by Terry Wane Benton

He saw and cared deeply about how His disciples hurt over Lazarus’ death (John 11). Jesus cared so deeply that He wept with them. He suffered with them, and He knew the larger plan would be to raise Lazarus so that more good could come out of all this pain. More people could know Jesus’ power to raise the dead if He suffers the pain with them and then raises the dead. So, the greater good would come by letting great pain and suffering happen. None of the family of Lazarus knew why God allowed this death and all this pain, but after Lazarus was raised, all would have a better perspective of God’s wisdom and goodness. Therefore, the song that says, “We’ll understand it all by and by,” is a valid faith-confidence to remember. We can have confidence that Jesus knows and cares and has a larger view of resurrection that will make all suffering seem like nothing (Romans 8:18).

We trust that He cares, not merely because Jesus wept on this occasion, but more significantly because He cared enough to suffer and die for us. He suffered with the family of Lazarus and showed resurrection power, comfort, and willingness to suffer for them and all by going all the way through the suffering on the cross. He let us see immortality is real by triumphing over death in His own resurrection and bringing immortality to light so that we can deal with suffering through greater tools of knowledge and wisdom.

So, we must conclude that suffering is allowed in this sin-cursed ground and that it will hit all of us at some point, that God suffers and hurts with us, that God also suffered for us, and that those who want God’s overcompensating remedy of suffering can have it in Christ, and that therefore God is a “God all comfort” at great levels now and with a reward that makes all suffering to those who seek Him more than worth the suffering.

Jesus wept because He cares and hurts with us, and Jesus took on immense suffering to show the greatest love and care. He was raised to show that there is definitely a greater future ahead for His disciples, so being Himself “the resurrection and life” means we see a bigger picture that unbelievers don’t see. Therefore, their viewpoint cannot be equal to ours and certainly not better. They cannot use temporal suffering to charge God with a lack of power or goodness.

The power and goodness of God cannot be questioned because of the presence of human suffering, but rather the refusal of learning about Jesus, the full representation of God, and thereby being properly equipped to assess the power and love of God despite the temporal suffering allowed, is the problem before us now. Is there greater goodness and wisdom with the atheist over Jesus? That question needs to be answered! Does the presence of suffering prove Jesus was not good? No! Otherwise, it would not be good for a parent to take a bullet for their child to protect their child. Some suffering has to have a good role in this temporary arrangement of free will. Otherwise, this world would have to be the final paradise of man where no pain can be experienced.

Pain has to be allowed in a testing ground that is not the eternal ground, and that pain Jesus participated in, weeping with us and suffering the pain of crucifixion for us. Jesus wept and thereby showed care in human suffering, and Jesus suffered, showing that love and goodness are present through suffering and rising to show that that is an eternal side that must be part of the picture that guarantees a more than wonderful end to suffering.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life that answers the problem of suffering. If you take that way, believe that truth, and enter that life, you will know the bigger and better picture and enter a great perspective on the problem that atheists think they see in temporal human suffering. Jesus is the suffering Servant who shows us the way through suffering to a glorious end. The atheist is simply blind in ignorance and still has to deal with suffering in his godless world, where this is the best anyone can hope for! I think that viewpoint solves nothing and only adds to hopelessness and I have spent enough of my life in that world. Jesus wept with His friends, showed His power over suffering and death, and gives us a proof of a greater future, and therefore far outshines the wisdom of those who use the issue of suffering to mitigate against God. It does not add up!