Jesus’ grief

Corona pandemic leaves behind a trail of emotional injury, and irreparable material loss as families are stung by death. They have lost the loved one to stonecold death, as they face a grim future even as tears roll down, feeling helplessness and, in many cases, hopelessness grips them. Is god concerned?

If you believe god is pure consciousness, an emotionless spirit, then your god is incapable of suffering, for he cannot get involved; suffering and injustice do not affect him. But “the one who cannot suffer cannot love either.” So, is god a loveless being? Who does not understand the pain humanity is facing? However, this is not the case!

The Christian faith’s central conviction is not just that god loves; instead, “God is love” (John 4:16). That is why god’s loving is original, for god is the very fountainhead of love.

God’s love is for all in all situations and is unconditional. In love, god creates a good creation, and when humanity walked away from god and declared its independence, it fell into sin. Humanity embraced death as a consequence of their actions, and creation suffered. And to bring back humanity, god took on humanity like ours yet remained without sin.

At the death of his friend Lazarus, Jesus suffered like us when he saw the sisters grieving,

“Jesus wept” ( John 11:35). The greatest gift Jesus gave to the grieving family was his presence to share in their suffering and his word of hope. Jesus is not afraid to meet us in our despair and darkness. Jesus meets us when we go through the valley of the shadow of death. His word to the Lazarus’ grieving sisters Mary and Martha are: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die’ (John 11:25). This unshakable promise is true, for Jesus rose again from the dead. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Let our presence provide the healing touch to those grieving and god’s presence and his word the healing and living hope.