Why?

They say this is the six-million-dollar question: “Why does God allow bad things to happen?” If we want to keep believing in a good, all-knowing, and all-powerful God, you may find that any answer you receive or offer eventually breaks down. In fact, some of the so-called answers cause more harm than good, especially when people are hurting. Scripture does not give us easy answers either.

It is difficult to understand how God could allow the pain and suffering we see in the world and in our own lives. In the church, we call this the question of theodicy. It’s when we wrestle with the notion of God allowing or causing suffering and evil in the world and there is no time like Lent to wrestle with this question. Suffering and evil are two extreme realities in our world, and they are not exclusive only to certain people. I am personally and keenly aware that the worst thing that can happen to anybody, can happen to anybody - anytime. 

So, how do we talk about this? 

What to say? What words to use? What to say? So, there is a need for language to adequately talk about the depth of suffering and of evil since the ordinary language of politics and psychology are inadequate. I hate to burst your bubble, but there is no such language. I have instead accepted that our primary task is not so much to answer this impossible philosophical question but more so to bring signs of the kingdom of God here and now.  We do this, by centering Jesus’ death and resurrection.  

In John 11, a full four days after Lazarus laid dying, hoping that Jesus would show up, Mary and Martha shuffle dejectedly about their home, having buried their brother and perhaps a little faith in their friend, Jesus. Have you ever been there? I have. After my son died, I sat there for weeks unable to plan a memorial because part of me hoped that 'since Jesus hadn't been there' when we needed him to be, then he would show up and yaay, miracle! I know. Grief can make a person illogical. I think of the question that the Jews asked at the end of the passage: could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man, stop this man from dying? You see, Lazarus is not supposed to die when you call Jesus your friend. One may be able to imagine how their “Why?” reverberated throughout the village – even causing neighbors to speculate on Jesus’ ability to do the things people claimed he could do, and even question the siblings’ friendship with Jesus. “Maybe they were making their relationship with this Jesus seem more than it really was.” People. 

Anywho! A huge obstacle we face when attempting to talk about the painful experiences of our lives, is our own socialization. We have been conditioned to present ourselves as people who are impervious to pain as if having faith in Jesus immunizes anyone from trauma. This may be why, when we read this passage, we tend to skip over the sisters' heartbreak, so we can get to the excitement of Jesus calling Lazarus back to life. Well, hold up just the one minute. Before we get to the resurrection scene, Lazarus dies, and Martha and Mary are grieving. They don’t know that Jesus will show up and do the impossible. All they know is that their brother is dead and that it hurts. We rush to the resurrection of Lazarus because we often do not know what to do with people in their grief. We tell people that when they come to worship services, they should bring their praise, but leave their worries behind. Somewhere in this irrational statement is a suggestion that God only cares about some parts of me and not my entire personhood. To be clear, I call bullsh*t because if I bring my joy and not my sorrow, then I can only partially present myself. If I cannot bring my whole self, then how can I praise God 'with my whole heart'? I will also not receive the healing that I need for the hurt I cannot acknowledge.  

Why though, does this happen? Could it be that allowing people to deal with their tears might cause us to deal with ours? Whatever the reason, the question still lurks like a crook in the night – “Why did God allow this bad thing to happen?”

Pay attention to Jesus – what he addresses, how he treats situations and people, and what he doesn’t bother to address. When he shows up at his friends’ house, although they toss their anger at him, he doesn’t berate them or show up laden with the cliches of the church. He acknowledges their pain, understands that their anger is an expression of grief, identifies with them, bridges their pain to their personhood, and leans into his own humanity. More importantly, he cries with them. There you have it! Jesus has a heart. This is a God I can work with!

 

The point of the Lazarus resurrection is not that “everything will turn out well in the end,” or that God will step in and reverse our pain and suffering. Rather, it’s important to know that God comes into our suffering and brings redemption – moments of love, meaning, hope, and memories. God makes and holds space for our questions, laments, and grief. No price tag can be attached to the question “Why does God allow bad things to happen?” because it is priceless. There is no solution. What we do believe is that whether these terrible things that our lives know are brought about by human action or because of nature's seismic shifts, none of it is God’s desire. None of it is part of God’s plan. God walks with us in our pain and is still at work defeating evil. 

Free life-giving information:

It is okay to show God where it hurts.

It is NOT okay to silence anyone's question, or their grief. 

Bury the cliches. They are no good.

Be gentle with yourself and do not deny your pain its treatment.

You need more than to 'just have faith' to negotiate the human experience.

Being friends with Jesus does not immunize anyone from trauma.

Therapy is God's gift to the world. Therefore, don't despise it. 

See you in the comments!

#why #theodicy #hermeneutics #womanpastor