Eyes Wide Open part 2

We often ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  Or, “Why do good things happen to bad people?”  I suppose an even greater question, that goes under our conversational radar, might be, “Why do good or bad things happen to people… period?”

Here’s a little snack:  We find ourselves in common company with the disciples as they struggle to understand the mystery of social injustices.  In verse 2 of John’s 9th Gospel chapter, the disciples asked an age-old question.  While passing by a man who had been without sight since birth, their feelings of inadequacy prompted them to ask, “Jesus, what’s the story with this man?  Why is he in this condition?”  They took their investigation a step further by equating this man’s handicap with his spiritual life.”  One disciple asked, “Was it his sin or his parents sin that put him in this predicament?”

As my imagination makes its way onto paper, I can’t help but believe that these disciples must have had this conversation before- prior to their investigation of Jesus’ understanding of sin in relation to infirmities.  Could it be that they had often seen this blind man, and others like him, and had regularly paused to consider why some people have sight and others do not?  With self-righteous indignation they had decided that handicaps were a deserved default to the acts of sin.  In other words, they resolved that this man’s infirmity was self inflicted and could have been prevented or eleviated. 

Could it be that the course of their resolution was based upon the fact they did not have the faith to heal this man themselves, and thus decided to embellish this man’s handicapped state and compound his situation to make it more than what it really was?  They felt that they could do nothing about blindness; and so created for themselves justification for their lack of ability to harness the power of faith.  In turn, they blamed his handicap on sin- which they knew only God could forgive.  In this, they relieved their own conscience but left this man helplessly in the dark.

It needs to be said that they were partially right.  All sickness, disease, war, famine, injustice and all manner of anything less than good is the justified aftermath of depravity.  However, this doesn’t exempt our Sovereign’s influence in any matter- nor His ability to work our inevitable demise to His own glory… for His own good pleasure. 

Bad things don’t just happen to good people. Nor should it be said that good things happen only to bad people.  The shear fact that we ask such a question reveals the sensitive, self-righteous overshadowing of our hearts. Two observations are made of those who ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  First, the question is a subliminal prompting of our misunderstanding of the nature of man.  “Good” is not an accurate description of any man.  By default we are inheritably bad- not good.  To suggest that bad things should happen to bad people and good things should happen to good people is a misqualification of both “things” and “people”.  In other words, what qualifies a thing as good?  And what qualifies people as good? On the same token, what qualifies a thing as “bad” or people as “bad”?  The answer is found in our selfishly depraved heart.  We assume that anything that occurs outside of our plan for our lives can’t be good- but rather bad.  This is an insult to God’s all sufficient Grace for our lives.

Secondly, to suggest that a person’s standing in Christ (whether they be saved or lost) establishes their position on the spiritual scale of good or bad is to suggest that Christians deserve only good things and bad things should only happen to non-Christians.  This is a misinterpretation of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.”  The key to understanding this blessed verse is found in the first 3 words: “And we know…”  You see, God’s people know that our God is sovereign and can only do that which fulfills Hisgood pleasure.  By this we are convinced, based on our knowledge of Him who has redeemed us, that whatever comes our way is to the glory of our God... for His good pleasure.

The fact is, Jesus did that day what had only previously been discussed by anyone else.  Jesus put into action what the disciples were only willing to talk about.  They were more concerned with how they could clear their own conscience than how they were going to alleviate his situation.  And in doing so, Jesus answered their question:  “…Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

There was in fact a reason for this man’s blindness.  It was a testimony to the grace of God and to the glory of our Sovereign.  His infirmity, nor any thinggood or bad goes under the sovereign radar of our supreme God.  May it be our joy to know that God’s grace is sufficient for us… regardless the situation.