For three weeks, we’ve been answering questions together. We took on “What’s the Deal with Hell?” and we took a swing at “How Do I Know I’m Saved?” We’ve even asked and answered, “What’s the Deal with Angels?”
Good job on the questions, by the way. But I’ve saved the hardest and most often asked question for last. The last sermon in this series is: Why do bad things happen to good people?
I thought I’d share with you the vast depth of my knowledge and answer this, in part, here in my blog. Ready? Here goes.
I don’t know.
Wow, that didn’t take long. But lets not quibble or digress just because I can’t point to a page in a book to give you a quick and easy answer to a question that is anything but quick or easy.
You might start with “what do you mean by a good person?” We all have a little evil touching our lives sooner or later.
But the real question is more about the nature of God than anything else. Why does God allow such things to happen? Some misguided folks have asked why God makes things like this happen. That one, I can answer. God very rarely puts negatives in our lives, but when God does, there’s a reason for it, even if we don’t like it or don’t understand it. Saul was harrassed by a spirit of evil which the Bible says was sent by God. James says that God sometimes tests us, but more often, the test is a result of our own decisions. Kind of like the kitten who is tested on his ability to escape after sticking his cute little head inside the plastic cup…
The Possibility of Evil
One of the things that was hammered into my head in seminary (speaking of moral and ethical testing), is the irrefutable law of the possibility of evil.
Say what? I said, “the possibility of evil.” If you get pounded with the divine two-by-four every time you steal something, your free will becomes quickly limited. And free will is even more indisputable than the notion of the possibility of evil. The 
possibility of evil also carries along with it the distinct possibility of good. We have the ability within us. 
The same human experience that produces an Osama Bin Laden is also capable of producing a Martin Luther King, Jr or a Mother Theresa, or even you.
God expects us to make good decisions. He doesn’t make that happen. And you’re not going to get the constant attention that would produce guaranteed results. That’s part of it as well.
The Bigger Picture
Here’s a story that sticks with me. Maybe it will help you as well.
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guestroom. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied,
“Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him, he accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied.
“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.”
“Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don’t turn out the way we think they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later…
Things aren’t always what they seem.
Now, does this mean that angels control these little outcomes? No, but it does point to the fact that there are sometimes greater ends than the ones to which we point when things are bad. In the words of that great theologian, Garth Brooks, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
The Problem of Togetherness
One of the worst parts of all this is the difficulty of random violence caused by living in the proximity of those who make horrible decisions. In the story of Abraham and Lot and the cities of Sodom and Gommorrah, we see the most obvious results of what happens when you live in a lousy community. No, its not a commercial for living in the right neighborhood. For once, this story about real estate isn’t about “location, location, location.”
Abraham bargained for the good people living among all that evil.
Genesis 18:32
32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
Of course, there weren’t 10. So why didn’t Abraham press harder for the sake of those who were just, even if it were only a handful? I’ve been asking myself that for years. It was in looking for answers to this question of theodicy that this answer comes to light.
I finally figured out why Abraham wasn’t hold enough to press below ten people in his bargaining. Instead, the tale shows us that Abraham understood community, and the fact that when the number of good people falls below a certain number, there’s not much hope for the greater community. Abraham seems to understand that there is hope for a community, no matter how bad, if there is a core of good men and women willing to work for change. But if that core is too small, even Abraham doesn’t see much hope for the community once God has singled it out for destruction. Perhaps the individuals left didn’t merit rescue?
Merit. Let’s talk about merit…
Who Deserves to Be Spared?
This is where it gets dangerous. Abraham was pleading for the community. He did not plead for the individuals, even though the community is no more than the individuals of which it is comprised. Or is it more than that?
In any case, we find ourselves in a tough situation when we place ourselves on the witness stand, on trial for our lives or even just for our happiness. Do I deserve this tough life? What did I do to deserve such harsh circumstances?
The traditional reply of those who think and study God’s laws and morality is hard. “What have you done to merit a divine rescue?” Ouch. Me? Not much. I’ve tried to be faithful, but that’s hardly worth a “get out of jail free” card.
When my kids behave, they aren’t rewarded. When they perform above and beyond the call of responsible duty, they might get an extra cookie. Neither of them has the kind of accolades that come up to the level we’re talking about here.
Come to think of it, I don’t know many who have. But maybe you qualify. But to what extent? Even if any of us can convincingly answer that question, how many times can we expect such a sparing?
So Who’s to Blame for These Injustices?
Ah. Here’s the crux. Here’s where we get to pin this one on somebody. You might even be thinking that we’ll point all this back at God and let the chips fall where they may.
Maybe. Maybe not.
I’ll post the answer to this question after the sermon Sunday. Show up and lets chat about the answer. If you can’t be with us, watch this space in the coming days. I’ll try to get something up before long.
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