This Week's Sermon
“Why Do Good People Suffer?
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Submitted to the church website due to Coronavirus outbreak
Scripture: Luke 13:1-9, John 9:1-5
Luke 13:1-9 NKJV There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. (2) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? (3) I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (4) Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? (5) I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (6) He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. (7) Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' (8) But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. (9) And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "
John 9:1-5 NKJV Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. (2) And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (3) Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. (4) I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. (5) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Introduction:
Today, I want to speak to you on “Why Do Good People Suffer?” Courageous pastors have preached on suffering before. In fact, one lady wrote her pastor a note reading, “Pastor, I never knew what suffering was until I heard you preach. Now I know.” Some preaching is like suffering. Once a long-winded preacher had been going about an hour and didn’t seem anywhere close to ending. He said, “I’m really on a roll here, and there’s a lot more that I want to say, but the Lord Jesus has just told me to stop, so let’s end the service. Jesus has told me to end my message.” The song leader stood and announced the closing hymn: “What a friend we have in Jesus.”
On a day in which we look toward Easter and the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you may wonder why I’m speaking about suffering. Why talk of suffering when we should ultimately be talking about the Lord’s victory over suffering and death? Think about it this way. If you go into a jewelry store and ask to look at a diamond necklace or bracelet or an engagement ring, the salesperson won’t display the diamond on top of a gleaming glass case. Instead, he or she will place the diamonds on a piece of dark cloth or velvet. It’s against that dark background that the brilliance and beauty of the diamond can be seen best. In the same way, the glory of the resurrection and God’s greatest blessings to us shine more brightly displayed against the dark background of suffering.
This is a message about terrorists and falling towers. Everybody still talks about that day; it was a day of tragedy and injustice. People were going about their business when they were suddenly and brutally killed. And what about the tower that fell suddenly? Towers remind us of strength and security. And when a tower falls and people are killed, we feel a little less secure. The initial reaction was shock; then we began to ask the inevitable questions: Why were those innocent people killed? Why did the tower fall? Where was God during all of that?
Most of you think I’m talking about 9/11; and everything I’ve said does apply to that disaster. But I’m really talking about 13:1 – Luke 13:1. Two thousand years ago, Jesus talked about some innocent people who died at the hands of what could be called terrorists, and He talked about a tower that fell and killed people. In fact, the similarities between Luke 13:1 and 9/11 are amazing. The same questions people are asking today were being asked 2,000 years ago. But more importantly, the answer Jesus gives is the same answer we need to hear today.
In the first Scripture reading (Luke 13), there were some people who had told Jesus about a group of Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Pilate had infiltrated this group with Roman soldiers disguised as Jews and who, at some pre-arranged signal, killed several people who had been offering sacrifices to God. Jesus answered them, saying, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?” (Luke 13:2) That was a rhetorical question, and the obvious answer is, “No.” Then Jesus said that unless His listeners repented, they too would all perish. What about verse 4? There were eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them. Jesus asked the same rhetorical question: “Do you think those people were more guilty than all the other folks living in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4) Again, the correct answer was “No.” Then Jesus told His listeners, “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Then Jesus relayed this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but couldn’t find any. So, he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any yet. So, cut it down! Why should it take up room and use up nutrients from the soil?” The vine dresser replied, “Leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”
The Holy Spirit is present with us today, but if Jesus Himself was here in the flesh, we could sit down in front of Him and ask, “Jesus, what about those 265 passengers who were killed on those hijacked airliners on 9/11? And what about those 2,606 people killed when the World Trade Center was attacked or the 125 people at the Pentagon? And while we’re on the subject, what about the 3 people who were killed and the 8 people who were wounded by a shooter at the Pensacola Air Station on December 6th (2019)? And what about the 4 people who were randomly killed at a kosher grocery store in Jersey City on December 10th (2019)? Jesus would look at us with those eyes that you would never forget and say, “Do you suppose those 265 people were worse sinners than anybody else who has ever gotten on an airliner? Or those 2,606 in New York City or those 125 people at the Pentagon or those 3 people at the Pensacola Air Station or those 4 people at the kosher grocery store in Jersey City – were they worse people than anybody else? NO. But unless you repent, you will perish, too.” You may not like His answer, or His non-answer. You may come up with a deep, troubling philosophical question, “Why do good people suffer?” And Jesus basically refuses to answer it. Instead, He turns the question into a statement about our own spiritual condition. A conversation with Jesus is never boring!
