Reading
Kazoh Kitamori’s “Theology of the pain of God” may raise a number of striking
questions such as “Can God feel pain? How can the almighty and sovereign God
feel pain? Isn’t God immune to pain? Are we reading too much into God’s feeling
if we claim we know His pain? Can we truly comprehend His pain? Isn’t the
theology of the pain of God too anthropopathic?” The theology of the
impassibility of God affirms divine impassibility that God does not experience
pain or pleasure or in another expression God is immune to any emotions due to
His sovereignty and independency. As a matter of fact, Kitamori’s theology of
the pain of God is an attempt to win theology that claims “God has no pain”.
Kazoh
Kitamori, a Japanese theologian experienced the suffering of the Second World
War, especially its aftermath resulting in publishing his theology of the pain
of God in 1946, just two years after the atomic bombing catastrophe. This devastating
experience has certainly enriched Kitamori’s theologizing insights in offering
an exploration to another dimension of looking into the depths of God. In order
to do so, Kitamori reminds that we need the gift of God for “clear eyes” in
order to be able to look at theological issues with higher sensitivity.
Apologetically, Kitamori proposes that the theology of the pain of God is not
meant to condemn any theological schools, doctrines or theologians but to
approach and to pray for, hoping them to be able to open their “clear eyes” to
embrace this new dimension of thoughts and insights.
Inspired
by Jeremiah’s pain of God and Paul’s God on the cross, Kitamori develops his
theology of the pain of God. His idea of the pain of God is based on Jeremiah
31.20 in which God says, “My heart
yearns” meaning “My heart is in pain”.
Using Luther’s description of God’s fighting God in Golgotha, Kitamori
explicitly explains his theology of the pain of God. The pain of God is the
consequence of the clashes between the wrath of God and the love of God. It is
not two Gods fighting each other but it is divine-inner-fight
(my expression). Comparing it to melody, the theology of God’s love is like
soprano and the theology of the pain of God is like bass. The soprano of God’s
love is sung by happy people whilst the bass song of the pain of God is the
neglected song in the heart of the neglected miserable people.
Kitamori
said “no” to three melodies. The first “no”, is said to the melody of Schelling
that states God’s essence is the will to love and hence God as Spirit is
nothing as compared to God as love. The second “no” is said to the melody of
Shotoku who delineates on sickness saved by sickness by suffering mercy. And
the third “no” is aimed at Hegel’s impassibility of God who believes God does
not suffer pain for He is undisturbed and invulnerable.
Christianity
will lose its core without the pain of God for the pain of God is “the heart of
the gospel”, Kitamori emphasizes (p.19). The theology of the pain of God
implies God’s solidarity with people who suffer in the harsh reality of the
world.
Does
God need to feel pain? He does not have to, but He chooses to. He is compelled
to experience pain due to His love for humanity. Kitamori delineates that “the
whole life of Jesus was a way of pain (via
dolorosa)” (p.43). He points out the theme of the pain of God found in the
fourth Gospel as follows:
§ Father
is working still, and I am working (5.17-18)
§ For
I come from Him and He sent me (7.29-30)
§ Before
Abraham was, I am (8.58-59)
§ I
and the Father are one (10.30-33)
Jesus’
above-mentioned statements has triggered and invited
anger, jealousy, hatred and is considered to be blasphemous, consequently those
people of the law sought to arrest Him, stoned Him and eventually killed Him.
We can conclude that the way of Jesus is the way of pain, the way of sacrifice
and obedience, the way of love and forgiveness. The cross is the meeting point
of God’s wrath and love. It is painful for a child to see his or her parent in
pain; moreover, it is even much more painful for a parent to see his or her
child in pain. Christ suffered much pain on the cross, not just physically but
also emotionally when He cried, Eli, Eli
lama sabach thani! This estrangement from the Father certainly caused much
pain on Christ whilst the Father was in pain being alienated from the Son. I
may read it too far; however, the pain of the Father in that moment is
certainly beyond description. Since the Father is one with the Son as the Son
is one with the Father in essence, the Father is in pain along with the Son. It
demonstrates the divine agony. Kitamori says that the essence of God without
the pain of God or without the heart of God is not an essence at all or
“essence without essence” (p.46). According to Kitamori, “the essence of God can be comprehended only from the word of the
cross” (p.47).
