God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and …sacrifice him as a burnt offering….". Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!...Do not lay a hand on the boy," Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Genesis 22:1-18 (NIV)
This passage currently hangs on our refrigerator to encourage our domestic helper who, like so many others, works abroad to support her family. Recently she learned that her 14 year old only son had dropped out of school, and in his sense of a hopeless future, told her he intends to become a Buddhist monk. We’re only one week away from leaving Singapore for a year in US, and she’s headed back to Thailand to help him in his schooling, if only he’ll wait to make this drastic decision.
Today, amidst the packing and preparing, we took our sweet little dog to the vet for a simple dental procedure to make sure he was healthy for the family who will care for him while we’re away. My son signed the waiver for anesthesia without a worry and we looked forward to picking up our groggy pet later in the day. Little did we know that this puppy who brought so much joy to our family since our lonely years in Singapore, would stop breathing during the procedure and never wake up. Crying with the children tonight I wonder how many families around the world are grappling with deeper grief? How many have heard a doctor say, “I’m so sorry, we did everything we could to revive him.” How many have held a lifeless body and prayed that the God who raised Jesus from the dead, would do this small thing and bring a loved one back to life again?
In times of unexpected loss or hardship we often ask: How can a loving God let bad things happen?
But in the middle of the night he reminds me that for Jesus, there was no surprise of an ease into sleep while under anethesia. For Jesus, there was no possiblity of another way out of poverty through education. For Jesus, there was no Angel of the Lord to stay the execution and provide an alternative innocent lamb as a substitute sacrifice.
He was the lamb.
Out of his unimaginable goodness, courage, and great love for us, the God of Abraham knew the outcome of his incarnation and he still took each step toward his shameful and agonizing, torturous death. He did that to redeem us and give a hope of an “all things new” future where there is no poverty, sickness, death or deep unexpected sadness.
How could God be good and allow suffering? Indeed. It is the wrong question.
In what ways have you wrestled with God’s goodness in the face of loss or disappointment?
Do you have any hidden bitterness toward the Lord over unresolved grief?
Take a moment to thank our Lord for knowingly and willingly taking on his suffering to redeem you from yours.
PHOTO: Sacrifice of Isaac, Rembrandt at the Hermitage Museum
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