From Haiti to Aleppo, 2016 was marked by tragedy. For my family, 2016 also brought grief on the home front. We said goodbye to a grandfather who passed away. We also said goodbye to our house and former career, as we embarked on a new ministry that is far more trying than expected. After selling nearly all of our stuff to follow Jesus, we were forced to adjust to a new reality—on every account. But I’m not content to leave it there—in the pain. I demand hope of 2017. I demand the kind of hope only Christ can bring. Here’s why I think you should do the same.
From Pain Comes Resurrection
A reflection on 2016 cannot be complete without looking at it from the perspective of Christmas. The celebration of Christmas is a reminder that the arrival of the Son of God equals unfathomable hope. The hope of Christ changes everything.
The life of Jesus is a reminder that suffering is a part of life and that God can use it to accomplish his purposes. Prophesying about the Christ, over 500 years before his arrival, Isaiah 53:10 says it this way:
“Yet Yahweh was pleased to crush [his servant]; he afflicted [his servant]. If [Zion] makes [the servant’s] life a guilt offering, he will see offspring, he will prolong days and the will of Yahweh, in his hand, will succeed.”
From the pain of Yahweh’s servant comes resurrection. Yahweh’s servant is made a guilt offering by Zion, who is symbolic of the people of Israel. The servant dies. And then he rises again: he sees offspring and he prolongs days—things that only happen in life. The servant’s suffering is not the end; it is a beginning.
It is the resurrection of Yahweh’s servant that leads to our new life. Isaiah 53:11 continues the passage with this statement:
“From the trouble of his life he will see light. He will be satisfied. In his knowledge, my righteous servant shall make the many righteous and he will bear their iniquities.”
The suffering servant of Yahweh—Jesus the Christ, the Son of God—bears our iniquities. It is Jesus who fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53 in his suffering, death, and resurrection. He makes many righteous by his suffering and death (compare Romans 8:18–39). Paul the apostle puts it this way:
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [Christ!] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword” (Romans 8:34–35 ESV).
Ask God to Use 2016’s Pain
For my wife and I, 2016 meant leaving a great job and going full-time—as volunteers—for the non-profit Jesus’ Economy. We had many hopes about this journey, believing that we would see radical giving that would support us. But so far, it hasn’t turned out that way. It’s been difficult and often disheartening. We also faced the loss of a wonderful man, Kalene’s grandfather—who we greatly miss. Yet I know that dwelling on pain does not get us any closer to healing or move forward God’s ministry. Instead, we must ask, “What is God doing through this? Where is he working, so that we may follow him?”
Reflecting on that question I see that through our work, God is creating jobs for the impoverished through our Fair Trade Shop. God is also planting churches in regions where people have never heard the name of Jesus. Furthermore, people are gaining access to clean water. Is that worth the sacrifice? Absolutely.
And while 2016 involved saying goodbye to Grandpa, we can take solace in the fact that our prayers for healing were answered, in a way. Grandpa John no longer feels pain; he is healed in heaven and with the Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:1–10). And one day, we will see Grandpa John again—we didn’t truly say goodbye, but rather “farewell for now.” And one day, we will all have resurrected bodies (Revelation 20:11–15; 1 Corinthians 15:12–58).
The Power of a Resurrected Perspective
A truly Christian theology requires us to look at 2016 through the perspective of resurrection. I must ask God to raise all of 2016 up—to redeem it and give it new life. I must also acknowledge that the grief of 2016—the sleepless nights, the feelings of anxiety, the mourning, all of it—were used by God to draw me closer to him. Thanks to 2016’s journey, I know God better than I ever have and there is nothing worth more than that.
Furthermore, God will have the final say over pain:
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39 ESV).
In light of Jesus, I demand hope from 2017. I can see how God used 2016 for good, and so I believe in resurrected hope for 2017. I believe in resurrected hope for you and me.
John D. Barry is the CEO and Founder of Jesus’ Economy, dedicated to creating jobs and churches in the developing world. Because of John’s belief that business can also transform lives, Jesus’ Economy also provides an online fair trade shop. He is currently leading Jesus’ Economy efforts to Renew Bihar, India—one of the most impoverished places in the world where few have heard the name of Jesus.