Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?
Text: 1 Peter 5:6-11
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
It has been said before
that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Unfortunately, this is not
true. In life, there are a lot of stupid questions that we ask, which then lead
to stupid answers. Perhaps the only thing worse than a stupid question is
a question asked with pride.
For example, we often
hear the question,
”Why do bad things happen to good people?”
On the surface, this
question surely seems to come across with sincerity. However, if we examine
this question, we will soon realize that this question is not so much a
question but more so a prideful protest.
Dear friends, it is
important to understand that the pride of the human heart is inclined to resent
misfortunes in life. The prideful heart tends to murmur and grumble when bad
things happen. Whether it is problems with health, loss of loved ones,
financial hardships, natural disasters, accidents, relationship issues, legal
problems, personal tragedy, or personal disappointments, we humans struggle to
reconcile how we, as so-called good people, can endure such undeserved
hardships, while those who engage in harmful actions seemingly go unpunished.
That is to say, our pride gets offended when bad things happen to us because we
believe that we do not deserve to be treated in such a way. Listen to the
cry of our hearts during struggles,
“What did I do to deserve this?”
There is also something
else embedded in our questions of, “Why do bad things happen to good
people?” and “What did I do to deserve this?” Yes, there
is something else also at the root of these questions, and that is - fear. When
bad things happen to us and our friends, it becomes very clear that we lack
control. For example, have you noticed how quickly the news cycle tries to come
up with a motive or reason for bad things? Hurricanes and forest fires happen
because of climate change; school shootings happen because of guns; economic
inequality is due to racism; excessive healthcare costs are due to big pharma;
social unrest is due to hate; and so forth. Now, whether all of these are true
or not is not the point. The point is that when bad things happen, our news
cycle quickly tries to find a motive, reason, or scapegoat to attribute the bad
circumstance to. The reason is if we can ascribe blame for something bad, we
can then feel in control. And when we feel in control, well… we don’t have to
be given to fear. Mark this, there is perhaps no greater fear in this world
than to face a very bad situation and then realize that one is completely and
utterly out of control – that one is not able to fix the problem. This not only
offends our prideful hearts but causes great fear.
But why mention all of
this?
Dear friends, this is
exactly what the Apostle Peter is confronting in our reading from the Epistle
of 1 Peter. In our Epistle Reading, Peter is telling you and me that we are to
be content under God’s strong hand. Peter is telling you and me that we can
live carefree before God because he is most careful with you and me. In other
words, when you and I let our prideful old Adam have its way – like the world –
we will always be offended, always ungrateful, and always grumbling with the misfortunes
of life. The reason is when our prideful sinful nature has its way, we function
not only as if there is no God, but we view ourselves as morally superior –
deserving of all good things.
Furthermore, when we live
like the world with our inflated pride, we are easily given to fear when bad
things do come our way. After all, if we act like God, it is easy to become
fearful when we are threatened on our prideful thrones. Bluntly stated, when we
sit on top of our little kingdoms, we like to believe that we have all things
under our control. However, when the smallest of struggles come our way, not
only does our prideful arrogance get offended, but we become quickly fearful.
We don’t want to fall from our prideful thrones to the bottom. We don’t want to
have cracked crowns. We don’t want to be out of control and vulnerable.
Baptized Saints, Peter
reminds you and me today that we are to be humble under God’s mighty power.
This humility that Peter speaks of is not being mousy or soft-spoken. This
humility is not being overtly pious or religious. But instead, the humility
that Peter speaks of is to understand that you are not God. Furthermore, it is
to understand that you are under God’s mighty hand of power. The humility that
Peter speaks of is to know your place under the Creator, Redeemer, and
Sanctifier.
You see, this is why we
Christians are different from the world. Where the world does not see itself
under God, we Christians do. Baptized Saints, do not forget that your Lord
Jesus Christ snatched you from darkness unto Light. He did this to make you His
own. And so, you do not belong to sin, death, and the devil, but you belong to
your Master, Jesus Christ. And so, to live with inflated pride, as if there is
no God, is not who you are. You are not a righteous king or queen sitting on
top of your mighty throne, trying to rule your tiny little kingdom, defending
your tiny little empire from the big threats of the world by your own strength.
If you were, it would make sense to cry out in prideful protest, “Why
do bad things happen to me as a good kind or queen!” It would
make sense to cry out in arrogant complaining, “What did I do to
deserve this?” Ah, but you are neither good nor
powerful, which is why you need to be under the almighty Christ.
Baptized Saints, today
you are under the almighty God, which makes things drastically different for
you. More specifically, because you are under King Jesus, two realities emerge
for you in spite of the old Adam’s pride and fear.
First, because you are
under the mighty hand of God, whether things are good or bad in your life, it
does not change the fact that your Jesus is in control and is good to you. His
grace is sufficient for every time of need; His power is strongest when you and
I are weak. Think about the Apostle Paul for a moment with respect to this. In
the verse where Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ,
who gives me strength,” Paul does not suggest that through
Jesus, he has unlimited power to conquer the world. This verse is not a
Christian sports slogan. Instead, Paul is stating that he is content to do all
things in the face of poverty or abundance. And like Paul, you as a Christian
can face all things – whether good or bad – because you are under the mighty
hand of God. And so, whether you experience misfortune or calamity, nothing
changes for you as a Christian, for you are still tucked into Christ's powerful
and tender nailed-marked hands. Christ is your strength, assurance, and
sustenance in good and bad times.
Secondly, because you and
I belong under the mighty hand of God, not only does this allow us to bear the
misfortunes and calamities in life, but it also leads us to faith – not fear.
You see, all of our foolish worries, all of our nightly unrest, all of our
racing thoughts, belong to our prideful old Adam trying to manage fear and stay
in control on the throne. But instead, because you and I are Christians –
because Christ has snatched us unto Himself and because we are under the
almighty hand of God, we have the gracious invitation to cast every care upon
Him. If there was not a God or if we had a God that did not care for you and
me, we would be stuck with hauling around our worries, burdens, and need for
control throughout all the days of our life. However, because we are humbled
under the Lord and because we have a caring God, all the cares and worries of
this present life, everything that bothers us, Christians, in its entirety, can
be cast upon our heavenly Father.
Please keep in mind that
Peter is not saying that we Christians are to live a flippant life, not being
dutiful servants of our resources and life. No, that is not what is being
stated. Instead, Peter is essentially setting forth a carefree life – a life of
faith that lives in humility and gratitude while knowing the Lord is most
careful with His children.
And so, in humility and
gratitude, we Christians do not say, “Why do bad things happen to good
people,” but instead, we say, “Why do good things
happen to bad people?” Furthermore, we say, “What
did I ever do to deserve God's love, favor, and redemption,” while
knowing that suffering won’t last forever. Yes, by faith, we know that it won’t
be long before this generous God will make everything right for you and me. Our
Lord gets the last word; He has good eternal plans for you and me while we
journey through this vale of tears.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
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