Making Sense of Violent Human Tragedy

A few times a year, I'm called on to write a column in our local newspaper. This month happens to be my month. The article below is an adaptation of my theme from Sunday morning's message, Making Sense of Violent Human Tragedy. I've copied it here for you.

Why does God allow violent human tragedy to happen? That’s probably close to the top of the short list of questions we ask each other and ourselves when an attack like 9/11 or the Oklahoma City bombing or a massacre like Columbine High or Virginia Tech takes place. And it’s a perfectly human reaction that we do. But if we never move on from that initial questioning, we betray the basic misunderstanding have about the Lord and about mankind.

Focusing exclusively on the question, “Why did God let it happen?”, shows that we have a basic misunderstanding of God. It’s as if we think it’s God’s job to never let anything bad happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Apparently we think that He exists for our comfort and convenience. In fact, that thinking is exactly backwards. We are not the center and focus of the universe; God is! We exist for His pleasure and His will. Therefore we can’t assign jobs to God at all. And He certainly is not constrained to take on any task that He hasn’t already assigned Himself in Scripture. That doesn’t imply that our Lord is unkind or unconcerned about human tragedy. Not at all! He is deeply moved and compassionate towards the victims and towards those of us left behind to grieve. But the anger and bitterness that questions God’s goodness and love because bad things happen in the world reveals something deeper in the heart of man.

When we dwell on the question, “Why did He let it happen?”, we show we have a basic misunderstanding of mankind: of each of us. In Romans we’re told that there is none righteous and that all have sinned. In Jeremiah we’re told that our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Throughout the Bible, the Lord repeatedly warns us to face squarely in the face the reality that in us dwells nothing good. Indeed, we are all marred, stained, and ruined by sin. The truth is that evil is in the hearts of all men. And but for the restraining grace of God in our individual lives, each of us could walk down the path of violence and murder.

We have an answer from the Lord Jesus in responding to these types of human tragedies. In Luke 13:1-3, Jesus tells of a group of worshippers that the dictator of the area had murdered while they were in church! The people couldn’t comprehend how God could allow it to happen. Jesus responded that these poor victims had done nothing to deserve this kind of death in comparison with others. And then He turned the focus. Instead of looking at God and thinking He’s unkind and instead of looking at the victims and thinking they were to blame, Jesus said that we should look at ourselves. Tragedies should always turn us to repentance. Noted author and pastor John Piper says, “The point of every deadly calamity is this: Repent. Let our hearts be broken that God means so little to us. Grieve that he is a whipping boy to be blamed for pain, but not praised for pleasure. Lament that he makes headlines only when man mocks his power, but no headlines for ten thousand days of wrath withheld. Let us rend our hearts that we love life more than we love Jesus Christ. Let us cast ourselves on the mercy of our Maker. He offers it through the death and resurrection of his Son.”

When we ask, “Why did God let this bad thing happen?”, we should rather ask, “Why does God allow so much good happen to so many people so often?”. That is the question, and the attitude, for dealing with violent human tragedy.

Jesus Is The Truth

This morning's sermon, "Jesus Is The Truth", is available online at The Parson's Pulpit.

Deep Personal Love

Put yourself in the sandals of Jesus’ closest followers during those turbulent days of Passover week almost 2000 years ago. Every certainty of your life as you had known it was shattered. The Person you had come to regard as more than merely your teacher, but as your friend and master, had been viciously seized and put to death for the sake of hatred and political expedience. Additionally, you fear that you might be next on the leaders’ hit list. Your personal plans, your religious standing, and your future existence were all in a state of flux. In short, you were dazed, confused, and grieving.

As we look at the scene in John 20, the major players are all acting in a grief-shrouded state of mind. They had forgotten most of Jesus’ teachings. Their memories of the promises and prophecies of Scripture were dim. But even in this emotionally battered condition, Mary, Peter, John, and the other disciples still had two anchors for their storm-tossed hearts. They had deep personal affection for Jesus. And they had deep personal affection for one another. When their knowledge failed them, they still had love. When their hope was nearly abandoned, they still had love. When they were utterly confused and almost bereft of faith, they still had love. Love is what sustained them. Love is what drove them.

Love drove Mary and the other women to the tomb that early Sunday morning to finish the job of tending to Jesus’ body. Love motivated her horror at the empty tomb, thinking that someone had stolen Him away, and love gave speed to her feet as she hurried to tell Peter and John. Love drove the two men to the empty tomb, forgetting the potential danger of being seen openly on the streets of Jerusalem. And love caused them to believe that He was risen. Love made them hope against hope that it was true.

And before the day was out, they each had their love and hope confirmed. The risen Lord Jesus came to them. And their faith was confirmed.

For you and me today, the lessons of that Resurrection morning are many. But what we need to learn from Mary, Peter, and John is that personal love for Christ and for Christ’s people matters most. Knowledge is vital. There is no excuse for Christians being ignorant of God’s Word and His ways. Hope is important. It buoys us along the rough seas of life. But personal love for the Master is the grand distinguishing mark of a real disciple. It anchors your soul when nothing else makes sense.

How’s your love for Jesus?

The Meaning of Easter

The Bible says, in Matthew 28:5-6, “But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”” These two simple sentences declare the meaning of Easter in a way that no other words can. With clarity and precision, God speaks to man with a certainty that transforms mere religion into an eternity-altering reality.
First, the angel says that Jesus was crucified. He was dead, buried, his body in a tomb. He shed His perfect, sinless blood in payment of your sins. The debt that you owe to God because of your direct breaking of His laws and of your passive failure to fulfill His desires now has a pay-off. Jesus made that possible on the cross. No amount of good works you do in the future could do that. No amount of heart felt sincerity could do that. Only Jesus could do that.
Second, the angel says that Jesus is risen. He is risen! With the same power that spoke the universe into existence, Jesus took up His life again and broke the chains of death, Hell, and the grave. His resurrection is the living proof of the Father’s acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice. It is the proof that He can give you His life…eternal life…life that begins now and lasts forever. It is proof that He loves you and that nothing will stop Him from rescuing you.
The Resurrection is the meaning of Easter. It not merely the promise of life renewed in nature or even the seasons of life. It is the promise of Life, the spiritual life that your dead soul desperately needs. And it is provided powerfully in God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

New Sermons Posted

I've posted three new sermons at The Parson's Pulpit .

Enjoy.