Job 10.1-22, John 5.1-18 - Lectionary for 2/14/10

Today's readings are job 10.1-22 and John 5.1-18

Job continues his lament to God.  See how he pleads with the Lord.  His basic plea seems to be centered around the fact that he is powerless.  In all his suffering there is nothing he can do to show himself righteous, to identify where he has sinned, or to make things right.  He wonders at this state.  It is fine when God is blessing him but when he starts to endure the kind of trials he endures now it doesn't seem right.  Or at least if it is right it most certainly isn't what he likes.  Wouldn't it be better for God to either bless him or destroy him?

Thankfully I have not been in a situation like Job's.  I dare say few of us have.  Yet we have had periods of challenge, periods of trial.  Without the revelation of Christ crucified for our sin, acting as the mediator between God and man, proving himself to be our healer and our righteousness, we would be as weary of trials as Job.  Yet we see in Scripture that through Jesus' perfect righteousness on our behalf he does show us righeous.  He identifies our sin and he bears the penalty for our sin to become our righteousness.

I'm going to depart from commenting just on the Old Testatment reading today, as our reaeding in John deals with one of the questions that remains unanswered in Job.  Why isn't everyone healed?  The fact is, everyone who believes is healed, though not necessarily in this earthly life.  As I was looking at my copy of the _Treasury of Daily Prayer_ today, I saw a commentary by St. Augustine on the John reading in which he observes that Jesus does heal the believiing sick on the last day.  He makes an interesting application of the five porches to the Mosaic Law.  Nobody on the porches, trusting in the Law of Moses, will be saved.  They will all see their need for a savior.  And on the last day, Jesus will be revealed to all flesh.  What if, unlike Job, we are not relieved of our suffering during this life?  By faith we see that we will be recipients of eternal healing and blessing in Christ on the last day.  We do have a hope, a firm and sure hope, despite all the troubles of this world.