Darkness, Despair, and the Open Kingdom

Job 23.1-9, 16-17, Psalm 22.1-15, Hebrews 4.12-16, Mark 10.17-31

As his life was ebbing away on the cross, Jesus quoted Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Today, those words are a response to Job’s suffering. Among his own words are those in verse 17 of today’s first reading: ‘If only I could vanish in darkness, and thick darkness would cover my face!’ people suffering from depression could well identify with those words.

To his mounting despair, Job finds God ‘unavailable for comment’. Again, in his own words,  "If I go forward, he is not there; or backward, I cannot perceive him; on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him; I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.’ What an interesting contrast with Psalm 139, with its celebration of God’s universal presence. What would Job have said, if somebody had quoted Psalm 139 to him? I don’t know, but I can’t imagine that he would instantly have felt better.

In the readings from Hebrews and Mark, we find that the word of God is (as Hebrews says) a two-edged sword: it can comfort or it can scare, or both. Where the Psalmist talks about the inescapable presence of God, Hebrews talks about the penetrating spotlight that God’s word can shine on us. The rich young man who asked Jesus for directions to God’s kingdom seems to have felt that deeply.

Yet Jesus looked at him with love, and didn’t declare the kingdom closed to such as him, any more than it is closed to those who have difficulties other than great wealth. We can take comfort and build hope on two sayings today. One is that we have a great high priest who can sympathise with us. The other is that, in his presence, we can practice his love.