Human Worth, Living And Dying, Suffering And Surviving
by Rev. Martin Hoesch and Linda Bartlett

Most Christians realize that suicide and euthanasia are sin. We understand that it is not within the jurisdiction of human authority to determine when we or others will die. In spite of what we believe, groups such as Americans Against Human Suffering seek legalization of euthanasia citing "quality of life" as a justification. They believe that persons should be allowed to determine the time of their death so as to avoid suffering, frustration, excessive expense and that new "evil foe," indignity.

Many Christians also agree that the other extreme is unreasonable. When outward signs of life are absent and it appears God has called the soul from its earthly "tent," there is no point in artificially sustaining life signs. Therefore, when no hope of recovery exists, the dying process should be allowed to run its course. Loving care - including food, water and spiritual support - should be given to the dying, keeping them as comfortable and pain free as possible. This is death with dignity.

It becomes obvious that the Church and the world have differing responses to the problem of pain and suffering. As Christians, we must seek the will of God, asking, "How then shall we live, even when living involves suffering?" Is it possible to find a Scripturally sound and God-pleasing position somewhere in between these extremes which balances concerns of stewardship and the sanctity of life?

While we don't pretend to know exactly where the fine lines are to be drawn, there are some guidelines which help us plot a course around the dangers of disrespect for life and an unrealistic hope of seeing health restored.

Let's begin with a reminder of the origin and essence of human life. In contrast with the worldly view of life as an "accident", read God's truth in Genesis 1:26-27, 31: 2:7; Psalm 139:13-16; Psalm 8:5; Acts 17:28.

Life is a sacred gift from God, a part of our appointed stewardship (Genesis 1:28). What is our promise in Isaiah 46:4? We are not, therefore, lords of our own lives, to do with them as we please, to end life when we choose. We do not have that authority from God; He has reserved it unto Himself. (Read Ecclesiastes 8:8 and Psalm 31:14-15a.)

Years ago, we didn't have much choice in terms of technology and we had to live with things as they were. Even so, people still had the choice of suicide or taking another's life but, in most cases, chose not to. As family structures have broken down and as values have changed, people no longer have the support needed to bear a burden. However, through hospice care, people are taught how to live with suffering. When we support people until they die, we are also supporting the family about to lose a loved one. "Bearing one another's burdens" really is the calling of the Christian church! (Galatians 6:2)

What are we asked to do in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7? Discuss Jesus' words found in John 17:15 and Matthew 11:28-30.

If we choose to endure suffering by the strength of faith in Christ instead of choosing to end our own life as a way to avoid pain, we give a testimony of the power of God to help us endure. What does St. Paul reveal about himself in 2 Corinthians 12:1-9? What are we told can happen through suffering in I Peter 1:5-7 and John 9:1-3? What does the psalmist say in Psalm 23:4? We can look to Christ's own example in the Garden of Gethsemane. (See Luke 22:39-46 - taking special note of verse 43.)

Luther said that real theology is done through prayer, meditation, suffering, anxiety and so on. Those are the battlegrounds where theology is put into practice, where people struggle with their relationship with God, and where they are strengthened by the grace of God.

As Christian friends and family of a loved one who is suffering, we are given a unique opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ as we minister to the afflicted with God's own words of comfort. What does God ask of us in Matthew 5:16? What words of comfort can we offer our loved one? (See Psalm 50:15; Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 49:15; Romans 8:18,28.) Of what does Paul remind all of us in Philippians 4:6-9?

The challenge for the Body of Christ is to learn how to bear burdens and to help others do so in ways that give glory to God, to learn how to grow in faith even in the midst of suffering, and to learn to live with and for each other as the family of God. As we do this, we will see each person who suffers not as a burden to be eliminated or avoided, but as a personal invitation to love with the love of Jesus Christ who "bears griefs and carries our sorrows." (Isaiah 53:4)

Far from calling us to an earthly existence of constant pleasure and freedom from distress, God has called us to a life of service (Galatians 5:13) and at times that service involves sacrifice and adversity. It can be difficult and expensive and trying to care for a person who is ill or dying or handicapped. When a person has been ill for a long time, the family members get to a point where they've had it. They're exhausted physically; drained emotionally. The question arises: "Do we withdraw treatment. or not?" Christians must ask themselves: "Is what I'm about to decide for the benefit of the patient or for me? Do I want to withdraw treatment because I can't bear the burden anymore or because the treatment is a burden to my loved one?"

Rev. Richard C. Eyer, Director of Pastoral Care at Columbia Hospital in Milwaukee says, "People sometimes go beyond what is clinical, though they call it clinical. For example, basic food and water and air to breathe are no longer medical issues. They are necessities that every human being requires. And yet when you talk about comatose patients, and you try to make a decision on how much medical treatment to give them, often things non-medical are drawn in as if they are also medical. Do we feed them? Hydrate them? To me, those are basic human needs and ought not to be debated. If you're talking about whether to treat with an antibiotic, whether to do surgery or some other invasive procedure, that would depend on the benefit or lack of it."

