Scope of Suffering
What does the Bible say about how suffering started and how it will end? What does suffering tell us about God and the world? What hope do we have in suffering?
What does the Bible say about suffering? -
- Suffering will end - Revelation 21v3-7
- End of the ideal - Genesis 3v1-7
- Consequences - Genesis 3v11-19
- Jesus is suffering - Acts 9v1-4
- God with us - Romans 8v35-39
Suffering will end
Revelation 21v3-7
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
Questions for reflection or discussion
- What will God do to take away suffering?
- What is the future quality of relationship between God and his people?
- To whom is this quality of life promised?
Thoughts to consider
God, the Father who loves us has an end in view that will take away all suffering and bring us into a deeply satisfying relationship with him that is beyond what we can imagine. This passage relates to the end of this age but in the mean time suffering increases to the end.
End of the ideal
Genesis 3:1-7
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Questions for reflection or discussion
- Before eating the forbidden fruit people were in an idyllic state not causing harm and without suffering. What led to their eating the fruit?
- What were the consequences of eating the fruit?
- How does the self protection that began in this text lead to suffering?
Thoughts to consider
When innocence was lost for the sake of the knowledge of good and evil, the possibilities of evil entered the world and the road to suffering was started.
Consequences
Genesis 3:11-19
“Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
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Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
Questions for reflection or discussion
- Eating the forbidden fruit brought widespread consequences of suffering. That loss of innocence impacted in the natural world. What consequences to eating the fruit are mentioned here?
- How did the eating of the fruit affect relationships?
- How did the eating of the fruit impact what is precious to people?
Thoughts to consider
When a person betrays God, the implications are far reaching. There is an impact on people and the environment. Yet thankfully, God is merciful and forgiving. There is no way back to the idyllic, innocent state but with God we can find grace and strength to live through these challenges.
Jesus is suffering
Acts 9:1-6
Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.
As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Questions for reflection or discussion
- What was Saul doing to those who followed Jesus?
- How did Jesus experience this persecution?
Thoughts to consider
God’s people are Jesus’ body on earth. When we suffer he is also suffering. We wonder why he allows us to suffer as if it means nothing to him, but he is suffering as we suffer.
God with us
Romans 8:35-39
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Questions for reflection or discussion
- What is God’s posture towards us in suffering?
- Why should we be hopeful in suffering if God is for us?
Thought to consider
God has purposes of which we know nothing. We can feel overwhelmed by what we are going through, and even feel separated from God, yet he has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31v6)
Overview questions for reflection or discussion
- What hope do we have when in suffering?
Thoughts to consider
When we suffer, Jesus who suffers with us will comfort us in all our suffering. He will do this through others who have suffered or more directly through the relationship we have developed with him.
