With Holy Week fresh on our minds, it’s instructive to look at the juxtaposition of Elihu’s observations in Job 34 and Jesus’ words in Mark 8. First, Elihu’s Santa Claus Theology:

Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity. For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.” (Job 34.10, 11, NKJV)

Job is suffering. Every man is repaid according to his work. Therefore, Job is wrong when he says he is righteous.

But look what happened to Jesus!

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…”  (Mark 8.31 – 34, ESV)

Jesus took up his cross of suffering literally. We are told to take up our crosses, perhaps metaphorically. But there might be real suffering. Jesus was precisely NOT repaid according to his work. To think otherwise is to set our minds on “the things of man.”

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2.21 – 24, ESV)