It’s not uncommon for people to ask the question, “why do bad things happen to good people?” Or to state it another way, “if God is good, why do bad things happen?” It can sometimes feel like the worst things in life happen to some of the best people. At times it can feel like God is out to get us.
We have all met people who have experienced suffering of some sort.
For example, one of Melody’s elementary teacher’s - her first born son was diagnosed with a rare kind of Leukemia (cancer) when he was a toddler. For the next several years they were in and out of hospitals, testing various cancer treatments. Just about the time that they thought they had kicked cancer, it would come back. Thankfully, he is now about 10 years old and cancer-free. While he may have wanted a childhood that was filled with more trips and fewer treatments, he and his family have seen the hand of God through it all.
But why do these things happen?
As we continue our study through the book of Luke, we are going to get to see Jesus’ interaction and influence in two different situations - situations of suffering. We are also going to consider how the cross of Jesus ties into our suffering.
If you have your copy of God’s word, go ahead and open to Luke 7. I’m going to read from the New Living Translation - since it’s a little easier to hear.
Luke 7:1–17 NLT
When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”
So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.
Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people today.” And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside.
Let me encourage you to keep these two little stories in the back of your mind as we reflect on both the problem of suffering and the panacea or solution that our Savior brings to our suffering.
While it’s not necessarily the joyous topic we might normally like to think about on Easter Sunday, let’s begin by reflecting on…
The Problem of Suffering
Suffering can take various forms - the cancer we discussed early, other sicknesses, death of a loved one, the loss of a job, mounting financial bills, betrayal of a friend or family member, a bad grade in school because we don’t simply understand the subject (no amount of study or tutoring seems to help). It can be easy for us to look at our suffering or pain as an all encompassing obstacle to our happiness or joy.
But where does suffering come from? What causes it? Is there a purpose to our suffering? Why can’t life just be happy and peaceful?
In our reading through various parts of Scripture, we’ll find that suffering is present in everyone’s life. It may take various forms, but we all will experience something that we might label as suffering at some point.
Scripture helps us to see that…
The source of our suffering is our sin
Let’s take a brief look back at the beginning of the Bible in order to get an understanding of things, then we’ll dive into this text.
Creation of humans: Genesis 1:27–28 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””
made in God’s image
Mandate to be fruitful
Mandate to steward the animals and plants
Mission and Limitation on humans: Genesis 2:15–17 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.””
It seemed like in this, God restricted this one tree from the so that He could be their source of wisdom and knowledge - in the safety of community - in relationship with Him.
The Fall of Humans: After being tempted by the serpent, Genesis notes: Genesis 3:6–7 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”
They had sinned and they immediately knew it. When we mess up, isn’t it so common for us to want to cover up our mistakes, our sins, our offenses? That’s exactly what the first humans did. So God, in His justice, came and met with them - providing specific curses or punishments and even a specific sense of hope:
Adam’s Curse: Genesis 3:17 “And to Adam he said, “…cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;”
So, here is the first thing that we need to recognize - whenever we sin, there are unintended consequences elsewhere. Adam and Eve may have eaten of the tree, but creation (the ground) was cursed because of their sin. That curse increased the difficulty of how we would get fruit from the ground. I believe too, that the curse is also part of what allows various natural tragedies to happen. As we fight floods, draughts, fires, tornados, hurricanes, and so much more - all of that is because of the sin of the first humans. In some ways, it’s a curse that perpetuates because of the ongoing sin of all humans. We are all tempted to go our own way when God wants us to come to Him.
Even with the discipline that God gave to the first humans, there was also a glimmer of hope. In talking to the serpent who deceived Eve, God said Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””
So here in the opening chapters of the Bible we get a glimpse of the gospel.
So, in light of the curse, the Apostle Paul writes in Romans that…
Creation groans - longing for a day when the curse will be lifted. Romans 8:18–22 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”
Now, I realize, we don’t have time to dive into all of the specifics of this and all of the ramifications of suffering, but what I think we need to understand is that suffering is a result of sin. It may not be our sin specifically, but the sin of humanity generally.
So as we think about the passage that we’re reflecting on today, we have to notice a couple of things.
We don’t have all of the details - we don’t know the ins and outs of the specifics of these people’s lives. But God does and has revealed several things to us.
As far as we can see, these people did nothing specific to deserve the suffering they experienced, and might even be considered good by human standards.
The Roman Soldier - was touted as a man who sought the best of the people around him. He respected and valued his slave (who was now sick) - which is commendable in and of itself. Centurions were not known to be nice. He promoted policies that sought to bless the community. He even went so far as to build a synagogue for the Jews in that area.
As for the woman - we know a bit less - but we know that she is in a bad place. She’s a widow. In their culture, widows were truly at the mercy of other family members. Her means of survival would have been through her children - now her only child is - an adult son - is dead.
Neither of these situations seem fair or right. The goodness of this Roman seems to be rewarded by the sickness of his valued servant. The plight of this widow is worsened by the death of her son.
