Pastor Clinton Berends

Throughout the course of my illness many people have sent emails, cards and text messages of support and encouragement. These have ranged from treatment suggestions, to offers of support and the assurances of prayers.

One such email was from some friends who sent an article by John Piper (with additional comments by David Powlinson) entitled “Don’t waste your cancer.” The original article by John Piper was written on the eve of his own surgery for prostate cancer, and it contains 10 statements that all begin with the phrase “You waste your cancer if…” and you can read it on line at http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2006/1776_Dont_Waste_Your_Cancer/

To be honest I read the article and I didn’t like it very much. The strange thing was I agreed with every one of those 10 statements, but yet something didn’t sit right.  Now I have to be real at this point and say that part of the reason I didn’t like the article was because it was tough and confronting.  There is a selfish part of me (us) that believes that when we are sick, under pressure, or things generally aren’t going right for us that we have the permission to sulk, be self centered and God owes us something. So it was confronting to be challenged by the truth of what the article had to say, and see where my own selfishness takes me.

But even after this, there was still something more. I guess that in the end it came down to this. The article only presented a part of the story of what God thinks of cancer. My struggle was not in what the article said, but in what it didn’t say. In fact the more I thought about it the more I realized that I have never seen or heard Jesus challenging someone in need with the statement “Don’t waste that.” To the blind man, did Jesus say “Don’t waste that blindness?” To the demon possessed, did Jesus say “Don’t waste that demon possession?” To the mourning, did Jesus say “Don’t waste your grief?” Of course we know the answer to those questions. It may have been part of what he thought of people’s situation – but it was far from the first thing on his mind.

So what was on his mind? What does Jesus think of us when we struggle? What does Jesus think of my cancer, and my situation?

Luke 18:35-43

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. It is the final days of his life before he will go to the cross. He is fully aware that in Jerusalem he will fulfill God’s plan of salvation, by his death and resurrection. I would imagine that this would be occupying the thoughts of Jesus at this point in time. But as he approaches Jericho, just a day from Jerusalem, he is called out to by a blind man on the side of the road (verse 38). The man, naturally, wants mercy. His life consists of begging, struggle and pain, every day. There is nothing he wants more than mercy from the Son of David.

But Jesus isn’t the first to respond to the man. We are told (verse 39) that there are others who march ahead of Jesus and they tell him to be quiet. They rebuke him; they let him know that he is in no position to cry out the king. Doesn’t the man know that Jesus is on important business?

But in direct contrast to them, is the response of Jesus. Where they have rebuke, Jesus asks for the man to be brought to him(verse 40). Where they have ‘be quiet,” Jesus has “What do you want me to do for you?”

On the way to the cross, where others have dismissed, Jesus stops. He stands face to face with the blind man, and asks, “what can I do for you?”

There are times over the last few months when I have never felt more alone. Even though surrounded by people, loving and caring people, there is, at times, this is sense of complete isolation. A self indulgence that says “no-one else knows what I am going through, I’m completely by myself.” Maybe Jesus is more concerned about others, about the healthy and the well and the all together. Maybe he is taking care of the important stuff of the world and the church – maybe we should heed the voices of those who walk in front of Jesus and say “Be quiet.”

But then see Jesus here, who is never too busy, and never to rushed, for us. He has not forgotten us, past over us, missed us. Who knows exactly what is going on. He knows better than the doctors, the specialists. He knows every pain, every hurt, every trial. He hears every cry, every prayer, every doubt. And he is 100% with us, and near us, every step of the journey. He surrounds us with wives, and family and church and friends, he reminds us through them that he is always here and always knows.

Luke 7:11-17

Jesus has a lot to do and say about faith. Just before he comes into the village of Nain he has told the story of the wise and foolish builders. He makes the point that its those who hear him and put his word into practice (have faith) that are building on a firm foundation when trial strikes (Luke 6:46-49) . This has been so well illustrated by the Centurion, who hears about Jesus, and puts his faith into practice when he believes so firmly that Jesus can heal his servant. Jesus even says of the man “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” (Luke 7:9). Jesus highly values faith, there is no doubt about it.

But then Jesus enters the town of Nain (7:11). The town is mourning the loss of a young man. The man’s mother, a widow, has now lost her only son. She is, understandably, completely distraught. Lets not focus too much on the issue of who is going to take care of her now – that’s a question for later. For now, she simply grieves the loss of husband, and now son. She has known loss upon loss in her life.

