IF LIFE IS ONLY SUFFERING ending in death, then indeed there is no reason for hope to be found in the long grind of the dreary days of our existence. But scripture tells us, “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” (Heb. 9:27-28) Seen in its best light, life gives humans the opportunity to do that which is good not in spite of suffering, but because of suffering—it is a subjective free will response that rejects the chaos of the absurd in favor of making meaning for existence by force of will.
Seen in its worst light, there is no standard that can define what is good or bad in life, and therefore there are no moral or ethical boundaries limiting the choices for our actions. The opposition inherently implied in words like ‘good’ juxtaposed with ‘evil’ does not exist, so, for instance, benevolence and depravity are not antithetical, but merely descriptive and without moral weight—no act can be judged or condemned. The Apostle Paul asks the rhetorical question, “But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Cor. 15:12-14)
The bible’s emphatic answer presupposes the perennial asking of such questions, and in fact offers an answer not only to these questions, but to one of the most basic questions of all: Why do we exist? God himself says that “precious and honored in my sight is everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isa. 43:4-7) God’s promise of eternal life is proven in the resurrection of Jesus, “the firstborn from among the dead.” (Col. 1:18)
Early in the Book of Acts we have testimony from the first members of the primitive church, to whom Jesus “After his suffering, presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3) These disciples were amongst many in that early time who physically experienced the reality of a Christophany, in which Jesus literally materialized to them in what appears to be his glorified body. The proof of these personal encounters is born out in the testimony of the lives these disciples lived after Jesus’ ascension to heaven. All but one of the twelve finalized Apostles suffered martyrdom as a result of their faith in Jesus, as well as the one Apostle, Paul, chosen supernaturally. The choices they made that directed their sacrificial actions were motivated not just by the desire to do that which is good as a way of validating the significance of life, but by the standards of the kingdom of heaven. These are the standards that bring clearly defined meaning to the words ‘good’ and ‘evil,’ and expose the chaos and danger of the lack of any standard in the earthly theatre of the absurd. And, these standards give hope that stands firm in the face of suffering. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18)
There is another form of Christophany, different from the physical manifestation experienced by the early church. It is first seen in the bible in Paul’s experience on the Damascus road. “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ( (Acts 9:3-6) The Apostle Paul experienced the presence of Jesus as a ‘light from heaven.’ This is the first recorded manifestation of the ascended Jesus, but not the only, nor the last. There are many accounts of such appearances, stretching into today’s world, of Jesus appearing to various people in this way. Such appearances are not always characterized in terms of a bright light, though this is normative, if one can use such a word about a supernatural event. Sometimes it is described simply as a deep ‘knowing,’ or in terms of a spiritually heard non-verbal voice.
There is a singular truth about all these appearances of Jesus, physical or otherwise: they all are a call and a commission, and the commission is always to act for the kingdom of heaven in opposition to the dark world under the thrall of Satan. The original apostles of the early church all were told by Jesus in their physical presence to “wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4c), and that they would “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The Apostle Paul was told in his supernatural encounter with Jesus, “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:6) And Jesus, through Ananias, would confirm to Paul “how much he must suffer for my name.” (Act 9:16)
Jesus still calls, and still commissions supernaturally. We who are faithful and obedient within the relationship established by his call can count on strong resistance from the world around us as we rise to the challenge of the call, and we will experience suffering because of it. That’s why he tells all his disciples to “pick up your cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) But we are not operating out of our own strength and trying to validate our existence through our own actions—instead, we must operate in the power of the same promise that Jesus made in his appearance to those earliest disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” (Acts 1:8a) We can now stare without flinching at adversity, and transcend all trials through faith. We can now “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18)
Q. Do my storm-clouds have silver linings; are there “showers of blessing” (Ezek. 34:26) in my experience of downpours?
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