It’s okay to ask the question about suffering. Christianity and the Bible can easily endure the light of honest intellectual scrutiny; it has for centuries. So, you don’t have to check your brain at the door when you come to church. This idea of suffering has puzzled us for centuries. There is an entire theological or philosophical study called "theodicy". It asks the simple question: If God is entirely good, and entirely powerful, then why is there suffering? Some people look at what the Bible says about God and then look around in the world and say, “The character of God and the reality of suffering contradict each other!” What’s the answer?
Several years ago, I read Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. It’s a deeply spiritual book because Defoe was a committed Christian who wrote hymns and Christian poetry. When Defoe’s character, Robinson Crusoe, is shipwrecked on an island, he discovers a native and names him Friday. He teaches him to speak English and He teaches him about God and about the importance of trusting Jesus Christ for salvation. In one of their theological discussions, the following dialogue occurs: Friday to Robinson Crusoe: “But if God much strong, much more than devil, why God no kill the devil so make him no more do evil?” Crusoe’s reply: “You may as well ask, why God no kill you and me when we do wicked things”
That short conversation provides both the question and a good response to the problem of theodicy, the question of, “How can a loving, powerful God allow evil?” In light of 9/11 and in light of the resurrection of Jesus, let’s learn three important things about suffering.
1. Suffering Is Part of a Fallen World
There was no suffering in the Garden of Eden. But when Adam and Eve chose to disobey a loving God, suffering became a reality. We are still living in a world affected by the results of sin. Think of it this way: After a nuclear explosion, residual radiation from “fallout” – the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast – lingers for many years. Even so, we are still living in the “fallout” from the fall of Adam’s sin. God is not the source of evil; Satan and sin are responsible. Human suffering is produced from two different sources, both of which Jesus addresses in Luke 13.
First, we live in a world full of MORAL EVIL. We have to share this planet with some wicked people. Pilate was a cruel Roman governor. One day some Galileans were in the Temple getting ready to make their sacrifices. Pilate didn’t trust the Jews, so he had Roman soldiers disguised as Jews to intermingle with them. For some unknown reason, on a certain day, Pilate gave the order to massacre a group of worshipers. The Jews were still outraged that Pilate would mingle the blood of the worshipers with their sacrifices.
The world has always had to deal with cruel, wicked people like Pilate. Whether it’s Hitler ordering the death of 6 million Jews, or the misguided religious zeal of the Muslim terrorists who highjacked those jets – this world is just full of mean people. After 9/11, President Bush said we have seen the face of pure evil. I agree.
The Bible speaks of the depravity of the human heart. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us:
Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
In Mark 7:21-23, Jesus said:
Mark 7:21-23 NKJV For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, (22) thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. (23) All these evil things come from within and defile a man.
Look no further than your pocket or purse. If you have any kind of a key with you today, it is a testimony to the fact we have to lock things up, or some evil person will steal your car or your possessions. As I’ve said before, the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. Any human being is basically a sinner who has to have a life-transforming encounter with God before the heart is truly changed. Don’t blame God for the actions of wicked people. God allows us to choose whether to do good or evil. And because the human heart – human nature – is corrupt, people choose to do evil.
A second source of suffering is that we also live in a world of NATURAL EVIL. Sometimes we suffer and it’s not because of some wicked person. It could be what we call accidents and disasters. You could even include disease in this category. Why are there tornados, or earthquakes, or accidents where people are hurt or killed? Why is there cancer, or infection, or disease? It’s because we live in a fallen, messed up world. When Adam and Eve sinned, they opened a Pandora’s Box of troubles for themselves and for their descendants.
The World Trade Towers fell because of evil men flying jetliners filled with up to 24,000 US gallons of jet apiece fuel crashing into each tower. We don’t really know why the tower of Siloam mentioned in our Bible lesson fell. We just know 18 people died. Maybe it was human error. Maybe the tower had some design flaws or maybe the builders used inferior materials. Or maybe it was one of those unavoidable accidents that just happen in life.
Romans 8:22 says,
Romans 8:22 NKJV For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
This is a beautiful world in many ways, but it’s also an imperfect world. The Bible says creation itself has been whacked out of kilter. You can almost hear it groaning in pain. Creation isn’t running right because of sin. One day, creation itself will be fixed and redeemed. But for the time being we have to live in an imperfect world where there are storms, accidents, and disease. But don’t blame God, we messed it up.
