Introduction
Over the last few weeks I have been rereading C. S. Lewis’ delightful Chronicles of Narnia series. I was struck by a scene in The Silver Chair in which the children’s faith is tested by an uncertain outcome. The children were given signs by which they could fulfill their mission in Narnia according to the Word of Aslan rather than the appearances of the world. But by the end of the book they have muffed every sign and now face a strange man under deep enchantment. He is bound by cords, desperate to be freed, and begs (while foaming at the mouth) for them to show mercy and untie him.
But they have steeled themselves against his pleadings because they believe him to be a terrible foe. Then he says, “I adjure you to set me free. By all fears and all loves,… by the great Lion, by Aslan himself, I charge you—”
That was the final sign – the Lion himself had told them, “You will know the lost prince by this: he will be the first person you have met who will ask you to do something in my name, in the name of Aslan.”
They are confused. “Could Aslan have really meant them to unbind anyone – even a lunatic – who asked it in his name?
Jill says, “Oh, if only we knew!”
“I think we do know,” said Puddleglum.
“Do you mean you think everything will come right if we do untie him?” asked Eustace.
Puddleglum’s response is profound: “I don’t know about that. You see, Aslan didn’t tell what would happen. He only told what to do. That fellow will be the death of us once he’s up, I shouldn’t wonder. But that doesn’t let us off following the sign.” He did not tell us what would happen; he only told us what to do.
Two of my favorite Christian writers, David Powlison and John Piper, were both diagnosed with cancer one year ago. Together they wrote an essay, "Don’t Waste Your Cancer," in which they comment on ten glorious, biblical truths related to sin, suffering, sickness and our Savior. (The article is available from www.DesiringGod.org and I have reproduced a number of copies. It is my hope that many of us will deeply digest these truths. You will find that some of what I say today is from this article. I use their work not only because they are wiser than I, but because they have helped me think about this subject and because they have lived it.)
Their fifth point is: “You will waste your cancer if you think that ‘beating’ cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.”
Piper and Powlison press the same point as Puddleglum. There is a higher good than living another day. Cherishing Christ, following Aslan’s signs, obeying the Word of the Lord, giving glory to God – this is our great good and grand design. Yes, we strive to care for the body. Yes, we struggle against disease. Yes, we cherish life and seek to enjoy all the good gifts God gives. And, we grab hold this truth: “to die is gain.” Do you believe?
The Apostle Paul experienced intense suffering. Listen to his thoughts: “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account” (Philippians 1.21-24). My hope, my home, is in heaven!
We all, with Eustace, want everything to come right. We err, however, when we equate “everything coming right” with “everything in this life.” Victory cannot be “living to fight another day.” If that were so, dying would be a lasting loss. But God promises that for his people, “to die is gain.”
If victory is cherishing Christ, then whether we live or die, we win, for we gain Christ. “To live is Christ, to die is gain” – for at death we will see “face to face.” "What we now know in part, then we shall know fully…" (1Corinthians 13.12).
This year has rained on us much sadness. Grandparents have died; husbands, fathers, elders, friends. And now one of our smallest members is very sick. We grieve; we are fearful; we wonder where God is and what is going on. We desperately want everything to come right, but we cannot make it so. Where are the answers? What questions should we ask? How do we cope? How do we respond when our dreams are dashed and our doubts inflamed?
My hope this morning is to give us “soul anchors,” solid truths which hold us stable in raging storms. Piper says: “Nothing glorifies God more than maintaining our stability and joy when we lose everything but God. That day is coming for each of us, and we do well to get ready, and to help the people we love get ready” (The Hidden Smile of God, 46). God’s word helps us get ready, first by telling us that…
1. God Refuses to Connect Suffering Directly to Sin (John 9.1-3a)
As a pastor, and especially because I enjoy counseling, I frequently meet with people during times of crisis. Most people, maybe all of us, wonder what we did wrong to deserve the problems we now face. One biblical counselor calls it the “where-there-is-woe-there-is-wickedness” philosophy. It is the assumption of a connection between the troubles coming and the sins committed.
Many Christians believe that a speeding ticket in the morning or a fender-bender in the afternoon must be the result of skipping devotions and prayer before breakfast. Our view of God is more akin to a policeman than a loving father.
