An awful earthquake in Haiti has left thousands dead and thousands more displaced. People are wandering the streets in shock, others are wailing uncontrollably as the reality and magnitude of their personal losses have set in to their souls. The wounded lie sprawled in the streets, desperate children cry for their parents, and frantic parents search for any shred of hope that their children are alive and safe. The age-old question is the same after every disaster, “if God is really good, why this?” It was the same after 9-11, same story with hurricane Katrina in the gulf coast, ditto for the tsunami in Indonesia when more than 250,000 people, including children, were swept to their deaths by the giant waves of water. Is God angry? Is God getting even with us for our sin? Do we deserve this kind of treatment from God? Is God punishing the sinful behavior of a nation like Haiti by sending an earthquake and allowing buildings to fall and bury people alive, killing thousands of innocent people.
These kinds of questions are thousands of years old. Jesus was asked to explain two horrible disasters - one caused by human cruelty, and the other caused by natural disaster. Luke 13:1-5
1There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifice 2And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
You can hear in the passage this age-old question, “did God punish these people because they were sinners or worse sinners than anyone else”? Jesus did not confirm that God was punishing people for their sins. Instead, Jesus used this tragedy to remind people there is a fate worse than death.
Jesus is then confronted with the question again concerning the blind man in John chapter 9:2-3
2And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
The religious leaders in Jesus day taught that sickness, disease, and particularly things like blindness were caused by the sins of the parents or due to the sin of the one who was suffering. It certainly made for a very self-righteous and judgmental religion. So how did Jesus respond to this question? Jesus took the opportunity to set the record straight concerning “is God good all the time”? His answer, neither this man nor his parent’s sin caused this man’s condition. Jesus is simply saying there is no correlation between someone’s sin and their suffering. He certainly could have said, “Yes.” We know that we all are sinners and all of us have fallen short of the glory of God, or His standard of good which is perfection. See Romans 3:23. Jesus could have said this is just and fair judgment on this man for his sins. Just as he could have said all of those who died when the tower fell had it coming as well. But Jesus said nothing of the sort. What is more, he healed the man of his blindness and revealed the power and love of God.
What can we learn from all this? Here are a few thoughts:
We don’t really ever get what we deserve. God is not keeping a ledger in Heaven and waiting for our evil deeds to out weigh our good deeds. God got even with us all at the cross where He poured out His wrath and anger for all sin upon His Son Jesus. He (Jesus) bore the sin of the world and died under the judgment of God. If we got what we deserved we would all be dead.
It rains on the just and the unjust. See Matthew 5:45. To the saints, as well as the sinners, there are equal amounts of sunshine and rain. I challenge you to watch the weather channel and find a forecast or weather report that separates the two. Can you imagine the weather person saying, “High winds and rain will be hitting all of those who are adulterers, covetous and thieves living in the southeast. Lighting and hail is forecasted for murders and whoremongers residing in the upper mid-west? And sunshine mixed with a 5mph trade winds for all of those who were in church this past Sunday living in the West.” You and I my friend do not control our own world by our own actions. That is simply superstitious like carrying a rabbit’s foot in your pocket.
In simple observation you can look around you and know that good things do happen to good people, but also, bad things happen to good people. Just as well as bad things happen to bad people. And then the hardest one of all, good things happening to bad people.
There is little justice in this life. Again, look around you. There is little justice in this life and much of life is lived with more questions of “why” than answers. We will not have all the answers until the Judgment Day. On that day we will understand, but until that day, I doubt we ever will. Those of us who live by faith are called to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not to trust our own beliefs or understanding about a matter. See Proverbs 3:5-6. One day, when this journey is over, we will understand the heart of God and His decisions. Until that time, we are to know that He is not only a just God but also a good God and we are not to fear because he is our refuge and strength even if the sky falls and the earth is removed and the mountains are carried into the midst of the sea. See Psalms 46:1-2
Disasters that bring human suffering also bring opportunity to demonstrate that God is good. When we respond to crisis and disasters in places like Haiti, it is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate God’s powerful message of love and for Him to manifest His presence, not only in the hearts of those who we reach out to, but also to those who are doing the reaching. When we give of our gifts of generosity, medical treatment, physically aiding a family or community, when we feed the hungry, comfort the feeble and clothe the naked; God’s love is demonstrated, healing begins and those who do the giving are also reminded that God is good! All the time!
