Jesus is the greater Job.

I heard this wonderful insight tonight during a monthly Zoom training for discipleship counseling conducted by biblical counselors Alex Kocher and Brenda Payne.

Job suffered not for his own sins, but for being a righteous man (Job 1:6-12). Jesus, who knew no sin, was made to be sin “so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In his suffering, Job wanted answers. He didn’t understand what happened to him or why. But instead of laying out the answers for him, God questioned Job. Across four chapters in over 120 verses, God showed Job that he is God and Job is not. And Job had no answer to God’s questions. How could any human respond to, “Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this” (Job 38:17-18).

This is where the comparison between Job and Christ gets really interesting.

Again, Job could not answer God. He had no response to all these great questions about power, knowledge, majesty, and might. All he could do was repent and humble himself before the Almighty. But do you know who could have responded? Jesus Christ. He could answer all of it. Not only could he provide answers—he himself was and is the answer.

Despite this fact, “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7b). Why didn’t he speak to defend himself, to declare himself blameless and righteous before his accusers, like Job before his friends? Peter says that Jesus “continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). How incredible!

Inspired by all of this, I wanted to share some lyrics from Ghost Ship’s song “Where Were You” along with select Scriptures about Christ. The song does an excellent job condensing God’s four chapter monologue from the book of Job into a powerful four minute song. I’ll link to it in the post so you can listen for yourself.

Where were You the day that I measured
Sunk the base and stretched the line over
All the earth and carved out its cornerstone?

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” – Isaiah 28:16

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” – Psalm 118:22

Where were You the day that I spoke and
Told the sun to split the night open
Called the morning dawn with its light to show?

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shown.” – Isaiah 9:2

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:4-5

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” – John 8:12

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” – Revelation 21:23

Can you raise your voice to the storm cloud?
Would the thunder answer and ring out?
Does the lightning ask you where it should strike?

“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’

“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

“He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’

“They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” – Mark 4:37-41

Who has cleft a channel for torrents
Rain to sprout the desert with forests
In the wilderness that my hand has filled?

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.’ And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.” – Exodus 17: 5-6

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers…all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 10:1a, 4

Can you hunt the prey for young lions
Can you loose the chords of Orion
Is this whole world bending beneath your will?

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” – Matthew 28:18

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11

The last question of the song is key. As is Christ’s response.

Is this whole world bending beneath your will?

“It was the will of the Lord to crush him [Christ]; he has put him to grief” Isaiah says in 53:10. A few verses before that, we read that the Lord’s servant, represented by Israel and ultimately embodied in Jesus Christ, bore our griefs and carried our sorrows (v. 4). “By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?” (v. 8).

While Jesus prayed that the cup of suffering and death would be taken from him, he ultimately ceded himself to God’s will (Luke 22:41ff). Hebrews 5:7-8 says, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Jesus suffered betrayal, torture, death, and all the sin of the world upon himself on the cross. Yet Hebrews also says he was glad to do it. “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame” (12:2b). And Christ was vindicated! He defeated death by his resurrection. And then he ascended to heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand.

We have an incredible Savior, y’all. As was said in the training tonight, Jesus had all power and glory, and he willingly gave it up to enter into our suffering. He suffered with us and for us, and even now, in his glorified, resurrected body, he wears scars in heaven from the suffering he endured (credit to Alex Kocher for that gem; that could be a whole ‘nother post).

I hope these truths from Scripture cause you to worship, as they did me. Once again, I’m in awe of a great God who weaves so many different threads together, and ultimately, they all come together in Christ. Praying you feel his power, his love, and his mercy tonight (or whenever you read this).

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Crossposted to Facebook