<> Ask the Pastor Fr. Walter Snyder Q: For some time I've been bothered by the book of Job. The Bible wants us to believe that God is love, but in Job God seems cruel. Not only does He take everything away from innocent Job, but He gets angry when Job wants an explanation. How can anyone trust a God like that or call Him loving? A: The cruelty in Job is not God-caused. Satan is the prime cause, and the false comfort of Job's wife and friends adds to his pain. Job realizes that all that truly matters is still his. The full range of the book is summed up in chapter nineteen, verses 21-27: "Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! Why do you, like God, pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh? Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were graven in the rock for ever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!" Job did not understand the cause of his suffering any more than we do our own. However, he still trusted in his ultimate salvation. His later confrontation with God is a caution that he was to leave speculation alone until he possessed the wisdom, strength, and knowledge of his Maker. God does the same to us, for we, too, are told very little of the whys and wherefores of life. Instead, like Job, we are to cast our cares on him, for he cares for us. The things of this life--even family, even life itself-- are nothing compared to what God gives us in Christ Jesus, our Redeemer. This is why the hymn, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives," is part of so many Easter and Christian funeral services. It's why "A Mighty Fortress" includes the line, "And take they our life, goods, fame, child, or wife, Let these all be gone, They yet have nothing won; The Kingdom ours remaineth." Simple confidence is what God wants. Sometimes, much needs to be removed before childlike faith is realized. Job in one breath accuses God of all the evil that has come upon himself. He then voices one of the strongest confessions of faith to be found in Scripture. Job was not so much singled out by what happened to him (although few have such extreme woe) as he was made unique by his story being recorded in God's Word for future generations. Though a real person, Job is also a symbol for all mankind. Ultimately, he also foreshadows Christ. In Jesus, we see someone who truly lost all, and was even more innocent than Job, for Jesus never sinned. And not only were Jesus' family, friends, even his life stripped away, but he was abandoned by the Father in his agony on the cross. Job (and others) may be tested on account of their faith, but Jesus was tortured that he might be and remain the object of our faith--our Redeemer. All of this finally reminds us that we are to take up our cross and follow him. The cross crucifies earthly desires, false hopes, and misplaced trust. The cross also takes away our sins and identifies us as those whose heavenly home is secure. It is a sure sign that we shall, in our own flesh, see God. As you said in your question, "God is love." He proved this love by sending his Son to suffer and die for us. While we remain on this earth, he allows us to participate in some of the Savior's suffering under the cross as he prepares us to receive the fullness of the joy he earned by his resurrection from the dead. Q: I have a question regarding Lutheran baptism of infants by sprinkling and would like to know if you can point me to a Scriptural reference for this practice? A: There is no Biblical mandate for any particular mode of baptism. The root of the word baptize is the Greek word meaning "wash." Many assume that immersion is the only way to go because John baptized in the Jordan River. However, there may well have been times when the Jordan was too shallow to fully cover someone. It's just as likely that John poured water over those being baptized, especially during the dry season. Anyhow, water and its application "in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" are all we have to go on. Some sprinkle, some immerse, some are in-between. I usually pour water three times over the head of the one being baptized (child or adult). That's it for now. You can submit questions by mail to "Ask the Pastor," PO Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or just stop me on the street. Walter Snyder is the pastor of St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches in Jasper and Woodville, Texas and coauthor of the book "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1997-1998 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.