Joy and Suffering

There is both pain and joy in giving birth. In fact, most husbands are shocked at the sight of so much blood. On the other hand, the intensity of the joy felt when parents see their child for the first time would be overwhelming. The whole birth can be summarised into a single line: a terrifying, tear-filled paradox.

The same is true for Jesus. His whole life is one great paradox. A mixture of joy and suffering. The Gospel is filled with numerous accounts of Jesus healing and taking the pains of people away.

At the end of the Gospels however, we realise that Jesus’s mission is not to take away the sufferings of people, but to take them upon Himself. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve (c.f. Mk 10:45).

Seen in this light, the miracles of Jesus aren’t ends in themselves. They are signs that point forward to the ultimate overthrowing of suffering and death during His passion, death, resurrection and final coming in glory.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by noelethantan (@noelethantan) on

Photo: Alex Hockett, Unsplash / PD-US.
Noel Ethan Tan

Noel Ethan Tan

Noel is a Singaporean working as a rehabilitation counsellor at ACC(S) Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre. He is currently doing a part-time Masters Program in Counselling and Guidance at NTU, Singapore. In his church ministry, Noel is currently serving in a young adults' Catholic community called Anawim that does Bible Exegesis. Noel is also pursuing a Certificate in Theology at the Catholic Theological Institute of Singapore. His favorite Bible verse is 1 Peter 3:15 — “In your hearts, reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it with gentleness and reverence.”

Leave a Replay

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sign up for our Newsletter

Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit