Reflection on Job in the Lectionary



When we turn to the Bible, we are often looking for answers. Job, however, is more about the questions, specifically: "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

Job is thought to be made up of many later additions to the original text, including Elihu, an entirely new friend of Job's not mentioned before or after he pops up right near the end. These additions show people throughout time continuing to wrestle with the question Job presents.

While Job doesn't really give us an answer, it does let us know that God is present and listening throughout our struggles and that we are called to be open to that presence and take comfort in it.

Job's use in Year B Track 1 of the Revised Common Lectionary gives some of the breadth of the text, but can be confusing in trying to get a sense of the whole book. Here is how the lectionary covers Job:

  • Proper 22- Job 1:1; 2:1-10: Not quite the start, but also not quite not the start. We miss the Accuser's (ha satan's) first attack on Job's possessions and family and go straight to the attack on Job himself.
  • Proper 23- Job 23:1-9, 16-17: This section comes after Job's friends tell him he must have done something wrong and must repent. After this Elihu speaks and then God will speak directly to Job.
  • Proper 24- Job 38:1-7, (34-41): God finally responds to Job's cries of "why is this happening to me?".
  • Proper 25- Job 42:1-6, 10-17: Job responds to God and the end of the book.
You can learn more about Job in the following Formation sessions:


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