Suffering

The once strong and prosperous nation has fallen on hard times.

The livelihoods of many have been destroyed; the fortunes of war have turned badly; and the real power over the nation’s fate rests in the hands of an ambitious, dictatorial regime in Asia.

Indeed, most of the Jewish nation was forcibly relocated to serve their masters in the southwestern Asian empire of Babylon.

That is the context, scholars say, of today’s first reading (Isaiah 53:10-11).

On a basic level, this prophecy answers the vexing questions of the Jewish people in those days:

If they are the Chosen People, servants of the true God who created the heavens and the earth, why have they been crushed as a nation? Why are they so afflicted? Why do they suffer? Is it only because of their mistakes and their sins as well as those of their fathers?

The prophecy was not entirely clear in its answer. The gist of it seemed to be that this temporary crushing of the Chosen People – the only explicit servant of the true God among all the nations of the world – was part of God’s plan, that it would bring spiritual benefit to others in the world, and that it would ultimately end in happiness.

The LORD was pleased
to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD
shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction
he shall see the light in fullness
of days;
through his suffering,
my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.

Again, it was not immediately clear how this worked: not for hundreds of years, during which time other interpretations would be suggested.

And then... the prophecy would be fulfilled perfectly... in the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


Christ gave His life as an offering for sin and we are his beneficiaries, his descendants.

The LORD was pleased
to crush him in infirmity.

If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD
shall be accomplished through him.

Because of his affliction
he shall see the light in fullness
of days;
through his suffering,
my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.

We, as followers of Christ, may not only share in His blessings, we may also share in His work.

Suffering is a part of life: some of it is due to our own sins and mistakes, some of it is due to the sins and mistakes of others, and some of it defies easy explanation.

As followers of Christ, we strive to avoid sin and to alleviate suffering: especially the suffering of others.

As followers of Christ, we are also enabled by His grace to join our relatively infinitesimal sufferings with the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, the suffering servant of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Thus says the Lord to us in today’s Gospel (Mark 10:35-45):

Whoever wishes to be great among you
will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you
will be the slave of all.

For the Son of Man did not come to be served
but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.