Times of sorrow and suffering can be powerful experiences that invite reflection on Jesus' own sufferings and facilitate His presence and comfort.
He was betrayed, abandoned, slandered, imprisoned, tortured, falsely condemned, and executed. In fact, the first disciples to follow Him left nets, family, indeed everything to follow him; but those same followers abandoned Him. And the last disciple to forsake Him (Mark 14.52) fled naked, a symbol of the total abandonment of Jesus by his disciples, ultimately leaving even his clothes in his frantic haste to get away from Jesus.
What does a healthy man or woman go through when they are treated this way?
What angers and resentments tested Jesus?
What bitterness?
How did Jesus handle this even when it was his free choice?
Jesus could have retreated into his divine nature and blocked off the psychological and physical tortures and remained in infinite peace and calm. Instead, He "hid" His divinity and fully experienced the pain and horrors of the cross in all His sinless humanity.
Jesus went through this suffering for us, because of our sin to save us from the destruction we inflict on others, ourselves, and the world. Deep heart pain comes when those closest to you are suffering or inflict pain upon you. The way of entry to minister to those who work among the persecuted and least reached is the way of deep heart pain.
When we suffer slander, abandonment, rejection, attack, persecution, we enter into Christ's sufferings, and while that is "Christlike", it is also extremely painful. Yet somehow, by His wounds our own wounds are healed (Job 36.16; Is 53.5; I Pt 2.24)
As we picture ourselves coming to join Mary and the other women standing at the foot of the cross, watching His tortured death, there is little to say that will comfort them. Only a wordless presence of compassion, tears, and grief is all we can imaginatively offer her.
The ministry of silent compassionate presence.
The Ministry of Presence has increasing scientifically validated research behind it. "[When we create a place and time to sit and compassionately listen to people], the openness experienced throughout the body, listening from increasing stillness; fewer thoughts and less planning [reliance on the Holy Spirit!], a deepening trust develops that such holding [of their story allows a place where healing begins]..."
Physical pain constricts our reality. What is beautiful even in the horror of the cross is Jesus' clear presence of mind despite immense physical pain to create a new family of disciples of those who do His will. "Woman, here is your son. Then He said to the disciple, here is your mother" (John 20.26-27).
Resurrection Day can't come too soon!
Works Cited:
• Raymond E. Brown, Crucified Christ in Holy week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives.
• Bonnie Badenoch, The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationships (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology)
• James Tetlow, Choosing Christ in the World
