THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
When Christ remarked, ‘It would have been better for this man not to have been born’ (Matthew 26:24), He was foretelling the dreadful fate that awaited him. Similarly, Job expresses, ‘If I had not been born, or had been born, I should have died immediately, so that death should accompany birth,’ not as an indictment of divine providence, but rather to illustrate the depth of his suffering. Observe how he carefully directs all his anguish towards the day, hesitating to exceed that boundary, as he continually refers to ‘day’ and ‘night,’ indicating that, although he would have avoided his current afflictions, he would not have received recognition for his faithfulness.
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What do you think? Did you not declare, ‘If we have received blessings from the Lord, shall we not also endure hardships?’ What has transpired? You have swiftly altered your stance and now curse the day of your birth before those who listen to you. Are you not surprised that Job expressed such sentiments, while I phrase my thoughts differently, contradicting his generous spirit and profound compassion? Yet perhaps he really did not utter such claims; rather, as he valiantly endured his trials, he wisely prayed for the avoidance of life itself. Christ spoke this concerning Judas: ‘It would have been better for this man not to have been born’ (Matt. 26:24). In the same vein, Job laments: ‘Why was I born? It would have been better for me had I never been born.’