Season 3 Episode 8 Pastoral Counseling

[Dr. Shane]

Simon is upset after learning that Eden had a miscarriage while he was on his missionary journey.  (Of course, these details were added by The Chosen writers.  There is no Biblical record of Simon's wife having a miscarriage.)  Simon is struggling with why God heals some people but not other people.  This is an issue many people have struggled with.  If God is good and all-powerful, why does He let bad things happen?  Either He isn't good or He isn't all-powerful.  Earlier in this season we saw Little James learning why Jesus had not healed him (another detail not in the Bible).  Jesus told Little James it is because He trusts him.  He allows us to experience suffering so it can refine us and make us into better people.  This is also the answer Jesus gives to Simon at the end of the episode when they are walking on the water.

My favorite part of this episode is when Yosef is meeting with Eden and her mother.  Pastoral counseling is the ministry I am in and this scene captures what it is to be a pastoral counselor.  Yosef identifies with Eden's pain.  He opens up about himself being distracted, thus allowing himself to be vulnerable.  He helps Eden identify her anger.  He demonstrates empathy for both Eden and Simon which results in Eden seeing past her own pain to be able to empathize with Simon.  He leads her to God's Word and into obedience to it.  This short part of the episode captures what the ministry of a pastoral counselor is.

The Chosen doesn't cover the entire response.  That is, this episode does not entirely answer the question of why a good God allows evil.  The story of Job teaches us that God is on trial.  Satan accuses believers of many things.  Among them, believers are accused of only obeying God so that good things will come to them.  Then too, when a believer repents, Satan brings up their sin and argues that they do not deserve forgiveness.  Satan leads humanity into sinfulness and than uses it against us to argue for our punishment and destruction.  The big picture is that of a God on trial (being accused by Satan) and humanity being led astray (by Satan) and then being accused of not being worthy (also by Satan).  While it is true that God allows bad things to refine us (such as the story of Joseph being sold into slavery), there is more going on there than simply that.

Paul Coneff is an Adventist pastor and marriage and family therapist best known for his book, The Hidden Half of the Gospel.  He views the visible side of the gospel as that of salvation and grace.  The hidden side is that of suffering and temptation.  He makes the case that there are two pillars to using the hidden-half concept to heal brokenness.  The first is that Satan is the root of all suffering.  The second is that Jesus is the root of our healing and pain.  The first pillar is a critical part of healing.  It requires a basic understanding of the great controversy between Christ and Satan.

God is good and all-powerful but there are somethings He cannot do.  He cannot vindicate Himself without allowing evil to take its course.  The only way He can prevent evil from happening again, after He puts an end to it, is to be vindicated.  The theme of the great controversy runs through the Bible as a thread.  It begins in the Garden of Eden and ends in Revelation.  It isn't enough for God to tell His creation that He is right and good.  He must demonstrate to His creation that He is right and good.  The only way to do that is to allow Satan to expose himself as the root of all pain and sorrow.