And so how does Jesus respond? Well, first he looks to see where her faith is, and how strong it is and whether she is trusting God at this moment. Oops, sorry, I misread it. Or rather, I read what I was expecting to see in it – a test of her faith before Jesus responds. But its simply not there. Verse 13 “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her…” Jesus sees and women in grief, and his own heart goes out to her.

We know that God has a purpose in hardship, in trial. It’s throughout scripture. I have heard and meditated on the verses that many times in the last few months. Romans 8:28. 2 Corinthians 1:9. James 1:2-3. 1 Peter 1:6-7. Suffering and trial, refines faith, puts our hope in God, and not in ourselves.

But before even that happens. Before God uses the trial for his purpose – his heart goes out to us. More perfect than the best of Fathers, he hates to see his children in pain, and in misery. He may allow the suffering, he may use the suffering – but that doesn’t mean the he likes it, or enjoys to see us going through the middle of it.

In the moments when I want to take my stand against God, when I want to shake my fist, shout out abuse and ask him if he has any idea what he is doing to me and my family, Jesus reminds me that in the midst of everything – his heart out to me. The heart of an all powerful father, and a most loving and tender Father, goes out to me. No matter what happens, or where this goes he invites me to rest in his love, his care, and his protection. He invites me to give my life, and my future, and the future of my family into his caring and loving hands. The hands of him, whose heart goes out to those who grieve.

John 11:1-44

Its hard to think of Jesus as having friends. Even though called a ‘friend of sinners’ and calling us his ‘friends,’ its not often that we think of Jesus having mates, like we would. But if there is someone(s) who fall into that category its Lazarus, with his sisters Mary and Martha. Lazarus is said to be the one who Jesus loved (John 11:3). Jesus refers to Lazarus as “our friend…” (11:11). You see our image of Jesus is often as someone who is a little removed, a little aloof, a little ‘other’ (Maybe that’s because we sadly form our picture of Jesus from pastors – the topic of another article perhaps).

But yet Jesus was a friend.  And when we find him at the graveside of a friend, with people around him weeping, tears being shed, we find him acting as a good friend would. He was ‘deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (verse 33) and a little later on “he wept” (v. 35). Jesus is confronted by the death of a friend, and he his moved and he aches, and he pains, and so he weeps.

But remember, these are not simply the tears of a man, but at the same time, the tears of God. Jesus knows how this world was meant to be, it was created through him. He know the perfection of the garden of Eden, he knows what life was like without death, without suffering, without pain. He knows what its meant to be like now – without sin, and without the all pervading consequences of that sin.  And so when he weeps, its not just tears of sadness, but tears of anger – because it shouldn’t be like this. It shouldn’t be the case where a friend is knocked down by sickness, and then dies. It shouldn’t be the case where there are car crashes and addictions. It shouldn’t be this way when there is abuse, and hunger and poverty and oppression. It shouldn’t be this way when 33 year old husbands and fathers of 3 get cancer and told that they are going to die.

In the tears of Jesus, at the graveside of Lazarus, we see the tears of God at the effects of sin in the world. He weeps over the state of his world, and his people. He hates to see what sin has done.  And that is why he has promised that this won’t continue forever.  That is why Jesus has come, stopped, heart gone out, wept, and ultimately died. To break the curse of sin, to bring freedom for people, to bring life to the world.

That is why there is coming, someday, some hour very soon, a time when Jesus will come back and he will bring with him the fullness of what accomplished on that cross. He will bring us into an eternity where the only crying we will know, will be tears of joy. Where there won’t be the things that cause God, and us, grief and shame and hardship any more.

What does God think of cancer? What does God think of me with this cancer? To be sure, he does not want to see me waste it. He desires my hope, my trust, my life to be found in him, and him alone. He will use it to further strip me of my selfishness and my sin – and so for this reason, I am thankful for it. But it doesn’t mean he likes it. In fact, he hates it, as he hates every consequence of sin. His heart goes out – he travels each step of the journey with me, he promises to go with us and to supply everything that we need. 

He weeps with me, and with family and friends.  And he points us again to Jesus. And he says, this is what I have done about it. This is not the way its meant to be, and one day, it will be all right again.