In the Bible, there are four great reflections on suffering: the story of Job, the life of Jeremiah, the Songs of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah, and the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Book of Job shows us how Job's friends, faced with his suffering, demand justice, whereas God responds to Job's fidelity with love. If Job had sinned, then God had justly punished him with suffering. If Job is suffering then, Job must have sinned, and so God had acted justly in making him suffer. So the human logic dictates that Job should admit his sin. If Job had not sinned, then God had acted unjustly in making him suffer, and so the argument goes round in circles facing the mystery of suffering. Where Job's friends could only think of justice, God's heart was on fire with love.

The same can be applied to the other three considerations of the mystery of suffering. Today's passage from Isaiah does not yet mention suffering. When we read it within the context of the four Songs, we see God's presence underpinning the mystery: beyond any suffering there is the mystery of God's loving choice. As He faced death, Jesus accepted this vision of Isaiah: true redemption and liberation only come through suffering.