When we zoom in on the specifics of their situation, we may look at this and think - wow - this is not fair. So often, for us, when we are in the midst of our suffering and pain - it’s easy to why me, what did I do, how do I deserve this? There are times when we will do things that we truly do deserve - a ticket for speeding, imprisonment for stealing, an F for cheating, etc.
But there are other times, maybe even many more times, when there is not a natural or specific reason for the things that are happening?
why does my loved one have this terminal cancer?
Why is this sickness so debilitating?
Why don’t I understand these concepts at school?
Why didn’t I get into that college or that program?
Why do my dreams for employment or marriage or … keep getting dashed?
Why, why, why…
Having a broader view of suffering may not give us all of the answers we seek, but it does help us to see that while I may not think I deserve this, as a result of the sinfulness of humanity - including me - I do.
This brings us to the second major part of the text and that is…
The Panacea of our Savior
Now, I know, most of us don’t use the word “panacea” in every day conversation. In fact, you’re probably thinking - what does that mean? Essentially, a panacea is a complete solution. In other words, our Savior addresses the presence of our suffering and the root cause of our suffering.
Jesus addresses the presence of our suffering in the way that …
Jesus sees our suffering and responds with compassion.
In the scenarios that we read about…
the faith of the Roman soldier
worthy in human eyes - Jesus responded at this
which encourages us to ask and keep asking - keep going to God in prayer seeking resolution
not worthy in his own eyes
under authority
The helplessness of the widow
destitute, heart broken
Jesus SAW her (7:13)
We can be tempted to draw certain conclusions from these verses - just as Jesus DID heal the sick man and raised the dead son - he WILL do the same for me. The reality is that sometimes Jesus uses our suffering to accomplish a greater purpose in us and in the world around. While suffering is not easy, Jesus can use our suffering for His glory and for our good and for the good of others around us.
I think there is a part of these stories that we can glean some comfort and encouragement.
Jesus is the salve and solution for our suffering.
As the salve - Jesus and a broader theology of suffering does bring us some comfort. Jesus brought healing to the Roman soldier’s servant - but that man eventually died. Jesus brought the widow’s son back to life, but both she and her son eventually died. In the moment, Jesus brought a salve, a help, a band aid.
I think that for us, having a broader view of suffering and trusting that Jesus is doing something more, something special in that suffering can be an encouragement.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
All of the suffering we face may be frustrating and painful and puzzling while we are facing them, but we can experience some relief, some comfort, some salve - in knowing that there is something good that Jesus is doing in the midst of that suffering.
Teresa -
frustrating, painful
hope-filled as people who are far from God are being encouraged and witnessed to through the faith of Teresa and her husband and her parents.
But, Jesus is not only the salve or the temporary fix to our problems - he is the solution - he is the panacea - he is our Savior.
This is where the cross comes in to play.
our fallenness - every solution we come up with is stained with sin and therefore insufficient
his condescension
Jesus went through extreme suffering. We read through some of that on Friday night. Part of the reason his death was so brutal was the fact that his perfect and divine life was ripped from him, demonstrating the darkness of our own sin.
perfect life in exchange for fallen life
Jesus’ death paid for the full punishment of our sins - all of the curse, for those who believe in him he destroyed the curse.
Jesus’ resurrection brings us hope that one day, when he returns, when our resurrected bodies will be renewed, when creation will be made new - that there will be no more tears or suffering or pain or sorrow - for those who trust in Him as their savior.
Friend, it may be that Jesus is using the pain in your life to get your attention. He is not out to get you - he is out to save you from eternal suffering. Do you believe that? Will you receive him as your savior? Will you repent of your sin and trust in his holiness?
Let’s pray.
Benediction
2 Timothy 4:22 ESV
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
Questions for reflection and discussion
Read: Luke 1:1-17.
1. When have you been amazed by someone else’s faith?
2. What did the centurion ask Jesus to do? (7:3)
3. Whom did the centurion send to present his request to Jesus? (7:3)
4. What kind of reputation did the centurion have among the people of Capernaum? (7:3)
5. How did Jesus react to the centurion’s words? (7:9)
6. What do people usually mean when they refer to Jesus Christ as Lord?
7. Why is it difficult for us to be as dependent on God as the centurion was?
8. What pairs of opposites can you find in the passage? (7:11–17)
9. What was Jesus’ reaction to the people He encountered? (7:13–15)
10. How did the crowd react to Jesus? (7:16)
11. How do you respond to another person’s grief?
12. With whom can you share your expectation of what God can do today?
Sources:
Anyabwile, Thabiti. Exalting Jesus in Luke. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018.
Beeke, Joel R., and Paul M. Smalley. Reformed Systematic Theology: Man and Christ. Vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.
Bock, Darrell L. Luke 1:1-9:50. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.
Easton, M. G. Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893.
Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
McKinley, Mike. Luke 1–12 for You. Edited by Carl Laferton. God’s Word for You. The Good Book Company, 2016.
Wilcock, Michael. The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979.
Wiseman, D. J. “Tyre, Tyrus.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, and J. I. Packer. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
Wiseman, D. J. “Sidon.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, and J. I. Packer. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
Young, E. J., and F. F. Bruce. “Sabbath.” In New Bible Dictionary, edited by D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
