A Questioning Job Meets the Almighty One

Today’s readings, Job 9: 1-12, 14-16 and Luke 9: 57-62, may leave us with a lot of unanswered questions.  Job is left floundering and saying, in effect, who am I to question the Almighty or to argue with the One who “is wise in heart and mighty in strength? Who am I to argue with the One “…who removes mountains before they know it…[who] shakes the earth out of its place…[who] commands the sun, and it rises not…[who] alone stretches out the heavens and threads upon the crest of the sea.”  Why would God “hearken to my words,” Job wonders.

We know that God did speak to Job (cf. Chapters 38-41) but not in the way Job may have expected.  God confronts Job with more questions, brings him to his knees in awe and repentance and opens his heart  to grace.  God also answers our questions in a way that our faith is strengthened.  We, too, fall on our knees in awe and repentance. We, too, have our hearts opened to God’s grace and power when we are honest with God about our situation, not pretending that everything is okay when it isn’t.  When we ask God for what we think we  need,  the answer we get is not usually that for which  we asked but much more and of a different caliber.  Our vision is limited. God’s is not. What we want is earthbound, tangible and visible to the naked eye. What God wants for us is heaven bound and of the heart.  We see dimly. God sees clearly.

In the Gospel, Jesus’ response to those who express a desire to follow Him is also esoteric to our human ears and mind-boggling to our finite intelligence.  Jesus, who reads the hearts of his would-be disciples, knows exactly what is impeding their wholehearted discipleship. So He challenges them in a way that leaves us clueless.  “What,” we ask, I can’t even say good-bye to my family?” and “ I need to leave the dead bury their dead?  How can a dead person bury a dead person? How ridiculous can Jesus be,”  we may wonder!  “Does He know what He is talking about?” we quip arrogantly.   When we ask those questions we are forgetting that the meaning of Jesus’ responses are only known by the person to whom Jesus is speaking, much the same as an inside joke  is only known by the insiders. 

What is Jesus saying to me that I know for certain in the depths of my heart , though others may not have a clue?