Tony Evans says, “Have you ever cleaned up your house in preparation of receiving guests or visitors and when they arrive, they begin to mess up your house? You know it’s a good house; it’s just been messed up by these visitors. This can be annoying! Now think about how God feels about mankind messing up His perfect Creation!”
2. Suffering Is Unrelated to Goodness
The question in the minds of Jesus’ audience was, “Why did those people suffer and die from Pilate’s cruelty or from the tower falling?” The assumption was that they must have been bad people to suffer like that. There is a tendency for us to look at someone when they are suffering and to think, “Maybe they are just getting what they deserve.”
In John 9, our second gospel reading, Jesus was walking along when He saw a blind man. His disciples asked Him, “Master who sinned? This man or his parents that he was born blind?” Don’t we sometimes think the same way? What did this person do to deserve their suffering? Pay attention to what Jesus told His disciples, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned that he was born blind, but this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:1-3) We still make the same false assumption today.
Jesus asks, “Do you think those people the tower fell on were worse sinners than you? Absolutely not!” That kind of thinking assaults our sense of fairness or justice. We think bad people should be the ones to suffer and good people shouldn’t. But that’s not the way it works. Let’s remember the title of this sermon again: Why do good people suffer? It’s actually not a very good question, because no person is completely good in the first place! In Luke 18, a man approached Jesus and called Him “good.” Notice Jesus’ reply in Luke 18:19: “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered, “No one is good except God alone.” The Psalmist says, “There is none who does good.” (Psalm 14:1)
God is good all the time, but I don’t think any of us can claim that degree of perfect goodness for ourselves. I’m a sinner saved by grace. We want to know why bad things happen to good people.
But, really, we’re asking the wrong question. The theologian, R.C. Sproul wrote, “In effect what Jesus was saying was this: “You people are asking the wrong question. You should be asking me, ‘Why didn’t that tower fall on MY head?’” (The Holiness of God, p. 161)
Maybe you’ve pondered the mystery of, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But let’s turn that thought on its head. Have you ever stopped to wonder, “Why do good things happen to bad people (sinners), like me?” Suffering is no respecter of persons, at one time or another, everyone will suffer.
In fact, the Bible promises those who follow Christ WILL suffer. But the good news is that any suffering we endure in this world is only temporary. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:16-18:
Romans 8:16-18 NKJV The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Yes, we will suffer in this life. But this life is not all there is!
To understand this better, I’d like to quote the great theologian, Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton). Some of you remember the 1970s sitcom “All in the Family” that addressed every subject under the sun and then some. On one episode they even addressed the reality of suffering and belief in God. Here’s the conversation:
Michael (Archie Bunker’s atheistic son-in-law): “Tell me, Archie, if there is a God, why is this world messed up?”
Archie: “Why do I always have to give the answers? Edith, tell this dumb Polack why, if God has created the world, it’s in such a mess?”
Edith (Archie Bunker’s wife): “Well, I suppose it’s to make us appreciate heaven better when we get there.”
In the midst of a sitcom, the writers actually wrote something profound in the script.
Maybe the writers of the show wanted the audience to think most Christians were simplistic “dingbats” like Edith, but for whatever reason, I say, “good answer” to Edith. There will be NO suffering in heaven. Do you know for certain you’ll spend eternity there?
3. Suffering Amplifies God’s Message: “Repent or Perish!”
When asked why Pilate killed the people who were worshiping or why 18 people died when the tower fell, Jesus gave the same reply twice: “unless you repent you will likewise perish.” Go ahead, ask Him again, “Jesus, why are there terrorists who steal airplanes and bring towers crashing down?” He would tell you, “Wrong question, but unless you repent, you will also perish!” That’s His message: repent or perish!
Every person is born with an instinct to worship, to relate to – someone greater and more powerful than the human species. The psalmist put it this way:
Psalms 42:1-2 NKJV As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Consequently, people have devised a wide range of gods to fill this natural desire to worship in many different ways. When God sent Jesus, He was sending the final, authoritative revelation of Himself.
Paul was speaking to a group of intellectual giants in Athens. He had seen all their statues of gods and goddesses. And just in case they left one out, they had one unnamed shrine that simply said, “to the unknown God.” Paul took it as an opportunity to tell them that the “unknown God” was the true God, and His name is Jesus. He said in Acts 17:29-31:
Acts 17:29-31 NKJV Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. (30) Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, (31) because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus was God’s stamp of approval on the Deity of Jesus.
