The other day my wife and I were on our daily walk on the college campus when a man without a mask approached us. He stuck out because wearing one is compulsory in that area. As he passed, he said quite emphatically, “God protects ME.” He apparently felt he was making a witness for Christ.
I found that kind of almost frantic bravado all the time in my studies of the Christian Right. In fact, that very night I heard a televangelist proclaim that her followers will never suffer, because Jesus builds a defensive wall around them.
A theology of the cross sees this as a denial of the Gospel message. We do not follow Christ to escape suffering. Our goal is ultimately to eliminate suffering in God’s world, but we know that often means we have to suffer for others in the present time to do that.
Paul talks of this as sharing Christ’s suffering. Jesus says much the same when he claims those who want to follow him must deny themselves and take up their own crosses.
That in no way means we see suffering as a good thing. Meaningless suffering, such as self-flagellation, in no way satisfies God’s purpose. Christians are willing to voluntarily suffer for others in order help them.
You see how important this is when you realize Christlike love is described as compassion which literally means being willing to share another person’s suffering. Just as God shares human suffering in Jesus’ crucifixion, so too his followers share the suffering of those around them. And as anyone who engages in Christian ministry knows, sharing yourself with the needy always is going to involve giving up something.
A theology of the cross is brutally honest about the reality of suffering in our world. Over and over, Jesus proclaims becoming one of his followers depends on recognizing this. His gospel is good news for the poor. People must know that they are ill if they are to accept his healing, that they are sinful if they seek his forgiveness.
It’s hard to understand what is going on in the mind of the man who passed my wife and me on our walk. You have to wonder if he thinks God causes those who gets COVID-19 to suffer because they lack faith. Certainly, many in our present world do think those who suffer are losers. They imagine they must have done something to deserve this or at least should have done something to prevent it. This kind of rationalization provides an easy excuse from helping those who suffer. You can pretend doing so only reinforces the problem. Maybe this is what was going on with man we passed. Maybe he was just using God to justify what he wanted to do.
A theology of the cross refuses to deny reality. It takes things beyond what I want them to be. If God must suffer to save his world, I have to recognize the innocent suffer. And I must understand if I want to follow Christ, I too must participate in overcoming the suffering all around me.
