The Mystery of Suffering

The first point that Kenneth Overberg makes about Jesus and suffering, “Jesus resisted and eliminated suffering” is repeatedly shown through Jesus’ acts of healing in the Gospel. He performed these acts to reduce pain from suffers and to show us that God is present throughout each of our lives even in our time of suffering. The second point, “Jesus rejected suffering as punishment for sin”, means that Jesus never wanted to see any of his brothers or sisters suffer; therefore, we must turn to him in times of despair, not reject him. The last point, “Jesus trusted a compassionate, present God”, shows how faithful Jesus was to God. Even though Jesus experienced the same physical and emotional pain that some humans do, he never lost hope that God will be with him always. The two traditional interpretation of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection have very distinct and contrasting meanings. The first, “A Theology of Atonement and Ransom” is the belief that God enabled suffering on those who sinned. The second, “A Theology of Incarnation”, is the view that God is a gracious who wants to share his divine life. I believe our incarnate God can speak to us in many ways, with Jesus being the most prominent. God brought Jesus into our world to free us from our sins and to give us new life. If He was not brought into our world, we would never be aware of the messages Jesus shared to his people and of God’s greatness.