To repent means to change your mind, and then change your behavior. It’s a word that means to turn. If you are driving down the highway and a passenger said, “turn right,” you might choose to turn the steering wheel to the right and change direction. That’s a good picture of the Bible word for “repent.” You change your mind about your direction and then you change your direction. To repent means you turn from sin, and you turn to Jesus. Repentance is not a single action; it’s a lifestyle. We must be continually repenting throughout our lives if we want to be right with God. When I read in the Bible that I’m thinking a way the Bible says is wrong, I need to repent immediately. If I read in the Scriptures that I should be doing something I’m not doing, I need to repent and start doing it.
Repentance is not easy because the first step in repentance is admitting we are wrong – and that’s not a natural human tendency. Most of us have “being right” down to an art. God uses many tools to call us to repentance, even our suffering.
The Christian theologian C.S. Lewis wrote: “Pain insists upon being attended to; God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (The Problem of Pain, p. 22)
Suffering acts like an amplifier that gets our attention and reminds us that we cannot make it without God.
Some of us are suffering right now. If so, you aren’t suffering because you are a worse sinner than anyone else. And some of us are doing great right now, no complaints. If so, that doesn’t mean you’re better than the person next to you who is hurting.
Understand that God doesn’t create evil or suffering, but He will certainly use the suffering that is a part of this fallen world to call us to repentance. Is there something you need to change your mind about today, and then change your behavior accordingly? God may be shouting, “Repent!” Are we listening?
I remember reading about a family that lived in a backwoods region of Kentucky. A man’s son was bitten by a rattlesnake, and it looked like the boy might not make it. So, they called for the preacher. When the preacher arrived, the boy’s father asked the preacher to say a prayer and the preacher was happy to oblige. He began his prayer:
Dear Lord:
You know this family and why we’re praying right now. You also know that this family has completely ignored my repeated attempts to draw them back into church and to consider their own spiritual welfare. So, God, I thank you for sending this rattlesnake to get Jim-Bob’s attention. I pray that you would send rattlesnakes to Joe-Bob to get his attention, and a really big one to get the pa’s attention, so that they might consider their eternal destiny!
You see, sometimes God has to do dire things to get our attention when other methods just don’t work.
Conclusion:
After the 9/11 attack, President Bush declared the following Friday to be a Day of National Prayer and Remembrance and a service was held at the National Cathedral in Washington. Billy Graham was the main speaker. I commend the planners of that service on their selection, but there are some things about that service that disturb me.
It seems as if there is a not-so-subtle movement in America to recognize “God” but to deny Jesus is God, because it’s too intolerant and it’s not politically correct. In that September 14 service, they sang the wonderful hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” But, did you know they omitted the second verse? In case you’ve forgotten the words, the second verse of the hymn was omitted because it’s the only verse that talks about Jesus – and that’s not politically correct. The second line of the second stanza says: “Were not the right man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing; dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he! Lord Sabaoth (“ruler over all”), is His name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle!”
In His message, Dr. Graham spoke of the mystery of suffering. He said, “I have been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and He’s a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering.”
If you were listening on radio, you missed his next statements. PBS was running the radio broadcast, which had a tape delay of several seconds. When complaints were made for omitting this next section, the reason given was that they had to change tapes. They had a manuscript of Dr. Graham’s message. Could it be the following statement was omitted for the same reason the second verse of the hymn was left out – it’s not politically correct?
Dr. Graham said next, “For the Christian, the Cross tells us that God understands our sin and suffering, for He took upon Himself in the person of Jesus Christ our sins and our suffering. And from the cross, God declares, ‘I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pains that you feel. But I love you.’ The story does not end with the Cross, because Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the Cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there is hope for eternal life, since Christ conquered evil and death, and hell. Yes, there is hope – even in the pit of trouble and despair.”
