seen. |