How
do we understand the pain of God since He is beyond our knowledge to
comprehend? (Job 36.26). For “no one can
comprehend what goes on under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 8.17). We are even incapable
to understand the mystery of life (Ecclesiastes 11.5). Since we are not able to
understand God, how can we know the pain of God? Well, since we are not capable
to comprehend God, how do we know that God has no pain? We are not capable to
know more beyond what He chooses to reveal to us. He revealed His pain to us in
various passages in the Bible with the cross as its peak point. One thing that
I find difficult to resolve is the simultaneous present of heaven and hell. If
heaven represents the love of God and hell represents the wrath of God,
consequently since hell is eternally present, does it imply that God is
eternally in pain? If God is eternally in pain, how can heaven be a joyful
place? How do believers be joyful living with God who is eternally in pain?
Probably, this is the mystery of God that has not been revealed to us yet since
we are not yet able to comprehend this profound mystery.
Kitamori
explains that we can serve the pain of God by our own pain because we are
called to bear our own cross. He uses the life of Abraham as an example for
Abraham himself served with his own pain. How can our pain be relieved by
serving God’s pain? How does our pain become meaningful and fruitful? Why
should we make pain our function? Why should we become suffering? (p.81). How is our pain being healed as we serve the
pain of God? Kitamori explains that the pain of God heals our pain (p.53).
Kitamori advices us to shift our pain from self-centered pain into theo-centred
pain meaning by loving God above all else (p.54). Serving the pain of God by
our own pain is meant to conquer our willfulness, illusions and disobedience
(56). However, we must be careful in teaching this as it can be easily mistaken
of earning merits by our own pain. This pain must not be self-inflicting pain,
but a consequence of sins. Our pain is the result of this harsh reality of life
and definitely not masochism.
Admittedly, our
own pain contains the potential or risk of disappointments, hurt or even
hatred. Calamities, natural disasters as well as life-pressure in a competitive
world market have created much tension in people. The inner-struggle and
inner-cry are seeking to scream out their painful hearts. Answering my previous
question regarding how we can be joyful if we are suffering in pain, Kitamori
says that the enjoyment of God is made possible by the pain of God which
continues to suffer for us. His embraces us with His love and forgiveness and
hence we can enjoy Him. Enjoyment of God is not in terms of self-seeking
enjoyment for personal pleasures. However, it is the enjoyment of God’s love,
grace and forgiveness that eventually produces great joy in us.
Kitamori’s
mystery of pain is the path to transform our pains into meaningfulness and
fruitfulness. Kitamori quotes Paul’s in Galatians 2.20 that says "I have
been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in
me" as well as Romans
6.3-5 about our being united with Christ in His death. Kitamori uses Luther’s term condolore
meaning “to suffer together”. We are not to suffer alone; instead we are to
suffer with the pain of God. Unfortunately, Kitamori does not present a chapter
concentrating on pain as a chosen people of God.
In
mysticism of pain, disobedience is resolved by justification (p.74). Pure joy and the enjoyment of God are made
possible by the love of God in the pain of God (p.75). Pure joy can be attained when we join Christ
in His suffering because when we suffer together with Christ we also receive
comfort with Christ. The mysticism of the cross becomes the power for
sanctification (p.77). The mysticism of pain also implies being
“silent and sank into its depth” (p.73).
Obviously, the tranquility of pain is an expression of spiritual maturity, just
like Christ who suffered in silent like a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53.7).
Theology
of the pain of God is a great spiritual medication for those who suffer the
harsh reality of the world. Theology of the pain of God offers spiritual
chemotherapy for the spiritual cancer patients. In the mysticism of pain, our
pain can be united with the pain of God. The pain of God is God’s love
overcoming God’s wrath bringing victorious life by giving meaning to our pain.
Our meaningless pain is transformed into meaningful pain in the pain of God.
