nakedpastor
graffiti artist on the walls of religion

Job and his Comforters

Written on October 27, 2011 in cartoons
27 Comments - Leave a comment!

I believe Job is the book of our time. Here’s some things to learn from Job:

  1. He never found out why he suffered as he did.
  2. His questions were answered with bigger questions.
  3. His friends had all the answers… your typically theologically correct ones.
  4. Job’s suffering is explained as a meaningless bet between God and Satan.
  5. Satan lost. But so did Job.
  6. Most often it is better to be silent than to be right.
  7. The meaning of suffering is hidden from us.
  8. Don’t be surprised when you are suffering if you are either attacked or abandoned.
  9. Our minds crave answers. Job finds peace beyond answers.
  10. All is mystery.

Acquire the original drawing. (An online friend in Japan, a nakedpastor fan, sent me a wonderful gift: an exquisite selection of handmade Japanese papers. The original cartoon is drawn on some of this paper.)
Buy a print of this cartoon.

(Download my ebook “nakedpastor 101″ for .99¢.) To download the ebook, –> click here! <–

Order your hard copy:

27 Comments - Leave a comment!
  • http://www.ragingrev.com Matt Oxley

    Job has always been a depressing book for me, even more so that people think it should be inspiring.

  • http://www.sccpei.com andrew

    A brilliant commentary on suffering David. I love the sketch and even more so the ten points you made. Thanks for not containing them to the traditional ‘three’ point message. Perhaps your readers could think of an additional few points? Wondering how high we could all get on this one?

  • Pat B

    The cartoon by itself suffices for me: Perceptive, poignant, powerful, pluripotent – perfect in fact :-D

    One of your best yet David. Thank you

  • http://nakedpastor.com nakedpastor

    thanks p-p-p-p-p-pat ;)

  • Pat B

    My particular pleasure :-P

  • http://thatsajennstory.com jennw2ns

    “Peace beyond answers”–I like that observation the best. One MIGHT be able to argue (though hopefully not too flippantly) that from that perspective, Job didn’t actually lose after all.

  • http://www.donbryant.wordpress.com don bryant

    A vision of God was the answer more than a proposition. God became the proposition.

  • Jason L

    Actually, the more plausible scenario, regarding the book of Job, is that God was hoping that Satan would see the virtues of Job in remaining loyal to God and having faith, and thus be shamed into repenting .

    There are many possible futures , not one future …and so there was a possible future where Satan could have seen the virtues of loyalty and faith demonstrated by Job and been so ashamed of what he did that he repented . God seeks the repentence of all even Satan , for God is against evil ,and, hence, never wanted evil to manifest in the first place, nor does he want it to continue .

  • http://samscoville.blogspot.com/ sam scoville

    “Suffering” is an art and achievement. “to stand up from under” Who wouldn’t want to know how, be able, enabled? That poor little question mark looks like he’s in pain–not suffering. Of course the stalwart exclamation marks look like they’re in pain too. Insufferable.
    I thought the bet between devil and god was meaningful: to tempt a point regarding faith and circumstance. Don’t I have faith abounding when it’s all going well for me? Makes my sense? My willy-nilly be done? Piece of cake.

  • http://theprodigalprophet.com Dylan Morrison Author

    Renee Girard has a great chapter on Job in one of his books. Can’t remember which one though!

  • http://nakedpastor.com nakedpastor

    i think it was I Saw Satan Fall Like Lightening… about the scapegoat phenomenon… Job as failed scapegoat

  • http://samscoville.blogspot.com/ sam scoville

    Is it possible to hear more about Job as “failed
    scapegoat”?

  • http://samscoville.blogspot.com/ sam scoville

    Never mind: here it is (the whole chapter)
    http://girardianlectionary.net/res/job_girard.htm

  • http://facebook.com/cassandratoday Jenny Howard

    A reminder to re-read Job is timely for me, as I (again, or still) work on sorting out my call. Thanks for posting this.

  • http://nakedpastor.com nakedpastor

    thanks jenny. and thanks sam for finding a good link.

  • Steve

    Satan is a marginal figure in the work, and certainly not the Satan of the New Testament or of modern Christian imagination–just an angel with a particular assignment.

  • http://samscoville.blogspot.com/ sam scoville

    Marginal? IN the legendary “medieval” court, the Jester’s job was to mock and send-up
    and critique and tweak and jostle the Petitioner and Petition –do a number on him to see if he and the petition can stand up to it, through it. If SO: the king might consider its worth.
    A “satan” is like a prosecutor in the Hebrew court: adversary, accuser. Essential to the working of “justice.”
    Somewhere along the lines we put horns and a tail on him, dis-connecting and dis-identifying ourselves from this satanic representation of our adversarial and accusatory habits.

  • http://barrypearman.blogspot.com/ Barry Pearman

    Paul found comfort in the story of Job too. I am preaching verse by verse through Phillipians and I discovered that Paul slipped in a little Job. Paul was being hit by the exclamation marks and he writes ‘Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in my deliverance. Philippians 1: 15 – 19′. Job writes ‘Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance Job 13:16′

    Job, and Paul, knew that life was a mystery to be walked and that in mystery there would be found intimacy with God, not answers to fuel a self sufficient existence.

    I will post more on this on Sunday.

    Thanks so much for the cartoons David, I think I may use it on Sunday.

  • Yisraela

    Hey!!! I know those guys!!! They look like the “friends” I’ve had over my life time!!!
    Maybe the point is that even when all the people you know say that you are crazy and/or evil… When life gives you blow after blow without a chance to catch your breath… God still loves you and wants to bring good into your life.

  • fishon

    David,
    Off subject, but have you heard anything from or about Alice [preacherlady]? I know she was really sick, and if not mistaken had a slight stroke. She and I sure didn’t see eye to eye, but I sure liked her.
    jerry

  • http://nakedpastor.com nakedpastor

    i heard from her just the other day Jerry. i was sending her a gift of one of my Sophia prints. she sounded fine. maybe she’ll read this and respond.

  • CigarMike

    The “friends” look like baseball bats-I know they are exclamation points, but the way they treated Job, and the way we’re treated at times, resemble a verbal beating, like with a baseball bat. That’s the first think I thought.

  • fishon

    Thanks, David. Good to hear.

  • Caroline TOO

    hmm, on the one hand I love this cartoon, but on the other hand, we can be a bit hard on the four comforters…

    after all

    they came and grieved silently with Job for a week… that’s caring

    they handled sorm pretty vicious retorts from Job, but stuck in there faithfully with him (yep they got things wrong)

    but, then after all the insults God told them they were in the wrong, and told them to go and apologise to Job and get him to pray for them… (crikey, I’d say on yer bike mate {but then I’m English, sorry) but these guys did as they were told, golly I’d like friends like that, foolish and error prone like me by humble and faithful friends.

  • Sarah

    Too bloody right. Sometimes, life just happens.

    :-)

  • Sarah

    btw Job is where G*d’s womb gets mentioned. Check it out.

  • http://thoughts-brigitte.blogspot.com Brigitte

    Sam Scoville’s link above is a good read. Just finished it.