JOB QUESTIONS AND JESUS ANSWERS

The theme for our reflection today based on the first reading and the gospel is “Job questions and Jesus answers.” Don‘t be confused I‘ll explain to you.

First of all, let us know, Who is Job? And what does he question? Or what is his question? If we read the first two chapter of Job, we’ll come to know that he was a wealthy and healthy man. Those days it not the possession of money that was the criteria of one’s richness but it was possession of the live-stock. ‘He owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred she-donkeys, and many servants besides.’ And his children: Seven sons and three daughters making it ten which again is biblically a complete number. Everything was perfect in his case. Even his life was perfect: ‘he was a sound and honest man who feared god and shunned evil.’ He was having a perfect and happy life.

It so happened that on one fateful day ‘the proverbial apple cart was overturned.’And it turned out be a dreadful day in his life. He lost everything within a day.The Sabeans attacked Job’s servants, killed them all and stole the donkeys and oxen. Lightning struck and killed all of his sheep and shepherds. Chaldean raiders killed more servants and took all of the camels. A storm blew down his oldest son’s house and killed all of his children. This all happened in one day and Job, the wealthy man became Job, the penniless. (Recession and economic downturn in his life.) And adding to that he was also afflicted with physical suffering. He was struck down with malignant ulcers from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. We know that sufferings come un-warned. But for this man every misfortune came within a day or two.

And you know more than good news bad news spreads fast. And the distant relatives of his come to see him and console him. His wife who is suppose to be for him in good times and in bad said “curse God and die.” It is better that you die I cannot see you suffering.’ And his friends who came to console him enter into a big argument. And the following forty chapters are this big monologues of these three friends and another young man who joins and Job’s response to them. What is the topic of their discussion? It is about the suffering. They say ‘suffering is a punishment from God for some wrongdoing. Job must have done something wrong. So He needs to repent. This was the prominent theme around the time book of Job was written. That was around

sixth to fourth century before Christ. This was the period of Israel’s history after the exile in which a people had been taken from their homeland, and the prophets had spoken of punishment for wrongdoing as the reason for this exile.

But Job from his part denies any wrongdoing. He says that he is innocent and he does not deserve this suffering if it is a punishment for sin. If he is innocent then why was he suffering? This was the thing they were trying to argue for forty odd chapter. Is it not the question which millions of people ask even today. Why there is so much suffering? Why there is so much evil in the world. Why do the innocent suffer? If God is so good and merciful, then why is he allowing the innocent to suffer? Who is responsible for so much suffering in the world: God or man? Are these not the questions of most of us here? Then what is the answer for this?

Look at Jesus in the Gospel. There is peter’s mother-in-law sick and suffering, down with fever. He cures her. That evening, after the sunset they brought to him all who were sick and possessed with evil-spirits. What did he do? He cured them all. Next day after his personal prayer, from which he drew the strength to cure, he said ‘let us go to other places for I need to do the same there.’  Here was a man who was not bogged down by the problem of suffering and sitting down to philosophise and see who is responsible and who needs to be blamed. No use of doing that. Instead, he went doing what he can to alleviate the suffering. I remember in John’s gospel his disciples asking him saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?’(John 9/2) Jesus says “It is for the glory of God.” What he meant was ‘I am not bothered about who is responsible for it. But I will do what I can to ease his suffering and that will bring glory to God.

Thank God Jesus in whom we believe is not an arm-chair philosopher but an action oriented man. He went around doing good. Is it not a great lesson for us who are sitting here and wondering who is responsible for all the suffering in the world and often asking what God is doing up there? What the government is doing? What the USA is doing? Is it not time for us to stop philosophising or questioning and start doing what we can to alleviate the suffering. May Jesus the ‘man of action’ bless you all!  

May Jesus  ‘a man of action’ bless you all!​

Fr. Showreelu Simham