Pointless Suffering

Written by Maria Causey
Tuesday, 05 October 2010 08:44

This lesson reminds me of what I think is one of the most powerful (and in some ways powerfully disturbing) stories in scripture. It is the story of the end of John the Baptist's life. He is imprisoned unjustly and murdered on a childish whim. This is Jesus' beloved cousin and a great prophet & man of God. Yet he doubts. It's in Matthew 11:1-6. John basically asks Jesus if He really is the Messiah. I'm sure in his mind he figured if He was, then he wouldn't be facing this pointless death. Jesus' answer is "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me". He doesn't give John an explanation or any insight on the big picture (in fact, as far as I know, John's death is still inexplicable). Yet He wants John to stick with Him. Because yes, He is the Messiah and Lord of the Universe.