Reacting to Suffering

We read the following account in Luke 13:1-5...

"There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.'"

We all endure periods of suffering and affliction in our lives, but there are some folks who suffer more than others. Sometimes, tragedy strikes unexpectedly and affects individuals, families, churches, even communities! Of course, we hear of earthquakes and tsunamis in other parts of the world, powerful hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that destroy towns, and tornadoes that rip through cities, killing dozens. There are also tragedies that are not weather-related: the death of a child or spouse, the loss of a job, divorce, and I could list many other atrocities and hardships that cause tremendous anguish.

In Jesus' day, there were those who viewed such tragedies as a sign of God's wrath. If someone was suffering so intensely, they must have done something to anger God and now were feeling the force of His hot displeasure - divine chastening, or punishment, if you will. Jesus cited two such incidents - (1) the "Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices" and (2) "those eighteen on whom the tower of Siloam fell." Did these things happen to these people because they had sinned?

Over in John 9:1-2, a similar situation plays out. There was a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples asked Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind." In the book of Job, Job's three friends came to a similar conclusion, that Job was being punished for sin he had committed. Both the blind man in John 9 as well as Job were not suffering because of sin, so it was a false conclusion.

It is true that God chastens His children (Heb. 12), and it is true that God does punish people, families and nations because of rampant sin (we see examples of this throughout the scriptures). However, what we learn in Luke 13:1-5, and John 9:1-2, and the book of Job, is that when tragedy strikes, rather than asking "why?" it is vital to our spiritual well-being that we use the occasion to examine ourselves and draw closer to God.

It may be that God is punishing the recipients of the affliction. Or it may be a matter of "time and chance," which, according to Solomon, befalls all of us, good or bad (Eccl. 9:11; also Mt. 5:45). The point is: it is pointless to try to figure it out...a waste of time. In reality, no matter the cause, all suffering and affliction imparts the same spiritual lessons:

1. We live in an imperfect world.
2. All suffering and unhappiness are the result of the presence of sin going all the way back to Eden.
3. Life is hard. Sometimes bitterly hard.
4. We cannot escape all suffering and pain...
5. ...but we can find peace and contentment in Christ (Phil. 4:6-11).
6. A strenuous life in a sinful, imperfect world only makes the promise of heaven that much sweeter (Rev. 21:4). NO more pain. NO more tears. NO more sorrows. Wow!

Whether tragedy strikes you, someone close to you, a community, or a nation, and whether it's because of sin or not, Jesus teaches us in Luke 13:1-5 that we simply need to use these occasions to recognize the brevity and frailty of life, to examine our spiritual life, to repent, and to draw nearer to God.