Jesus was the better Job

Dear Makmende,

Hallo, I know you aren't doing so well. Tough times you are going through, however let this encourage you.

I was praying for the power of the cross to be revealed in my life. It was an earnest cry from the curiosity of men and women breaking down at the mention of name Jesus. I was praying and believing God for such a moment when the thought of the cross, the pain of Jesus dying me would be fresh and renewed. That the place it has in my life never fades or becomes superficial.  It resounds when you get into church and during worship people are breaking down and you keep asking yourself why not you-especially when you think you have a bone to pick with God. Leaders have attributed it to arrogance; I attribute it to ignorance. There is just something just most of the bible-believing Christians don't understand and so was I.

Interestingly, Louis Giglio was also at this point not so long ago. These are his words: “I am praying for a radical revelation of the cross that will totally obliterate my inadequacies.” This he said in a letter to John Piper. He was praying for an understanding of the cross that would totally transform his relationship with God-I thought to myself, this is exactly what I wanted, I was praying for the very same thing. I believed God for an experience and lesson from the blessed Spirit of God on why it is so powerful-that I had not known. I was hungry yearning for the reason why when a great friend of mine talked to me about the Love of Christ Jesus their eyes tear. It was finally satisfied; God answered my cry. This is the best way I can summarize to you what I learnt:

The book of Job, is a heart-rending ordeal of a great man. This man Job went through the thick and later the thin of life: first of all having all the wealth the world could possibly offer him. He had a lovely family, the kind anyone would dream of, a lovely and supportive wife, the perfect relationship between his children- I mean they went and partied together and took turns at each sibling's house. Even more striking was the love Job had for them( his children) and for his God. He would early in the morning rise up to offer atonement for the possible sins of his children to the God he Loved wholeheartedly. This man had integrity that even with the loss of all his wealth this guy's heart was fixed on God. Unmoved unchanged by the circumstances of his life. In summary, he was the ideal man of God or was he?

image courtesy of Jacob Cherians blogspot.

When calamity really gnawed at him he began to resent his faith and his hope in the God whom he proudly spoke of boldly to all his peers and the nation he belonged. He really really was hurt and felt forsaken by God despite the fact that he had been such a blameless man before God. God in the compassion and love sent to Job three friends: Eliphaz, Zophar and Blidad. These men really did sustain him by their faith in God, rebuking him and exhorting him to rely and hold on to God even for a second longer.

Let us try paint this picture one last time: here is Job a blessed and rich man, he had everything going for him. Then calamity struck, he lost his children, the sanity of his wife and everything he owned. He lost this and had this emptiness about him. I can bet you his friends were many more than the three who showed up, but hey someone showed up, he had a house still and his property-or what was left of it anyway, though he felt alone God was still sorting him out.

Let us equally consider Jesus the son of God who lived in the presence of God the father. He was richer and whole and more at home than anyone could ever be. He was in a family full of love and he and his father were the best of friends kicking it(if you may) as often as you would want to think. He had it all going for Him. Then God asked that he would come and effect the salvation and redemption of all men.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor that...”~2 Corinthians 8:9(NIV)

He willingly left his father and came on earth, where he had no house to sleep in (Luke 9:58), then on the his arrest all his 'friends' left him. He was left alone all the while during the suffering, he suffered emotional desertion, psychological torture, physical harm from a jeering mob and all this he suffered to save the very same mob. As if that is not enough he felt the actual detest and desertion by his own father.

Jesus went through the most intolerable pain anguish and abandonment and sheer obliteration. Job went through something very insignificant in comparison with Jesus. Jesus went through far so much pain than we could ever have suffered and all this out of love. He loved us so much that he took the due penalty for both you and I. As you read through the book of Job and see the expression of pain of anguish, always take time to think, “this is nothing compared to the pain anguish and suffering Jesus went through for me”. As well let this remind you that:

“consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart”~Hebrews 12:3

All this seems to suggest to me, that first Job is just a mirror of the indescribable pain Jesus would endure, and he was a righteous Man incomparably more righteous than Job. Jesus had the option to shake his fists at God in fact he had a right to do so, but no he obeyed God unto death, even death on a cross. Secondly, Jesus suffered indescribably so for you and for me. That truth totally changed my attitude towards God and His love for me, that was a grand revelation of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Take heart during this tough time! We are loved!

Yours faithfully,

Miguubeautiful