Book of Job and the Passion of the Christ

1
Book of Job and the Passion of the Christ

• The Meaning of Suffering in Jewish and Christian
  Religions

2
Contrast between Jewish and Sumerian religions

• 1) Sacred Marriage at heart of religion for early
  agricultural peoples
• Reflecting prominent role of women in early
  agriculture
• Continues early nature consciousness
• 2) Meeting with God demands sexual purity for
  Hebrew herders dont go near a woman!
• Reflecting patriarchal nature of herding
  societies
• Final evolution of Hebrew monotheism God is
  outside of nature
• 3) Abrahamic religions (including Christianity
  and Islam) continue this tradition

3
Why do good people suffer?

• God punishes those who break his commandments to
  the fourth generation, and rewards those who
  obey, to the thousandth.
• But good peoplewho obey all the rules of
  moralitystill suffer.
• How explain this?
• gt Book of Job

4
Temptation of Job

• Satans conversation with Yahweh
• Yahweh one man is still loyal to Me
• 1st trial of Job
• 2nd trial of Job

5
Job proclaims his innocence

• When I gazed on the sun in all its splendour, on
  the moon in her royal progress, did these things
  steal my heart away, so that mouth kissed hand in
  adoration? That were great wrong done, to deny
  the God who is higher than all. 3126-29
• He does not follow the nature worship of the
  surrounding pagan agriculturalists
• But this is difficult he must resist the appeal
  of animism which he deeply feels

6
Jobs Purity open to All-seeing Eyes of God

• 311-7 And this was a man that had bound his
  eyes over by covenant never should even his
  fancy dwell upon the thought of a maid! Well I
  knew that God Almighty in high heaven would have
  neither part nor lot with me else ruin for the
  sinner his doom is, disinheritance for the
  wrong-doer.
• sexual purity

7
God Sees All

• Tell me, does not this God watch over every path
  I take, trace my footsteps one by one? Walk I by
  crooked ways, run I eagerly after false dealing,
  he can weigh my offence with true scales let God
  himself bear witness to my innocence!

8
Monotheism and Evil

• No problem of evil in polytheism cause of the
  flood in Gilgamesh
• Problem Only when God is One and God is supposed
  to be good.

9
One life or many lives?

• Normal explanation of suffering you brought it
  on yourself by your evil actions
• I didnt do anything to deserve this bad life.
• Perhaps not in this life . . . (Karma and
  rebirth)
• But Job believes he has only one life

10
One life to live Job protests!

• Bethink thee, Lord, it is but a breath, this
  life of mine, and I shall look on this fair world
  but once when that is done, men will see me no
  more, and thou as nothing. Like a cloud
  dislimned in passing, man goes to his grave never
  to return, never again the home-coming, never
  shall tidings of him reach the haunts he knew.
  And should I utter no word? (77-11)

11
Alternatives

• If God is just, and Job suffers, then Job must
  have done something wrong.
• If Job suffers, and he did nothing wrong, then
  God must be unjust.

12
Job God is Unjust

• Why does he look on and laugh, when the
  unoffending, too, must suffer? So the whole world
  is given up into the power of wrong-doers he
  blinds the eyes of justice. He is answerable for
  it who else? (923-4)

13
Modern (Western) Alternative

• A) If God is (allegedly) good and all powerful
• B) Then good people should not have to suffer
• C) But good people do suffer (unjustly).
• D) Therefore there is no God

14
Jobs alternative

• This possibility of atheism is unthinkable to Job
• (Recall modern science rejects purpose, and so
  god or gods)
• Isnt it better to have evil purposes, than no
  purpose at all (modern nihilism)
• The issue of the time many gods, or just one?
• Therefore if an all-powerful God allows unjust
  suffering, He must, logically, be unjust (not
  Good)
• Therefore, God is evil or unjust

15
Jehovahs Answer

• Then, from the midst of a whirlwind, the Lord
  gave Job his answer Here is one that must ever
  be clouding the truth of things with words ill
  considered! Strip, then, and enter the lists it
  is my turn to ask questions now, thine to answer
  them.

16

• From what vantage point wast thou watching, when
  I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me,
  whence comes this sure knowledge of thine? Tell
  me, since thou art so wise, was it thou or I
  designed earths plan, measuring it out with the
  line?

17

• How came its base to stand so firm who laid its
  corner-stone? To me, that day, all the morning
  stars sang together, all the powers of heaven
  uttered their joyful praise. Was it thou or I
  shut in the sea behind bars?

18

• No sooner had it broken forth from the womb than
  I dressed it in swaddling-clothes of dark mist,
  set it within bounds of my own choosing, made
  fast with bolt and bar Thus far thou shalt come,
  said I, and no further here let thy swelling
  waves spend their force.

19
God is Above Human Measurement

• Utter transcendence of God (above nature)
• Versus immanence of divine for animists and early
  agriculturalists
• divine is found in the moon, the sun, the snake,
  in sexual experience, etc.

20
Historical context

• Hebrews still continue early kinship, and so have
  a strong feeling for animism
• But they reject the surrounding paganism
• Hence nature expresses Gods power, wisdom, etc.
  