Yes, sin has consequences. But God never allows us to join personal suffering directly to private sin. Jesus disconnects the two here in John. “Rabbi” the disciples ask, “who sinned, this man born blind or his parents?”
Job’s counselors presented a similar question: “Job, buddy, your children have died; your wealth is lost; your wife is angry; your health is deteriorating. Come clean, Job – you have sinned badly! Confess and be forgiven!”
Such counsel defames God and discourages the saints. That is why the book ends with their rebuke and Job’s glory.
Apparently, this theological quandary was much debated in the Judaism of Jesus’ day. By misinterpreting passages which speak of the national and societal effects of corporate rebellion even to the third and fourth generations – by misapplying those to individuals, those born healthy were proud of their righteousness: “This man born blind may be pitied, but his punishment is well deserved. And (don’t you know) my eyesight is well-deserved.” But the Bible allows no such self-exaltation. Jeremiah 31.29-30: “In those days they shall no longer say: ‘’The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30 But everyone shall die for his own sin. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.” Ezekiel 18.20: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son.”
And Jesus agrees: John 9.3: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents….” We may never draw a straight line between our failures and our pain. Here are three reasons:
First, drawing a straight line denigrates our sin. If I were to receive in the body the just punishment for but one of my sinful thoughts this morning, I would be undone. A straight line implies the punishment fits the crime. But even in discipline, God’s people receive less than deserved.
Second, drawing a straight line demeans others’ sins. To say that my punishment is deserved implies that others earned non-punishment. But none is righteous, no not one.
Third, drawing a straight line defames God’s grace. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8.1). The cross delivers God’s people from justice. Christ took what we deserved so that we might be freely given what he deserves.
Why then is there sickness and suffering? God gives us the general reason: we are fallen people living in a fallen world. Though the brilliance of a good creation dazzles us, the fall casts its dark shadow across every beam. It is not the way it’s supposed to be. The world is bent, and all suffer. By why this specific suffering? Why now? Why her? Why me?
The Bible avoids specific answers for individual cases. Not because there are no answers; more because there are so many answers. An eternity would be required to explain to finite creatures the complexity of interwoven reasons for God’s workings. What we are given, however, is some benefits which may come of suffering. [Here is a sample list, mostly from Howard Dial, ‘Sufferology’: Counseling Toward Adjustment in Suffering. The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Vol. III, No. 2, 1979, pp. 19-24. Others have been added and some of his have been edited.]
1. The promotion of spiritual maturity and Christ-like character (James 1.2-4).
2. To promote endurance—the ability to turn adversity into spiritual prosperity (James 1.2-4).
3. To promote wisdom—the ability to relate truth to experience (James 1.5-8).
4. To produce humility (James 1.9-11).
5. To provide the opportunity for rewards (James 1.12).
6. To prove the genuineness of our faith (1Peter 1.6-8).
7. To manifest the fruit of the Spirit (2Corinthians 4.11; Galatians 5.22,23).
8. To provide opportunities to witness for Christ (1Peter 3.15; Philippians 1.12).
9. To learn contentment (Philippians 4.11).
10. To help others who suffer (2Corinthians 1.3-24).
11. To rebuke believers guilty of pride and spiritual cowardice (1Corinthians 4.9-16).
12. To demonstrate the power of God in our lives (2Corinthians 11.24-33; John 9.2).
13. To learn obedience to the will of God (Hebrews 5.8).
14. To vindicate the character of God before Satan (Job 1.6-12).
15. To vindicate us before Satan (Job 1.6-12).
16. To instruct the believer in the holiness of God’s character (Job 42.5,6).
17. To deliver us from sinful thoughts and actions (Hebrews 12.5-11).
18. To wean us from earth and fix our hearts on heaven, where our hope is (Colossians 3.1-2).
19. To drive us to the Word (Psalm 119.71).
20. To create a more unified church and a more interdependent body of believers (“one another” verses).
21. To teach us about our weaknesses and cause us to depend on God (2Corinthians 12.7-10).
22. To bring him glory (the Bible).
Those are other passages to study; from John 9, note well: It was not that this man sinned, or his parents….