I regret PBS didn’t broadcast that portion of his message, for whatever reason. Because the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what America needs to hear today! Without the cross and the resurrection of Jesus, suffering has no meaning; it becomes a hopeless encounter with pain. But because Jesus suffered and died and rose victorious over the grave – we have hope! These are difficult days. My hope is not in our military; my security is not in our Homeland Security Agency. My hope is not in the Center for Disease Control. My hope and my security is in Jesus alone. And even though it’s not politically correct, we can stand and proclaim: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future and life is worth the living just because he lives.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Submitted to the church website due to Coronavirus outbreak
Scripture: Luke 13:1-9, John 9:1-5
Luke 13:1-9 NKJV There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. (2) And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? (3) I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. (4) Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? (5) I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (6) He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. (7) Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' (8) But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. (9) And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "
John 9:1-5 NKJV Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. (2) And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (3) Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. (4) I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. (5) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Introduction:
Today, I want to speak to you on “Why Do Good People Suffer?” Courageous pastors have preached on suffering before. In fact, one lady wrote her pastor a note reading, “Pastor, I never knew what suffering was until I heard you preach. Now I know.” Some preaching is like suffering. Once a long-winded preacher had been going about an hour and didn’t seem anywhere close to ending. He said, “I’m really on a roll here, and there’s a lot more that I want to say, but the Lord Jesus has just told me to stop, so let’s end the service. Jesus has told me to end my message.” The song leader stood and announced the closing hymn: “What a friend we have in Jesus.”
On a day in which we look toward Easter and the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you may wonder why I’m speaking about suffering. Why talk of suffering when we should ultimately be talking about the Lord’s victory over suffering and death? Think about it this way. If you go into a jewelry store and ask to look at a diamond necklace or bracelet or an engagement ring, the salesperson won’t display the diamond on top of a gleaming glass case. Instead, he or she will place the diamonds on a piece of dark cloth or velvet. It’s against that dark background that the brilliance and beauty of the diamond can be seen best. In the same way, the glory of the resurrection and God’s greatest blessings to us shine more brightly displayed against the dark background of suffering.
This is a message about terrorists and falling towers. Everybody still talks about that day; it was a day of tragedy and injustice. People were going about their business when they were suddenly and brutally killed. And what about the tower that fell suddenly? Towers remind us of strength and security. And when a tower falls and people are killed, we feel a little less secure. The initial reaction was shock; then we began to ask the inevitable questions: Why were those innocent people killed? Why did the tower fall? Where was God during all of that?
Most of you think I’m talking about 9/11; and everything I’ve said does apply to that disaster. But I’m really talking about 13:1 – Luke 13:1. Two thousand years ago, Jesus talked about some innocent people who died at the hands of what could be called terrorists, and He talked about a tower that fell and killed people. In fact, the similarities between Luke 13:1 and 9/11 are amazing. The same questions people are asking today were being asked 2,000 years ago. But more importantly, the answer Jesus gives is the same answer we need to hear today.
In the first Scripture reading (Luke 13), there were some people who had told Jesus about a group of Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Pilate had infiltrated this group with Roman soldiers disguised as Jews and who, at some pre-arranged signal, killed several people who had been offering sacrifices to God. Jesus answered them, saying, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?” (Luke 13:2) That was a rhetorical question, and the obvious answer is, “No.” Then Jesus said that unless His listeners repented, they too would all perish. What about verse 4? There were eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them. Jesus asked the same rhetorical question: “Do you think those people were more guilty than all the other folks living in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4) Again, the correct answer was “No.” Then Jesus told His listeners, “But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Then Jesus relayed this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but couldn’t find any. So, he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any yet. So, cut it down! Why should it take up room and use up nutrients from the soil?” The vine dresser replied, “Leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”
The Holy Spirit is present with us today, but if Jesus Himself was here in the flesh, we could sit down in front of Him and ask, “Jesus, what about those 265 passengers who were killed on those hijacked airliners on 9/11? And what about those 2,606 people killed when the World Trade Center was attacked or the 125 people at the Pentagon? And while we’re on the subject, what about the 3 people who were killed and the 8 people who were wounded by a shooter at the Pensacola Air Station on December 6th (2019)? And what about the 4 people who were randomly killed at a kosher grocery store in Jersey City on December 10th (2019)? Jesus would look at us with those eyes that you would never forget and say, “Do you suppose those 265 people were worse sinners than anybody else who has ever gotten on an airliner? Or those 2,606 in New York City or those 125 people at the Pentagon or those 3 people at the Pensacola Air Station or those 4 people at the kosher grocery store in Jersey City – were they worse people than anybody else? NO. But unless you repent, you will perish, too.” You may not like His answer, or His non-answer. You may come up with a deep, troubling philosophical question, “Why do good people suffer?” And Jesus basically refuses to answer it. Instead, He turns the question into a statement about our own spiritual condition. A conversation with Jesus is never boring!
