Today, many of us find ourselves wondering and shuddering at
the depths of evil in the human heart.
Yesterday’s bombings in Boston raise so many questions in our hearts and
minds. There are the practical
questions like, “Who is responsible?”
And there are the big questions.
“How could somebody do this?”
“Where is God in all of
this?”
I’m not into conspiracy theories and blaming the government,
so if you’re looking for something salacious and juicy, you won’t find it
here. In times like this, I always
look to God’s Word. Not just for
answers. But for hope and for
comfort.
Let me start by talking about the answers to the big
questions.
Things like this shock me and stun me for sure. The carnage. The pain. The
hurt. This is jarring for us as
Americans because it’s such a rare thing.
But in many places around the world, it’s a daily or weekly
occurrence.
But things like this – and things like Newtown, Virginia
Tech, Kermit Gosnell and various other shocking things - don’t surprise me the
way they surprise many people. And
I think this is why. I haven’t
drunk the cultural kool-aid that makes me think that deep down, everybody’s
basically good inside. I’m a firm
believer in the Word of God, and I believe God’s Word when it says among other
things:
·
We live in a world that is cursed by sin and
evil
·
All of us are sinners in need of the redemption
of Jesus Christ
·
The unredeemed, unrepentant heart and mind is
full of all kinds of evil
·
Loving Jesus and loving other people doesn’t
grant us immunity from experiencing the consequences of pain and evil
In today’s reading from Luke 23, we see this. If you’ve been following along in our
Bible reading plan, this is our third reading through the events of the Passion
of Jesus, first in Matthew and Mark, and now Luke.
Let’s look at v.v. 21-25
21 But
they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" 22 For the third time he spoke to
them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no
grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then
release him." 23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified,
and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been
thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and
surrendered Jesus to their will.
As Jesus is on trial before Pilate,
Pilate sees the innocence of Jesus.
But the crowd is a demanding crowd. They want the blood of Jesus. With angry shouts, the mob of people – probably numbering in
the thousands, demand his death despite Pilate’s desire to release Jesus.
We read that and think, “Wow, these
people are evil!” But here’s the
really scary thing. They’re not
that much different from you and me.
You see, these are Jews.
They’re “good people!”
They’re led by “good people.”
People who try to do the right thing. People who give the appearance of being religious. People who go to worship at the Temple
and know the Word of God in the Law and Prophets inside and out.
But we see that in certain moments,
even “good people” are capable of the worst kinds of evil. When we truly grapple with God’s Word
and the implications for our lives, this shouldn’t surprise us. Shock us? Stun us? Bring
us to our knees? Absolutely. I pray that I never get used to it or
become calloused to it, because God is not. God’s heart breaks at this evil and suffering even more than
our own hearts.
Which brings us to the second
question, “Where is God in all of this?”
For many people who already have trouble believing in a God that loves
us and cares for us, this raises a lot of questions about the goodness of
God. This raises a lot of
questions about the intentions of God in the face of pain and suffering and
evil.
As I posted on Facebook yesterday, I
believe that Jesus is with us in the midst of suffering. At ALIVE! Community Church we’ve been
walking through the book The Lazarus Life in our sermons and small groups. I think that one of the most striking
pictures of Jesus that we find in Scripture is in John 11 as Jesus comes to
the grave of his friend Lazarus.
In John 11:35, it simply says this: “Jesus wept.” The shortest verse in the entire
Bible. Two little words that
remind us that Jesus is not immune to our pain and to our suffering. Jesus weeps at death. John goes on to tell us that not only
did Jesus weep, he was greatly moved and troubled. He was afflicted deeply by the death of his friend.
And yet Jesus allowed the death of his
friend Lazarus to happen. While
Lazarus was on death’s doorstep, his sisters Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus
to come and heal their brother. Jesus stayed away, finally returning 4 days
after the death of Lazarus. And in
John
11:4, even as Jesus knew what would happen, he said, “. .
. it is for God’s glory.”
Those are difficult words to wrestle
with as we try to make sense of something as big and as evil as this. But God ALWAYS acts for his glory. That doesn’t mean that it’s always easy
for us. That doesn’t mean that
God’s glory only comes by means that don’t hurt. That doesn’t mean that we don’t wrestle with doubt and fear
and all kinds of questions.
But what it does mean is this: when we
are in the tombs of life, as many people affected by this tragedy are right
now, Jesus always brings the hope of resurrection. My friend and mentor Steve Smith, the author of The Lazarus
Life, reminds us that we cannot self-help our way out of the tomb. Unless Jesus shows up there is no
hope.
When we’re in the midst of tragedy,
it’s sometimes impossible to even begin to see this, let alone believe it or
hope that it can happen. But I’ve
seen it time and time again in my life and in my ministry. The story of every great man and woman
in Scripture is the story of the resurrection power of Jesus at work in their
lives. The story of every great
Christian man and woman I’ve ever known is the story of the resurrection power
of Jesus at work in their lives.
I thank God that I haven’t ever
experienced the deep pain of losing a child or a spouse, or even a family
member from anything other than old age.
I can only imagine that it’s the worst kind of pain. But I have been absolutely blown away
by Rick Warren over the past few weeks as he has very publicly mourned the
death of his son Matthew, who took his own life at age 27.
This morning on Twitter, Pastor Rick shared Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 1:9: “In
our hearts we felt the sentence of death, but this happened so we might not
rely on ourselves but on God.”
The tombs of life – whether we experience them first hand; alongside of
a friend or loved one; or just emotionally and sympathetically from a distance
– are always the opportunity to rely on the grace of God more than we ever have
before. It’s my hope and prayer –
and it should be your hope and prayer too – that the families and loved ones
that are grieving and mourning in Boston would experience this reality. Moment by moment, minute by minute,
hour by hour, day by day, week by week and month by month, Lord we pray that
your grace, love and power would sustain them and that even in the midst of
this tragedy, they could see your goodness and power at work in their lives and
in the lives of those around them.