2. God Has All Authority Over Sin, Suffering and Sickness (John 9.6-7)
I cannot answer why Jesus spits on the ground and makes mud out of his saliva. I cannot explain why Jesus sends this man to wash, while others he heals with a word from a distance. Nor do I have a reason this man is healed, while others are not. Many questions must remain unanswered that have been debated for centuries. What we do know is this: Christ Jesus has all authority to heal.
Piper and Powlison write: “You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God. It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2.7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2.10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They…comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him” (Job 42.11). Recognizing his designing hand does not make you stoic or dishonest or artificially buoyant. Instead, the reality of God’s design elicits and channels your honest outcry to your one true Savior. God’s design invites honest speech, rather than silencing us into resignation.”
Job’s suffering is very significant in understanding life in this world. He sought to please God in everything and in everyway. Yet he suffered greatly to prove that his faith was in God rather than good gifts.
Does not honesty require that we admit – it is easier to love God when he does what we want. When he strews favors like candy and cheap beads thrown from a Mardi Gras float. But what about when the healing does not come?
Is it not revealing that when the Bible describes great heroes of the faith, the list is not limited to people delivered from toil and trouble. There are those: “By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land… By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”
But the list in Hebrews 11 goes on: “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated…. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised….”
God has all authority – both to heal now and to wait a future day.
Jayne Clark counsels and teaches at The Christian Counseling and Education Center. When she was preparing for surgery for her cancer, she writes of what she learned: “I do not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”
Sometimes when we read really tense thrillers, we may get so wound up that we cannot enjoy the book. If you flip to the last page and see that it will all come right in the end, you can finish reading with enjoyment. If we define coming right as this life, then we will end up disappointed. If we place our hope in heaven, where Christ is, there it will all come right. He has authority to heal all suffering and sin.
3. God Suffered To Redeem and End Sin, Suffering, and Sickness (John 9.3-5)
The speech is cryptic, because he has not yet suffered. His work now is to perform these sign, to prepare his disciples, to preach of the coming kingdom. He is the light – the one who shows us God. Night is coming – the darkness of the crucifixion. Christ will die; the light will be extinguished. All hope will be lost.
Until Sunday and the resurrection. There we will learn that the suffering of the Savior was for the salvation and sanctification of his people.
1Peter 3.18: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”
Hebrews 4.14-16: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Revelation 21.3-5: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
4. Conclusion
Jonathan Edwards, probably the greatest theologian ever in America, took in his home a sick missionary named David Brainerd. Brainerd lived with the Edwards’ family the last 5 months of his life, before tuberculosis delivered him to God. During those months, Edwards’ 18 year old daughter, Jerusha, personally cared for Brainerd, and caught the disease. Four months after burying Brainerd, Jonathan Edwards performed the funeral of his own daughter.
Please listen to Jonathan Edwards’ diary: “Since this [the death of Brainerd last October], it has pleased a holy and sovereign God, to take away this my dear child by death, on the 14th of February, after a short illness of 5 days, in the 18th year of her age. She was a person of much the same spirit with Brainerd. She had constantly taken care of and attended him in his sickness, for nineteen weeks before his death; devoting herself to it with great delight, because she looked on him as an eminent servant of Jesus Christ….”
Note well: there is not one word of bitterness, not one letter of reproach against God in all Edwards wrote. The same Jesus who has authority to heal also has authority not to heal, and Edwards trusted Jesus when the healing did not come.
The same faith was evident in his daughter. On her death bed, Jerusha said: “I have not seen one minute, for several years, where I desired to live one minute longer, for the sake of any other good, except living to God and doing what might be for his glory.” (Works, Vol. 1, xciv.)
We might be hard-pressed to find many 18-year old girls who knows what it means to live to God and labor for His glory, much less ones who delight in His glory when his will is to let her die at 18 years of age.
Years later, after Jonathan Edwards died, his wife, Sarah, wrote this to her daughter: “My very dear Child, what shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore His goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be.” (Works, Vol. 1 clxxix.)
Given to God – is that where you love to be? “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good” 1Peter 4.19). You think about that.
