Job is a simple man who has everything anyone could ever ask for, wealth, family, land, etc. Then on a day that was no different from any other, he receives news that all his children are dead, his land is gone, and his wealth has disappeared. Where does Job turn in this situation… faith. The modern play J.B. disagrees with the book of Job on cultural topics such as faith and family because of the chaotic period in which it was written. Time can be a crucial element to how we view the world around us. J.B. and Job were written thousands of years apart and still have similar focuses, yet the socially correct views have a major difference. Exploring how these two texts differ in this way might help us determine how we might be influenced socially and culturally today.
The shock of this news hits Job like a wall of despair and grief. Not knowing what to do, he makes an attempt at showing what he is feeling on the inside by shaving his head, tearing his clothes, and worshiping God. Now compare this to the reaction of J.B. after receiving similar news, “You bastards! I’ll beat your god damned brains out” – (J.B. Pg. 69). This interaction distinctly shows a difference in how J.B. and Job handled the same situation because of the social ordering of faith and family during the time it was written. Take note of verse 22 in chapter one of Job, “In all these events that befell him, Job sinned not at all before the Lord…” – (Septuagint, Job 1:22). For Job, his primary goal in life is to worship God and serve him in the best way possible. That is simply because it was the culture at the time. So for Job, his faith to God towered over the grief of his loss. However, with J.B., there is a strong emphasis on family throughout the entire play. Giving the impression that family is what is most important in life and faith is a side effect of having a good family. Which is clearly outlined in the text when J.B. uses the lords name in vain in anger at the loss of his family, but then as a secondary reaction, comes back to God.
Job lays in sorrow over the loss of his family, meanwhile, Satan is given permission by God to make Jobs life exponentially worse. Job displays such an outstanding faith because of the symbolic meaning behind it. Right at the beginning of chapter verse three, we can have a glimpse at some of the crucial dialog between satan and God, “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil.” – (KJV Job 2:3). One of the most interesting parts of this verse is where God describes Job as being a “perfect and upright man”. Considering we have the ability to look back thousands of years to that very moment, we know that the only perfect man to ever live was Jesus Christ. So why would God say such a thing? Imagine we were living in the Old Testament and had no knowledge of the coming of Jesus. We might be able to read this and see it as symbolism that one day a Saviour will come, and he will be perfect and will prevail over satan much like Job did. Now moving forward to 1958, the play J.B. does not necessarily need J.B. to be as upright and holy as Job was. This is because the use of this symbolism is no longer needed since Jesus has already come. So rather than using J.B. to support symbolism that is no longer needed, he is redirected to support other key cultural influence at the time, which is having an almost religious reliance on family.
Job has been with his friends for many days now and is being constantly ridiculed. They poke and stab at him, urging him to believe that he is not right with God, but the idea of not having God is unthinkable to Job. Job feels a greater separation from God compared to J.B. because he is more reliant on him than J.B. is. Most of the book of Job is made up of dialog where he is crying out to God while replying to his friends. For example, Job says, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh Shall I see God.”- (KJV, Job 19:26). Job makes a distinct separation between the physical world and the spiritual world. Saying, “Though after my skin worms destroy this body” symbolizes how he is not worried about what he has on earth or what has been taken from him. What he wants is to be with God, saying, “Yet in my flesh I shall see God”. J.B. on the other hand still relies on God, but not as firm. On page 108, he says, “His will is everywhere against us, even in our sleep, our dreams…” – (J.B. Pg. 108), this leads the reader to believe J.B. is viewing God as his enemy rather than a companion. Being that this was written shortly after the second world war, it could also be a way of relating with former troops who might have said the same thing to themselves in the heat of battle, “His will is everywhere against us”. With the world becoming more materialistic and individualistic, the idea of relying on God slowly became second to relying on family and yourself instead.
J.B. has been bed ridden and his health is failing him. He continues to disagree with his wife, but then, before he even comprehends what has happened, she is gone. The marriage of J.B. and his wife holds a much greater significance throughout the story compared to the book of Job because of the prevalent theme of having a close-knit family in the mid 1900s. J.B. begins to realize that his beloved wife has left and says, “Sarah, why do you not speak to me?… Sarah!”- (J.B. Pg. 112) This creates a family dynamic that is entirely different than the one in the book of Job. Job’s wife tells Job to give up on his faith and to curse God, to which Job responds with, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh” – (KJV Job 2:10). It would be easy to agree with her to curse God, given his situation, however he stays faithful and instead rebukes her for saying such a thing. After this interaction, there is no longer any mention of Job’s wife, therefore taking the focus off the marriage. However, in J.B., the play changes this component and makes it almost completely about the marriage. The time period plays a crucial role in explaining why this is the case. Families were not feeling the same urgency for one another as they were when they were apart during the war. Relationships might have become stale and perhaps were in a similar domestic situation as J.B. and Sarah. Therefore, the idea of fighting for family rather than faith acts as a more powerful message than the story of Job alone.
J.B. reaches the ends of his limits, his countless prayers for death have not been answered. Then unexpectedly, he finds himself in conversation with Nickles (satan), saying that he promises to give everything he had back and more. In the end of the story in J.B., J.B. is clinging to the idea of building back what he already had because his wife and family take precedence over God. On page 153 of the play, Sarah says to J.B., “Blow on the coals of my heart. The candles in the churches are out.” – (J.B. Pg.153), this gives the impression that Sarah has returned and is challenging Job to reunite with her first before reuniting with God, essentially saying, the churches are closed now, God can wait, but I am here right now. In the action lines we can then see, “J.B. has joined her, lifting and straightening the chairs.” – (J.B. Pg. 153), showing that J.B. accepts Sarahs proposal, and begins to rebuild what they had before. This crowns the emphasis on faith over family in J.B., especially in marriage. However, this differs immensely from the ending in Job. Job is confronted by God and is challenged to forgive, of course Job being loyal, he obeys. “And the Lord prospered Job: and when he prayed also for his friends, he forgave them their sins: and the Lord gave Job twice as much…” – (Septuagint, Job 42:10). Take notice there is no mention of Job forgiving or praying for his wife. It is as though she was erased from the story. Job moves on to have many more possessions, a big family, and immense wealth. However, we are left at guessing on whether or not he has the same wife. Perhaps that is the purpose though, to ensure that the message of the story is trust and faith in God, not reuniting with a quarrelsome spouse.
Both stories have a direct correlation to the period in which they were written. So, does our own personal story have a direct correlation to the period we live in as well? Would we still be the same or believe in the same things we do today if we lived 100, 200 or even 1000 years ago? Based on Job and J.B. I would say not. J.B. had a cultural influence to put his family first vs Job who put God first. If they had switched shoes, they might have also switched their ordering of beliefs. This is why it is so important to mold yourself to what you personally belief is the right way to live your life. Not just being one of the many people who only believe in things because other people do. As far as faith and family go, do not let the modern world determine how you view these precious aspects of life, make the decision for yourself, and live by it firmly.
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