THEOSISJohn Chrysostom
When Christ remarked, “It would have been better for this man not to have been born” (Matthew 26:24), He was conveying the dreadful fate that awaited him. Similarly, Job’s lament, “If I had not been born, or had been born, I should have died immediately, so that death should accompany birth,” does not critique God’s providence but rather illustrates the depth of his suffering. One can observe that Job carefully directs all his anguish toward the day of his birth, avoiding any transgression of this boundary, and repeatedly referring to “day” and “night,” indicating that although he wished he had never endured his current trials, he would still not have been rewarded for his faithfulness.
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What say you? Did you not declare, “If we have received good things from the Lord, shall we not also endure bad things?” Have you now suddenly shifted your perspective and cursed the day of your birth before those listening? Do you not find it curious that Job may have spoken unwisely, while I utilize different words that contrast his characteristic kindness and compassion? Perhaps he did not intend unwarranted expressions, but as he nobly endured his trials, he rightly and intelligently lamented his existence. Christ referred to Judas when stating, “It would have been better for this man not to have been born” (Matthew 26:24). Likewise, Job reflects this sentiment: “Why was I born? It was better for me that I had not been born.”