For those who ask: "When we encounter pain and suffering in our lives, how are we to deal with it in a God-pleasing way?", Scripture offers these guidelines:

Don't be surprised. (I Peter 4:12-14; Matthew 10:21-31; Acts 14:22; I Corinthians 10:13)
Don't consider it as God's way of making us pay for our sin. (Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 1:12-19; 2:24)
Know that you are loved by God, even now. (Hebrews 12:5-11)
Look for the good that God can cause to come out of it, especially in the form of a witness to others. (Romans 8:28; Hebrews 12:10,11; John 9:3; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 12:7; Romans 5:3-5; I Peter 1:6-7)
Recognize that the Lord is present with you even in the suffering. (I Kings 19:1-10,18; Matthew 11:28-30) and that Christ has endured it before you. (Isaiah 53:2-4; 63:9; Hebrews 4:15)
Don't let human reason or emotion lead as you try to under- stand it all. (Proverbs 14:12; 16:2,9; Jeremiah 17:9)
Draw encouragement from those who have gone before you down the road of adversity. (Hebrews 11:32-40; 12:1-2) Note especially the witness of Job who suffered great afflictions (1:13-19; 2:7); was provoked and tempted to abandon God (2:9); but through it all retained his faith, gave glory to God and continued to seek God in faith, regardless of the cost (13:15; 2:10; 1:20-22; 19:25-27).

For Discussion and Action:

As a group, discuss the following recent events and quotations.

Between December 15,1992 and February 25,1993, Jack Kevorkian, a Michigan pathologist, "helped" seven people to commit suicide, bringing his total since June 1990 to 15. Even though the state of Michigan passed a law which makes assisting suicide a felony punishable by up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine, Kevorkian insists he will continue to help those who want to end their suffering to do so.
On February 9, 1993 the Dutch Parliament voted to permit the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands. In a move that sets a trend for other nations to follow, the Parliament voted 91 to 45 to guarantee immunity from prosecution to doctors who practice euthanasia. A September 1991 report found that over 20,000 deaths were hastened by doctors in 1990, before the Parliament vote. Of these, 2,300 cases of voluntary active euthanasia and 400 cases of "assisted suicide" together accounted for 22% of all deaths in the country. But in 1,000 additional cases, patients suffered active, involuntary euthanasia - they were directly killed without their consent. Doctors acted to hasten deaths by withholding or withdrawing treatment in 8,750 cases (all of them without the patient's consent) and by administering overdoses of painkillers in 8,100 cases (61% of them without the patient's consent).
In a survey of nursing home residents, over 80% said they would want beneficial care or life support. But when the families of the residents were surveyed, only 30% said they thought their loved ones would want life support.
A woman in her eighties was admitted to the hospital with pulmonary edema, in other words, her lungs were filled with fluid. She could not breathe and was literally dying. She was angry when the doctors put her on a ventilator to save her life. But less than 24 hours later, she was taken off the ventilator. She resumed her usual spunky attitude and went home in a few days after thanking the doctors for the care.
In an interview with the Cedar Rapids Gazette, an Iowa couple who are members of the Hemlock Society, recently talked about the "cache of death pills" they have stockpiled for the day they take their own lives. "We can just keep them in the medicine cabinet in the event we're able to terminate our own life, and then we can use them and thumb our nose at everybody else who wants to keep us alive."
"Disabled people all over the country have killed themselves," according to the World Institute On Disability. ". . .they see no hope, no future." Joni Eareckson Tada, who struggles against her own paralysis, asks, "Is it right to die when people see no hope, no future? Is it right to die when the pain becomes excessive, the medical costs prohibitive, the personal dignity shattered? Where is the line drawn? And who has the right to draw it? When is it right to say, `This much I can take, and no more!' "

List some reasons why families might be pressured into "pulling the plug." When money becomes an issue, is it really a matter of expense or priority? In what ways can the Christian community provide support for the family with a loved one at the end of life? Encourage one another to find out more about the Steven's Ministries, hospice care, congregational support ministries, "Friends" programs, Project Compassion, etc. Instead of signing a "living will" which may not prevent euthanasia, talk to your family about "end-of-life" decisions. Contact Lutherans For Life more information on more carefully written documents

This Bible study is available in a reproducible form as part of Life Studies – Volume One. Click here to go to the on-line Life Resource Catalog.

Human Worth, Living And Dying, Suffering And Surviving by Rev. Martin Hoesch and Linda Bartlett

For Discussion and Action:

As a group, discuss the following recent events and quotations.

Human Worth, Living And Dying, Suffering And Surviving
by Rev. Martin Hoesch and Linda Bartlett