Why do bad things happen to good people?
Scripture reading: John 9:1-11 (This sermon was written and delivered by Doctor Peter Shue on May 24, 2009.)
As a doctor, I’ve cared for many people with cancer. Many of them were diagnosed for the first time. I often get this statement, “why me?”. “Did I do something wrong to get this cancer?” There are certain cancers that are caused by bad habits like smoking or excessive drinking. However, there are many cancers that are unrelated to your lifestyle. I had one patient that was diagnosed with leukemia and she asked me these same questions.
Personal tragedies happen all the time, whether it is illness, accident, loss of a job. It is even worse when bad things happen to good people. We try to understand why they happen.
I searched the scriptures and I found that tragedies happen for many different reasons but one thing is common, personal tragedies give us an opportunity to come closer to God.
1) Bad things occur because of personal sin. I think most people can understand this. Tragedy can be a punishment for our disobedience to God. The earliest example in the Bible would be Adam and Eve being thrown out of the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience. There are numerous examples in the old testament of punishment, particularly during the time of Moses. One example is in Numbers 12:1-15. Miriam, Moses sister sinned by becoming jealous of Moses and she was punished leprosy.
2) Bad things occur because of someone else’s sin. We must also realize that the consequences of our sin can also affects those around us. One example would be in the book of Jonah. Jonah was instructed to preach to city of Nineveh but instead he decided to take a boat to go to Tarshish. While on the boat, there was a great storm that almost killed everyone on the ship. As you can see, one persons sin put many people at risk. An example today would be smoking. Not only do you put yourself at risk for lung cancer but you also harm your family by smoking in from of them. Another example is drunk driving. Not only can you injury yourself but your risk injurying others if you get into a car accident. I’ve also seen many examples were the drunk drive is not seriously injured but the victim is killed.
3) Bad things occur because Satan is attacking you. You don’t need to look any further than Job 1 for an example in the scripture. Job was an upright and blameless man who pleased God. Yet, Satan himself plotted to harm him and God allowed it. If you read chapter 1, Job lost his children, his property and his health. I can’t even begin to imagine his tragedy but it wasn’t because he sinned. It wasn’t because someone else sinned either. This brings up an topic about suffering for doing what is right. We see this in the early church during the Roman Empire. Many Christians were tortured and executed by the Roman government. Satan is God’s enemy and he will do anything to bring God’s followers down, whether by temptation or by suffering. This leads me to my next reason which is:
4) Bad things occur in order for God to test us. Hebrews 12:7-11 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it
5) Bad things can happen because God is teaching you to be humble. Sometimes we need personal suffering in order to keep us humble.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
6) Bad things can happen because God is preparing you. I don’t know of a better example than Joseph from the Book of Genesis. Joseph was sold off into slavery by his own brothers because they were jealous of their father’s love for him. He was a slave in to an Egyptian general named Potiphor. Just when he was gaining Potiphor’s favor, his wife lusted after him. However, Joseph refused her but she lied and he was thrown into prison. Despite all of Joseph’s suffering, he never lost hope. God was using all this suffering to prepare Joseph for what was to come. He later became second to Pharoah and saved all of Egypt and the surrounding countries from a great famine.
Genesis 45:4-8 I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don’t be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. These two years of famine will grow to seven, during which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh—manager of his entire household and ruler over all Egypt.
Genesis 50:20 As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people.
The scripture reading today teaches us a very important lesson about personal tragedy. A man lived his whole life blind. I can’t imagine what it was like to have a disability during that time. People back then did not get disability checks in the mail. There weren’t specialized teachers to educate you. He was reduced to being a beggar. Luckily, he still had parents who probably took care of him. When the disciples saw this man, the first thing they asked Jesus was, “is this man blind because he sinned or his parents sinned”. Even the apostles believed that suffering and illness was due to disobedience. But Jesus said that this was not this case. Jesus said that he this man was born blind so that God’s power may be revealed. If you continue reading the rest of the story. This same man who was blind his whole life and uneducated, was able to testify to the Sanhedrin and defend Jesus. He later became Jesus’ follower.
I’ve seen this quote, “If your only goal in treating cancer is to cure it, then that cancer was wasted”. Personal illness, suffering, tragedies, these are opportunities for us to:
A. Trust in God.
B. Turn to prayer.
C. Examine yourself.
D. Grow spiritually. Grow closer to others.
E. Look to the promise of heaven.
Don’t let personal tragedy turn into resentment to God or to others. Don’t ask, “why me?” Instead pray to God and say “Prepare me”.