Sin and Suffering

In our Disciple Bible Study that meets on Thursday evenings at the church, we have been making our way through the Bible since the beginning of the last fall. This past week, we read the first half of the John's Gospel. As I read through the passages and texts this week, I couldn't help but be struck by the story of a man who was born blind in chapter 9. We are told that Jesus is walking along and comes across this man who has never been able to see. His disciples pose a question to Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that we was born blind?"

To us with our advances in technology and understanding of biology and medicine, this may seem an odd question, but in Jesus' day it was common practice and thinking to attribute physical ailments, natural disasters, and other tragedies and realities to the result of our sin and God's action in judgment. Pat Robertson aside, most of us today don't think that way, at least most of the time. We see someone who is sick, and we look for the germ or mutation that caused it. We look at a natural disaster and rightly see weather systems or the shifting of techtonic plates as the culprit. But yet, I think there is still this underlying suspicion in many of us that God is somehow to blame for at least some of the bad things that happen in the world.

This is especially true when tragedy comes knocking at our own door or at the door of a loved one. We are quick to get angry with God because we are out of work. We cannot understand why God would not provide healing when we prayed for it. We blame God for a death or an accident. We ask the questions, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God allow this to happen?" All too often, someone will respond that it is all part of God's plan, even if we can't see why or understand it.

One of our church members passed away this week from cancer. She was only 51...far too young. I never heard her or any of her family ask these sorts of questions aloud, but I would imagine that they, like nearly all of us would, have asked them to themselves. But I have heard people say things along the lines of, "It was just her time" or "It's all part of God's plan."

I must confess, I cringe every time I hear something like that. I really don't think it was God's plan for Debbie to get sick, for cells in her body to change and begin taking away her life rather than sustaining it. In the same way, I don't think it was God's will for an earthquake to kill thousands in Haiti or a hurricane to destroy the lives of so many on the Gulf Coast. God doesn't desire our suffering or our death. God wants us to love God and to love one another.

So, in the end, when we are faced with a tragedy of any sort, I don't think we should ask, "Why did this happen?" Instead, we should ask, "How will I respond?" In the example from John 9, Jesus responds by healing the man. Many have responded to the earthquake in Haiti by sending money or preparing kits to be sent. Many have gone on trips to the Gulf Coast to help rebuild. Our church has responded to Debbie's death by preparing meals, sending card and flowers, attending the visitation, expressing our sorrow, and praying for Steve and his entire family. Each tragedy that we encounter is an opportunity to show and share concern and compassion. These tragedies don't occur for that reason, mind you, but as a person of faith my first reaction and response should always be to love.