Jesus Walking on Water and the Problem of Suffering

Depths of Pentecost ^ | February 9, 2019 | Philip Cottraux

[pcottraux]

Jesus Walking on Water and the Problem of Suffering

By Philip Cottraux

Job lost everything. His livestock was destroyed, his children all died, and he was smitten with painful boils from head to toe. His friends rebuked him and his wife urged him to curse God and die. Job cried out not so much for an end to his suffering, but an explanation. In the last four chapters, God finally appears in a whirlwind, first chastising his friends, then turning to him with an intriguing answer: Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding (Job 38:3-4). Job never got the answer he was looking for. The Lord never explained the cosmic chess game with Satan, but showed up in an unexpected way to demonstrate who He is, then questioning Job why he should question how the universe is run. And that’s it.

Being the oldest book in the Bible, Job sets the foundation for a central tenet of Judeo-Christian doctrine; life is filled with pain and suffering and God seems to abandon us. But even if He doesn’t answer our prayers right away, we should still trust his sovereignty that in the end, things will be alright.

The question of suffering throughout the Bible doesn’t stop with Job. The Old Testament is filled with prophets who suffered for speaking the truth. Jeremiah plead with the Jews to stop idolatry and was rewarded with being thrown in a dungeon. Contrary to critics’ claims that Christianity describes a perfect God but ignores the terrible reality of life, the Bible is actually rife with brutally honest reflections of despair. So many authors of Psalms or prophetic books and grappled with a silent God. This is why prosperity preachers who make millions teaching that God wants us to “live our best life” are so sickening, contradicting one of Bible’s fundamental themes: Many are the afflictions of the righteous: (Psalm 34:19).

Yet Job contains a vital clue in how the question of suffering will later be answered, as it describes God as Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea (Job 9:8). Christians sometimes refer to Noah’s ark as a type of Christ, calling Him our “ark of safety” when tribulation comes. The important detail is that the ark floated on top the water, keeping Noah’s family safe while the rest of the world drowned. Likewise, Jesus walked on water and demonstrated the safety in trusting in Him.

In Matthew 14, Jesus instructed his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away (verse 22). Being Lord of all, Jesus certainly knew the storm was coming and that they would be trapped by the raging seas. To understand His reasoning, we need to hearken back to a previous story in Matthew 8. Jesus had been asleep in the boat during a storm on the Sea of Galilee when the disciples awoke Him and pleaded carest thou not that we perish (fill in blank)?

This time, Jesus they would on their own. I can’t help but recall Job, unwittingly at the center of a controversy between God and the devil. Matthew 14:24: But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind as contrary. All hope seemed lost. They didn’t realize they were there for a divine purpose, set up for an unexpected revelation.

In our worst storms, God seems to have abandoned us. We pray and pray, sometimes for years, our words bouncing off the ceiling. The Psalmist said How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? For ever? How long wilt thou hide they face from me (Psalm 13:1)? Then suddenly, the Lord appears in a way we never imagined. Job was no doubt stunned at the whirlwind. We might not even recognize Him. Christ walking on the water was the last thing the disciples expected to see. They didn’t even realize who He was. And the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit: and they cried out for fear (Matthew 14:26).

It is worth noting that most English versions of the Bible slightly mistranslate Jesus’ response in verse 27: Be of good cheer; It is I; be not afraid. The original Greek passage literally said “Be not afraid: I AM.” Jesus invoked the sacred name of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai: And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exodus 3:14).

A common criticism against Christianity (and all religion) is that its followers aren’t allowed to question it, that asking reasonable questions and demanding proof is akin to blasphemy. This means denouncing questioners is an obvious manipulative attempt to control people’s lives. But it’s not Biblical. I have never found a single scripture that says we are not allowed to question God. In fact, time and time again, some of the greatest men in the Bible fell down and pleaded with the Lord to prove Himself.

Peter didn’t take Christ at His Word. Matthew 24:28: And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. This story flips the question around on the asker. We sit back like armchair critics and demand God prove Himself, then are a bit taken aback when He answers “You prove me.” God never violates our free will. Rather than a forceful being snapping His fingers and making all humanity’s problems go away, the image is Christ standing in an unexpected place, beckoning with one word. And he said, Come (verse 29).

And that one word may be all we get. In the four gospels, Christ rarely gave invitations more than once. Some professed they would go wherever He led them. But it was all talk. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father (Matthew 8:22). If this seems like a reasonable request, remember that in ancient Judah, funerals could last for weeks. The man was asking Jesus to wait for Him. “Just give me a few more weeks, and I’ll follow you” people still say to Christ. Verse 23: But Jesus said unto him, Follow me: and let the dead bury their dead. Don’t put it off. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20). You could find yourself like the Shulamite woman, who heard her beloved knocking but waited too late to open the door. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer (Song of Solomon 5:6).

What are the armchair critics doing to help God solve the world’s problems? Have they fasted? Since they care so much about suffering children, do you find them at hospitals praying for the sick?

Matthew 14:32: And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. The church today is barely surviving the storms this world is throwing at us; but all it takes is getting Jesus back in. We may have pictures and statues of Jesus. Every Sunday morning we sing about Him. But do we truly have Him in our hearts? Do we pray more than just a ritual prayer, but an awesome, raw emotional repentance expecting an answer? Once we do, He will be back in the boat with us and will say to the world, “Peace, be still.” Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God (verse 33).

[pcottraux]

The image of Jesus hanging on the cross is a reminder for everyone. Yet it’s amazing how dense people are in their condemnation of the Christian God.

[plain talk]

well done! Thanks for posting.

[Vendome]

Yeah, it was hilarious given the topic and then seeing that

Still unbelievable, wish I had a picture at least

[pcottraux]

Thanks for reading!