It’s okay to ask the question about suffering. Christianity and the Bible can easily endure the light of honest intellectual scrutiny; it has for centuries. So, you don’t have to check your brain at the door when you come to church. This idea of suffering has puzzled us for centuries. There is an entire theological or philosophical study called "theodicy". It asks the simple question: If God is entirely good, and entirely powerful, then why is there suffering? Some people look at what the Bible says about God and then look around in the world and say, “The character of God and the reality of suffering contradict each other!” What’s the answer?
Several years ago, I read Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. It’s a deeply spiritual book because Defoe was a committed Christian who wrote hymns and Christian poetry. When Defoe’s character, Robinson Crusoe, is shipwrecked on an island, he discovers a native and names him Friday. He teaches him to speak English and He teaches him about God and about the importance of trusting Jesus Christ for salvation. In one of their theological discussions, the following dialogue occurs: Friday to Robinson Crusoe: “But if God much strong, much more than devil, why God no kill the devil so make him no more do evil?” Crusoe’s reply: “You may as well ask, why God no kill you and me when we do wicked things”
That short conversation provides both the question and a good response to the problem of theodicy, the question of, “How can a loving, powerful God allow evil?” In light of 9/11 and in light of the resurrection of Jesus, let’s learn three important things about suffering.
1. Suffering Is Part of a Fallen World
There was no suffering in the Garden of Eden. But when Adam and Eve chose to disobey a loving God, suffering became a reality. We are still living in a world affected by the results of sin. Think of it this way: After a nuclear explosion, residual radiation from “fallout” – the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast – lingers for many years. Even so, we are still living in the “fallout” from the fall of Adam’s sin. God is not the source of evil; Satan and sin are responsible. Human suffering is produced from two different sources, both of which Jesus addresses in Luke 13.
First, we live in a world full of MORAL EVIL. We have to share this planet with some wicked people. Pilate was a cruel Roman governor. One day some Galileans were in the Temple getting ready to make their sacrifices. Pilate didn’t trust the Jews, so he had Roman soldiers disguised as Jews to intermingle with them. For some unknown reason, on a certain day, Pilate gave the order to massacre a group of worshipers. The Jews were still outraged that Pilate would mingle the blood of the worshipers with their sacrifices.
The world has always had to deal with cruel, wicked people like Pilate. Whether it’s Hitler ordering the death of 6 million Jews, or the misguided religious zeal of the Muslim terrorists who highjacked those jets – this world is just full of mean people. After 9/11, President Bush said we have seen the face of pure evil. I agree.
The Bible speaks of the depravity of the human heart. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us:
Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
In Mark 7:21-23, Jesus said:
Mark 7:21-23 NKJV For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, (22) thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. (23) All these evil things come from within and defile a man.
Look no further than your pocket or purse. If you have any kind of a key with you today, it is a testimony to the fact we have to lock things up, or some evil person will steal your car or your possessions. As I’ve said before, the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. Any human being is basically a sinner who has to have a life-transforming encounter with God before the heart is truly changed. Don’t blame God for the actions of wicked people. God allows us to choose whether to do good or evil. And because the human heart – human nature – is corrupt, people choose to do evil.
A second source of suffering is that we also live in a world of NATURAL EVIL. Sometimes we suffer and it’s not because of some wicked person. It could be what we call accidents and disasters. You could even include disease in this category. Why are there tornados, or earthquakes, or accidents where people are hurt or killed? Why is there cancer, or infection, or disease? It’s because we live in a fallen, messed up world. When Adam and Eve sinned, they opened a Pandora’s Box of troubles for themselves and for their descendants.
The World Trade Towers fell because of evil men flying jetliners filled with up to 24,000 US gallons of jet apiece fuel crashing into each tower. We don’t really know why the tower of Siloam mentioned in our Bible lesson fell. We just know 18 people died. Maybe it was human error. Maybe the tower had some design flaws or maybe the builders used inferior materials. Or maybe it was one of those unavoidable accidents that just happen in life.
Romans 8:22 says,
Romans 8:22 NKJV For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
This is a beautiful world in many ways, but it’s also an imperfect world. The Bible says creation itself has been whacked out of kilter. You can almost hear it groaning in pain. Creation isn’t running right because of sin. One day, creation itself will be fixed and redeemed. But for the time being we have to live in an imperfect world where there are storms, accidents, and disease. But don’t blame God, we messed it up.
Tony Evans says, “Have you ever cleaned up your house in preparation of receiving guests or visitors and when they arrive, they begin to mess up your house? You know it’s a good house; it’s just been messed up by these visitors. This can be annoying! Now think about how God feels about mankind messing up His perfect Creation!”
