​Suffering and Injustice

Scripture

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For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

 

Observation

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The world is littered with much injustice. We still hear news of police brutality over black people in the states, of social injustice, of systems that benefit the rich and marginalise the poor. We sometimes ask where Jesus is in all these, but he knows our pain very well as he experienced it himself. Jesus left heaven because of our suffering and took on human form so he could be familiar with our conditions, as stated in Hebrews.

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Application

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We believe Jesus to be kind, gentle and sensitive, but he is also radical, fierce and a challenger of bad governance. He didn't sit back when he saw people suffering. Can we be like him when we see injustice? It is not easy. Some ask, where are the good apples in the police preventing the bad cops from ill-treating the black people? I believe there are, but I believe it is hard to step out as some have been fired from the force in doing so, due to a system that is over-protective of its bad fruits. We face similar pressures as well when we want to seek justice for people, but Jesus challenges us to be better, to be bold in showing love, like he did. Just as Jesus became familiar with our conditions, God has also placed us in our social circles and jobs to be familiar with the lingo of those we are exposed to. During Sunday's sermon, pastor Darren also challenges us similarly: How can we become the church for the people in the marketplace, to share with them Jesus' love through our actions?

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Prayer

 

Jesus, thank you for coming down, even though you do not have to. You did it to experience what we experience, and even more, to suffer more than we did. This way, we have absolute confidence that you are not a God who looks from an ivory tower, but one who understands our every pain. Help us to be more like you, to overcome pressures of the world and pressures of how others may think of us when we decide to stand up for people. May your Holy Spirit prompt us in choosing to do good. Amen.