b'Where [human beings] suffer because they love, God suffers in them and they suffer in God. Where this God suffers the death of Jesus and thereby demonstrates the power of his love, there men alsond the power to remain in love despite pain and death, becoming neither bitter nor super cial. They gain the power of af iction and can hold fast to the dead . . . and despite [this] remain in love. (Moltmann, The Cruci ed God, Theology Today, 17)Moltmann transforms Christian doctrinesuff ers and yet promises liberation. For Jews through an appeal to the historical specifi city ofand Christians, God is the one who suff ers the encounter with God. This appeal enshrineswith humanity amid the promise that suff ering the virtue of hope rather than so-calledis not the last word; rather, God calls humans progress. The hopeless world is condemned toto faithfulness, to live beyond the desire progress that is determined by the canonizationto control that lies at the heart of progress. of general bias, condemned to rely upon itsJesus is the sure sign to Christians of Gods own devices, which are unequal to the goodsuff ering with humanity and the hope that intentions of humans. Such a world ignoreshistory will unfold Gods lordship over time. suff ering and cannot embrace the God who This article is an excerpt from UnderstandingChristopher McMahon holds a Jesus: Christology from Emmaus to Today, bydoctorate in theology from the Christopher McMahon (2007, 2013). Winona,Catholic University of America. MN: Anselm Academic. Copyright2007,His areas of interest include 2011 Saint Marys Press. All rights reserved. Christology and Scripture.1. Jrgen Moltmann, The Cruci ed God, Theology Today 31 (1974): 1618, 16.2. Ibid., 11.3. Ibid. ARTICLE 15'