2. Suffering Is Unrelated to Goodness
The question in the minds of Jesus’ audience was, “Why did those people suffer and die from Pilate’s cruelty or from the tower falling?” The assumption was that they must have been bad people to suffer like that. There is a tendency for us to look at someone when they are suffering and to think, “Maybe they are just getting what they deserve.”
In John 9, our second gospel reading, Jesus was walking along when He saw a blind man. His disciples asked Him, “Master who sinned? This man or his parents that he was born blind?” Don’t we sometimes think the same way? What did this person do to deserve their suffering? Pay attention to what Jesus told His disciples, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned that he was born blind, but this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:1-3) We still make the same false assumption today.
Jesus asks, “Do you think those people the tower fell on were worse sinners than you? Absolutely not!” That kind of thinking assaults our sense of fairness or justice. We think bad people should be the ones to suffer and good people shouldn’t. But that’s not the way it works. Let’s remember the title of this sermon again: Why do good people suffer? It’s actually not a very good question, because no person is completely good in the first place! In Luke 18, a man approached Jesus and called Him “good.” Notice Jesus’ reply in Luke 18:19: “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered, “No one is good except God alone.” The Psalmist says, “There is none who does good.” (Psalm 14:1)
God is good all the time, but I don’t think any of us can claim that degree of perfect goodness for ourselves. I’m a sinner saved by grace. We want to know why bad things happen to good people.
But, really, we’re asking the wrong question. The theologian, R.C. Sproul wrote, “In effect what Jesus was saying was this: “You people are asking the wrong question. You should be asking me, ‘Why didn’t that tower fall on MY head?’” (The Holiness of God, p. 161)
Maybe you’ve pondered the mystery of, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But let’s turn that thought on its head. Have you ever stopped to wonder, “Why do good things happen to bad people (sinners), like me?” Suffering is no respecter of persons, at one time or another, everyone will suffer.
In fact, the Bible promises those who follow Christ WILL suffer. But the good news is that any suffering we endure in this world is only temporary. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:16-18:
Romans 8:16-18 NKJV The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Yes, we will suffer in this life. But this life is not all there is!
To understand this better, I’d like to quote the great theologian, Edith Bunker (Jean Stapleton). Some of you remember the 1970s sitcom “All in the Family” that addressed every subject under the sun and then some. On one episode they even addressed the reality of suffering and belief in God. Here’s the conversation:
Michael (Archie Bunker’s atheistic son-in-law): “Tell me, Archie, if there is a God, why is this world messed up?”
Archie: “Why do I always have to give the answers? Edith, tell this dumb Polack why, if God has created the world, it’s in such a mess?”
Edith (Archie Bunker’s wife): “Well, I suppose it’s to make us appreciate heaven better when we get there.”
In the midst of a sitcom, the writers actually wrote something profound in the script.
Maybe the writers of the show wanted the audience to think most Christians were simplistic “dingbats” like Edith, but for whatever reason, I say, “good answer” to Edith. There will be NO suffering in heaven. Do you know for certain you’ll spend eternity there?
3. Suffering Amplifies God’s Message: “Repent or Perish!”
When asked why Pilate killed the people who were worshiping or why 18 people died when the tower fell, Jesus gave the same reply twice: “unless you repent you will likewise perish.” Go ahead, ask Him again, “Jesus, why are there terrorists who steal airplanes and bring towers crashing down?” He would tell you, “Wrong question, but unless you repent, you will also perish!” That’s His message: repent or perish!
Every person is born with an instinct to worship, to relate to – someone greater and more powerful than the human species. The psalmist put it this way:
Psalms 42:1-2 NKJV As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. (2) My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Consequently, people have devised a wide range of gods to fill this natural desire to worship in many different ways. When God sent Jesus, He was sending the final, authoritative revelation of Himself.
Paul was speaking to a group of intellectual giants in Athens. He had seen all their statues of gods and goddesses. And just in case they left one out, they had one unnamed shrine that simply said, “to the unknown God.” Paul took it as an opportunity to tell them that the “unknown God” was the true God, and His name is Jesus. He said in Acts 17:29-31:
Acts 17:29-31 NKJV Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. (30) Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, (31) because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus was God’s stamp of approval on the Deity of Jesus.
