The week in focus
Connecting to the world right now
In touch
Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues
What we can do
Jesus calls us to stop judging the causes of suffering and simply alleviate it (Luke 13.5).
Context
Suffering and death are all around us, all the time, even if we have the inestimable privilege of living in a time and place that is not experiencing war or civil unrest, famine or flood, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, or indeed a pandemic. Every week some ten or eleven thousand people die in England and Wales from a wide variety of causes: many peacefully in old age, but many after long struggles with illness or injury, some still relatively young, and others through accidents or violence. Physical pain and sickness find their close counterparts in grief and mental illness. For others again, suffering arises as consequence of external circumstances: poverty, unemployment, homelessness, bullying, prejudice or – topically – unexpected increases in energy or food costs.
Add to these examples the suffering inflicted on people by war and conflict (see last week’s In Touch), and we may well sometimes feel overwhelmed by the misery and horror of it all, or find ourselves longing for God to intervene directly to put everything right. It’s only natural to ask ourselves – and our Church ministers – ‘What on earth can we do?’
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
Today’s Gospel reading is unclear on whether Jesus thought that Pilate’s cruelty, rather than the Galileans’ sins, was responsible for the latter’s suffering, or that, say, shoddy construction was the cause of the 18 deaths in the Tower of Siloam incident. What is clear is that he totally refuted his hearers’ belief that the suffering was either their own fault or any kind of divine punishment for their past behaviour. This is consistent with his teaching, ‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged’ (Matthew 7.1; Luke 6.37). Judgement is God’s prerogative, and God’s alone.
Witnessing to Jesus Christ means aspiring to follow his example both in what we say and in how we behave. The Principles of the Franciscan Order offer a reminder that we should all do well to bear in mind: ‘that, in this task of showing Christ to others, the witness of life is more eloquent than that of words.’
Jesus’ response to suffering was to acknowledge and alleviate it, whether it was the result of hunger, physical incapacity, mental disturbance, family conflict, bereavement or any of the other Gospel examples. In doing so, he unhesitatingly transgressed social conventions and prejudices about gender, race, religion and class.
As Jesus’ witnesses, therefore, we are called to acknowledge suffering wherever, and to whomever, it happens, and to respond as he would to the very best of our ability. It doesn’t matter who is suffering, or why we may think they’re suffering; our Christ-like vocation is always to relieve suffering.
Questions for discussion
- How many different kinds of suffering illustrated in the Gospels can you think of, and where are they found?
- In what situations are people blamed for their own suffering, and how might Jesus want us to respond?
- What social conventions and prejudices might we have to transgress in order to alleviate people’s suffering?
Robert Beard is a Church of England priest and NHS 111 Service Advisor.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
Jesus understands. Our saviour suffered undeservedly for us. Referring to two fatal calamities of the time in Luke 13, Jesus refers to people suffering undeservedly. Like today, people were struggling to understand why tragic events happen; Jesus implied that the suffering was not a consequence of these people’s sin.
As the war in the Ukraine shockingly continues into another week, we may struggle to handle our sadness at the loss of life and homes. Watching scenes of devastation, young children and mothers making long treacherous journeys to escape the fighting, fathers separated, we long for their suffering to end. Do you talk about your feelings over the war with your family or friends? It can help to be open about things that are taking up your thoughts and emotions. And pray together. Gather together, in person or online, light a candle, and pray for Ukraine.
Rather than entering into the ‘why’ of tragedies, Jesus’ concern is for us to respond to the fragility of life, by living out the Kingdom values of love, compassion, forgiveness and grace. Our day-to-day actions, attitudes and choices are opportunities to enable a more compassionate and loving society. Do you have an attitude that you wish to change? Pray for change each day this week, and that you may become more ‘fruitful’.
Action: Find a charity that works with refugees from across the world, and offer to help out in some way with your friends or church group.
Dr. Angela Mak is a Licensed Lay Minister in the Ecumenical Partnership of West Swindon and Lydiard Tregoze. She is also a school’s worker, and retired biology teacher. Holy Trinity Shaw (htschurch.org.uk)
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