• God is even more wonderful than the moon and sun
• And yet God is not remote, but is involved in the
  lives of his people

21
Proper attitude faith (trust)

• God is above our human scales of justice
• But not entirely ultimately, justice prevails
• gt Basic attitude faith, trust
• Faith is not believing that God exists
• but trusting that in the ultimate justice of God,
  rewarding the good and punishing the wicked
• Justice in the long-term, but not always in the
  moment
• Current suffering is a test of ones faith
• Ultimately the faithful will be rewarded

22
Compare to Stoicism

• In piety towards the gods, I would have you
  know, the chief element is this, to have right
  opinions about them, as existing and as
  administering the universe well and justlyand to
  have set yourself to obey them and to submit to
  everything that happens, and to follow it
  voluntarily, in the belief that it is being
  fulfilled by the highest intelligence. Epictetus
  31
• We should not try to understand the plan of God
  for this world it is utterly beyond us.

23
Judaism v. Stoicism

• Kinship justice of Jews requires this-worldly,
  physical, emotional, generational rewards.
• Physical, bodily happiness is part of real human
  life.
• We cannot be happy in sickness, poverty, loss of
  family and friends.
• gtJustice of God requires earthly happiness for
  good peopleultimately
• Hence he liberates his people from oppression
• gt There is a purpose to life and history that we
  can understand
• the gift of the Jews

24
Need a Deeper Theory of Suffering

• What about the faithful servant of God who goes
  to his death?
• How is this a test?
• Where is the reward if there is only one life?

25
Suffering Servant of Isaiah (53)

• Who hath believed our report?
• Despised and rejected by men
• A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief
• he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
• We did esteem him stricken, smitten by God, and
  afflicted.

26

• But he was wounded for our transgressions
• He was crushed for our iniquities
• Upon him was the chastisement that brought us
  peace,
• And with his stripes we are healed.

27

• All we like sheep have gone astray
• We have turned every one to his own way
• And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us
  all.
• He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
• Yet he opened not his mouth
• Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter

28

• He was cut off out of the land of the living,
• Stricken for the transgression of my people.
• There was no deceit in his mouth.
• Yet is was the will of the Lord to crush him
• He has put him to grief.

29

• He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall
  be satisfied
• by his knowledge shall my righteous servant
  justify many for he shall bear their iniquities.

30

• Therefore will I divide him a portion with the
  greater,
• and he shall divide the spoil with the strong
• because he hath poured out his soul unto death
  and he bare the sin of many,
• and made intercession for the transgressors.

31
Semi-Otherworldly solution

• The suffering servant is rewarded in another
  sphere (afterlife, heaven)
• He is immortalhis happiness is in the next
  life
• But this happiness still depends on happiness in
  this life.
• The servant sees the triumph in this life of the
  cause he died for
• gt Justice must still be this-worldly, but is
  combined with an other-worldly dimension
• Justice in this world is still primary

32
Gods Paradoxical Justice

• So many human beings are sinful, unfaithful
• They therefore deserve punishment, justice
• Recall Gods action in the flood only the one
  just man, Noah, is saved (with his family)
• But now God has chosen to afflict an innocent
  man, to crush him, in order to save others
• He is like the lamb led to the slaughter in the
  temple as payment for sin (Day of Atonement Yom
  Kippur)

33
Two interpretations of Isaiah

• 1) Literal interpretation his death in itself is
  what saves others
• Like the sacrificial lamb or scapegoat of Jewish
  temple practices
• 2) He dies opposing and fighting against
  injustices (he speaks truth to power)
• It is not his death in itself that saves people
• Ultimately by his death as a result of opposing
  injustice (martyrdom) he inspires the people to
  reject injustice
• And so the cause of justice finally triumphs

34
Is Jesus the Messiah?

• Recall Jewish history of freedom and enslavement
• 1) Moses against Egyptians
• 2) Cyrus against Assyrians, Babylonians
• 3) And now the Romans. Who will save us?
• A new anointed one, a new liberator, a new King,
  should come.
• Messiah anointed one, Christos a King
• Son of God

35
Son of God

• 2 Samuel (or Kings), the Lord God so designates
  King David I will prolong for ever his royal
  dynasty he shall find in me a father, and I in
  him a son. 713-14.
• Son of God the king
• Nathanael answered and said to Him Jesus,
  "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King
  of Israel!" (John 149)

36
Problem of the death of Jesus

• But Jesus does not become the King of Israel (he
  is not the Messiah-Christ, Son of God)
• He is crucified the shameful death of a
  criminal
• On his cross Jesus of Nazareth, King of the
  Jews ( Roman joke)
• One reply God sacrifices his own Son to save
  sinners from their deserved punishment
• Isaiahs suffering servant (literal
  interpretation) is a prophecy of Jesus

37
Propitiation for our sins

• In this is love, not that we have loved God but
  that he loved us and sent his Son to be the
  propitiation for our sins. 1 John 410
• God put Christ forward as a propitiation by
  his blood, to be received by faith. This was to
  show Gods righteousness, because in his divine
  forbearance he had passed over former sins. Paul
  to Romans 325.

38
Two interpretations of early Christians

• 1) Orthodox position of St. Paul and others
  why was Jesus crucified? To save sinners, to
  expiate their sins
• 2) Gnostic interpretation emphasizes Jesus
  teachings, not his death
• He is a teacher of the way of spiritual
  liberation
• Like Socrates, Lao Tzu, Krishna, Buddha
• He dies because he spoke truth to power, and they
  killed him for it (like Socrates). Its his
  teaching, not his death, that is important.