Alone Together

I was reading the beginning of the story of Job this morning. He’s lost everything – his family, possessions, reputation, good health. His three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar hear about his troubles and join him… They’re together, but Job is very much alone…  

…Sympathy: ‘They set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathise with him and comfort him…’ Job’s friends are hoping to understand how he’s feeling… We watched families on the TV; their homes are bombed out. We try to understand how they feel, but they’re alone.

…Sitting: ‘Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights…’  Job’s friends do nothing. Social activities are about doing or going places stuff together – eating, working, playing, travelling. Sitting is about doing nothing, going nowhere… whether beside the holiday pool or the hospital bed.

…Silence: ‘…No one said a word to him…’ We’ve had recent conversations about trips to London – particularly negotiating the underground… many people together, sitting in silence. We can be with other people – shopping, at the gym, at church but be alone in our silence.

…Suffering: ‘…because they saw how great his suffering was.’ My friend Kevin’s wife died three years ago. Recently he remembered his wife’s birthday and their wedding anniversary. He’s supported by his friends and family, but his suffering is personal.

…Service: Up to this point Job’s friends have done well; they’ve set me an example. I can serve my friends by seeking to understand them, sitting with them, if necessary in silence, in their suffering. I often think that service is about doing stuff. Sometimes I can best serve by being me…

This is Holy Week… Jesus serves, washing his disciples’ feet… with his friends but very much alone. Tomorrow, Maundy Thursday, we’ll remember his friends show no sympathy, no understanding of what’s about to happen. He’s sitting in the garden. His friends and his Father-God are silent. He’s suffering… facing further suffering… with others, but alone.