To repent means to change your mind, and then change your behavior. It’s a word that means to turn. If you are driving down the highway and a passenger said, “turn right,” you might choose to turn the steering wheel to the right and change direction. That’s a good picture of the Bible word for “repent.” You change your mind about your direction and then you change your direction. To repent means you turn from sin, and you turn to Jesus. Repentance is not a single action; it’s a lifestyle. We must be continually repenting throughout our lives if we want to be right with God. When I read in the Bible that I’m thinking a way the Bible says is wrong, I need to repent immediately. If I read in the Scriptures that I should be doing something I’m not doing, I need to repent and start doing it.
Repentance is not easy because the first step in repentance is admitting we are wrong – and that’s not a natural human tendency. Most of us have “being right” down to an art. God uses many tools to call us to repentance, even our suffering.
The Christian theologian C.S. Lewis wrote: “Pain insists upon being attended to; God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” (The Problem of Pain, p. 22)
Suffering acts like an amplifier that gets our attention and reminds us that we cannot make it without God.
Some of us are suffering right now. If so, you aren’t suffering because you are a worse sinner than anyone else. And some of us are doing great right now, no complaints. If so, that doesn’t mean you’re better than the person next to you who is hurting.
Understand that God doesn’t create evil or suffering, but He will certainly use the suffering that is a part of this fallen world to call us to repentance. Is there something you need to change your mind about today, and then change your behavior accordingly? God may be shouting, “Repent!” Are we listening?
I remember reading about a family that lived in a backwoods region of Kentucky. A man’s son was bitten by a rattlesnake, and it looked like the boy might not make it. So, they called for the preacher. When the preacher arrived, the boy’s father asked the preacher to say a prayer and the preacher was happy to oblige. He began his prayer:
Dear Lord:
You know this family and why we’re praying right now. You also know that this family has completely ignored my repeated attempts to draw them back into church and to consider their own spiritual welfare. So, God, I thank you for sending this rattlesnake to get Jim-Bob’s attention. I pray that you would send rattlesnakes to Joe-Bob to get his attention, and a really big one to get the pa’s attention, so that they might consider their eternal destiny!
You see, sometimes God has to do dire things to get our attention when other methods just don’t work.
Conclusion:
After the 9/11 attack, President Bush declared the following Friday to be a Day of National Prayer and Remembrance and a service was held at the National Cathedral in Washington. Billy Graham was the main speaker. I commend the planners of that service on their selection, but there are some things about that service that disturb me.
It seems as if there is a not-so-subtle movement in America to recognize “God” but to deny Jesus is God, because it’s too intolerant and it’s not politically correct. In that September 14 service, they sang the wonderful hymn “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” But, did you know they omitted the second verse? In case you’ve forgotten the words, the second verse of the hymn was omitted because it’s the only verse that talks about Jesus – and that’s not politically correct. The second line of the second stanza says: “Were not the right man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing; dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he! Lord Sabaoth (“ruler over all”), is His name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle!”
In His message, Dr. Graham spoke of the mystery of suffering. He said, “I have been asked hundreds of times in my life why God allows tragedy and suffering. I have to confess that I really do not know the answer totally, even to my own satisfaction. I have to accept, by faith, that God is sovereign, and He’s a God of love and mercy and compassion in the midst of suffering.”
If you were listening on radio, you missed his next statements. PBS was running the radio broadcast, which had a tape delay of several seconds. When complaints were made for omitting this next section, the reason given was that they had to change tapes. They had a manuscript of Dr. Graham’s message. Could it be the following statement was omitted for the same reason the second verse of the hymn was left out – it’s not politically correct?
Dr. Graham said next, “For the Christian, the Cross tells us that God understands our sin and suffering, for He took upon Himself in the person of Jesus Christ our sins and our suffering. And from the cross, God declares, ‘I love you. I know the heartaches and the sorrows and the pains that you feel. But I love you.’ The story does not end with the Cross, because Easter points us beyond the tragedy of the Cross to the empty tomb. It tells us that there is hope for eternal life, since Christ conquered evil and death, and hell. Yes, there is hope – even in the pit of trouble and despair.”
I regret PBS didn’t broadcast that portion of his message, for whatever reason. Because the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what America needs to hear today! Without the cross and the resurrection of Jesus, suffering has no meaning; it becomes a hopeless encounter with pain. But because Jesus suffered and died and rose victorious over the grave – we have hope! These are difficult days. My hope is not in our military; my security is not in our Homeland Security Agency. My hope is not in the Center for Disease Control. My hope and my security is in Jesus alone. And even though it’s not politically correct, we can stand and proclaim: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future and life is worth the living just because he lives.