God is beyond us. He is not the highest part of the universe, but completely outside of it. This was an agonizing realization for Job, of whom we hear in today’s reading. He had lost all his property and family (except for a nagging wife), and then he contracted a terrible disease. His friends offered no solace in his sufferings. In the midst of his trials he wanted an answer, a reason that would make sense of it all. Yet he also knew that he could never contend with a God so far above him: “Even though I were right, I could not answer him, but should rather beg for what was due me. If I appealed to him and he answered my call, I could not believe that he would hearken to my words” (Job 9:15-16).

The transcendence of God can terrify us. Lacking nothing, we cannot offer him anything in return for his help. Since he is without weakness, we cannot target a vulnerable point to bring him around to our side. Far from a cause for fear, however, God’s invincibility is a cause for confidence, because it means that he who is strong can save us who are weak.

We all know very well the powerlessness of human weakness. Let’s say two brothers, Ed and Fred, get into an inheritance dispute. Tensions run high. The problem is brought to court and after the ruling, deep wounds remain. If Ed afterwards wants to reconcile with Fred, he has some tough work ahead. He has to find a way to broach the subject with an unpredictable and wounded Fred, all the while managing his own anger. It is true that Ed and Fred are both weak humans and in some way can sympathize with each other because of that, but this weakness is also a barrier. Reconciliation will require strength in order to overcome weakness.

Sometimes we need to be reconciled to God. It may be that we have sinned, but it may also be that life has taken a difficult turn. Perhaps we have suffered disease, lost a job, been unfairly maligned by another, or even lost a loved one. These can be very painful experiences. In times like these, we, like Job, need to be able to be at peace with a God who has let this happen in our lives. Even when we do not want to reject God, we have to work through the emotions that follow upon loss.

The transcendence of God makes reconciliation always possible. We do not need to worry about pushing his buttons. Our prayer or contrition may be imperfect, but this will not push God away. A friend may be enraged by a half-sincere apology or an unjust complaint, but God finds a way to draw good out of any feeble attempt to turn to him. God has no wounds or memories of past offenses which we need to steer clear of, or which could prevent reconciliation. When God came down to earth to save us, we put him to death, and yet he turned even this offense into the cause of our salvation. His five wounds became a sign of his love for us.

We cannot manipulate such a God. We cannot cleverly phrase our complaint in order to guilt him into giving us what we want. We cannot dress-up our wrongdoings to push the blame upon another. Our machinations will crash upon the sure foundation of God’s almighty and all-knowing justice. This powerlessness can be frightening. We know, however, that our own powerlessness is nothing compared to the goodness of God. He cannot be pulled into our little games. Instead he rescues us from our brokenness. We cannot deceive him by the same half-truths with which we deceive ourselves. He is beyond deception and manipulation, he is beyond the problem. Because he lacks nothing, he can give everything.

At the end of his trial, Job is able to say to the distant God, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered”  (Job 42:2). God is not subject to human misery or failure, and only in this God can Job hope.

✠

Image: Léon Bonnat, Job