Where is God when bad things happens?

Where is God when I am hurting?

Where is God when I am in pain and I am suffering?

Where is God when my dreams get shattered?

Have you ever asked that question? Or, similar questions?

Maybe you asked similar questions this week after hearing some of the top news stories.

Maybe you asked, “Where was God when that student in Colorado shot two school administrators and then killed himself?”

Maybe you asked, “Where was God when that woman in Nashville killed 3 students and 3 teachers in that church’s school?”

Maybe you asked, “Where is God as China and Russia make a pact to initiate a new world era, one that, in their words, ‘exists to do things that haven’t been seen in 100 years?’”

Maybe you asked, “Where was God when that shoplifter in Virginia was being chased down and ended up shot and killed?”

Maybe you asked, “Where is God while North Korea continues to test long range weapons and is now talking about detonating an underwater explosion that will result in a radioactive wave barreling towards the shores of its enemies?”

Maybe you have asked, “Where is God when the statistics show that the numbers of people burdened with feelings of sadness, helplessness, and hopelessness are ever increasing?”

When life is interrupted by events that cause pain and suffering, both Christians and non-Christians often ask the same questions—

“Where was God?,”  

“How come He didn’t stop this from happening?,” and

“If God is all-powerful and sovereign over all things, why would He let this tragedy unfold?”

In this morning’s text from John’s biography of Jesus, chosen for us by the lectionary, we encounter a situation in which similar questions were asked about God’s whereabouts when bad things were happening.

Let’s here from John 11.1-45 together now.

John 11:1–45 tells us this:

[1] Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. [3] So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” [4] But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

[5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. [7] Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” [8] The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” [9] Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. [10] But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” [11] After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” [12] The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” [13] Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. [14] Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, [15] and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” [16] So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

[17] Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. [18] Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, [19] and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. [20] So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. [21] Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” [23] Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” [24] Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” [25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” [27] She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

[28] When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” [29] And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. [30] Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. [31] When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. [32] Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” [33] When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. [34] And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” [35] Jesus wept. [36] So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” [37] But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

[38] Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. [39] Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” [40] Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” [41] So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” [43] When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” [44] The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

[45] Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, (ESV)

About 2000 years ago, when Jesus’ close friend Lazarus passes away, we see the question, “Where was God?,” being asked not once, not twice, but three times by three different people.

First Martha, who runs to find Jesus when tragedy strikes, approaches Jesus on the road and says: “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother would not have died!”

Secondly, Mary, who stays behind to mourn, weep, and grieve, says to Jesus when He calls her to come to him:  “Lord, if you would have been here my brother would not have died.”

And thirdly, some of the Jews who were present and watching the tragic situation unfold, asked: “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”  

As Lazarus was sick, dying, and then dead, questions arose about God’s love, God’s goodness, God’s care, and God’s concern for those He claimed to love—

the questions being,

“Where was God when I was anxious and worried watching my brother get progressively sicker?,”

“Where was God when my brother died at a young age?,” and

“Where was God as I was forced to deal with grief and loss of a loved one?”

In all three statements we see Jesus being accused of not being present when tragedy struck.  And in the same vein, of not caring about those whom He loved and who loved Him in return.  

In this text from John 11.1-45, Jesus answers the question, “Where is God when we are suffering and hurting because bad things happened?”

But, Jesus answers the question of God’s presence in suffering differently than humanity ever could or would.  

Because of sin, when we don’t get a perfect life with all of our desires, wants, and wishes perfectly met by the “Genie-in-a-Bottle” god, we say that God is no longer there or has left us when we needed Him most.

But, Jesus’ answer to the question of God’s whereabouts in tragedy, suffering, and pain, points us to the truth and good news that He is most present with you at those times.

Psalm 34:15–18 says this:

[15] The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

[16] The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit. (ESV)

Jesus is there with you, speaking loudly to you in the most difficult moments of life.  

That may seem like an odd statement because when we think about God, we want to think “happy” thoughts like joy, peace, rest, and heaven.  We don’t want to hear or think that God comes closest in the hardest and most painful moments of life. We want God to eradicate pain and suffering instead.

But this is the truth of scripture.  It is only when sin shows its full power—to kill, destroy, damage, and hurt—that we are able to understand the predicament of humanity.  It is in suffering that we see the brokenness that needs to be fixed.  It is in pain that we realize our imperfection.  And it is in those moments that we recognize our need for a fixer, a healer, a rescuer, and a giver of perfect and unending life.

David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group points out that 

“National and global events can get our attention for minutes and weeks, but personal crises—divorce, losing your job, death, and economic instability—really can recalibrate spiritual priorities.”

Jesus begins, before Lazarus passes away, by telling His disciples that Lazarus’ sickness was for the purpose of ensuring that they and others would believe that He was in fact the Son of God sent to save men and women from their sin.

And, to show them the hope that they had during this time of loss, Jesus demonstrates His power, right there, on the scene, in the very moment, to turn mourning into dancing, to bring life out of death, by raising Lazarus from the dead so that God our Father in Heaven would be glorified and people would come to faith through repentance of sin and belief in God’s Savior.

Jesus, God in flesh, simply calls Lazarus’ name and he comes walking out of the tomb, raised back to life, for all to see and hear about.

You can even imagine that as Lazarus is making his entrance back into the world of the living, House of Pain’s Back From the Dead is playing as the soundtrack with the lyrics:

“Erase my name from off the tombstones

Alive and kickin’, breathing the air

Call out my name…and I’ll be there

…’Cause I’m back from the dead.”

The historian Paul Veyne calls himself an “unbeliever,” and yet he extols the message of human dignity that we find in the sacrificial love and death of Jesus. Veyne writes:

“[In the gospel, a person’s life] suddenly acquired an eternal significance within a cosmic plan, something that no philosophy or paganism could confer … The pagan gods lived for themselves. In contrast, Christ, the Man-God sacrificed himself for his [people] … Christianity owed its success to a collective invention of genius … namely, the infinite mercy of a God passionate about the fate of the human race, indeed about the fate of each and every individual soul, including mine and yours, and not just those of the kingdoms, empires and the human race in general.”

For Martha and Mary, Jesus was present in their suffering, pain, grieving, and mourning.  He was with them, listening, comforting, and healing.  The text says that “when Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”  And when He visited the place of burial with the family members, “Jesus wept.”

In their moments of sorrow Jesus was there.  

In their moments of questioning the pains of life Jesus was there.  

In their moments of weeping Jesus was there weeping with them.  

He was troubled by the brokenness of life because of the effects of sin on humanity and Jesus stood by those suffering to have compassion on them, comfort them and provide hope that this is not over, this is not how life will end.  

And, the same is true for you!

In the threat of radioactive waves there is always the promise of resurrection and eternal life.

This life, often defined by death and destruction is not all that there is.

With Jesus, we are not nihilists.

With Jesus, we are awaiting our resurrection and Heavenly home where we are promised that there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more suffering, and no more tears.

In your moments of sorrow Jesus is there.  

In your moments of questioning the pains of life Jesus is there.  

In your moments of weeping Jesus is there weeping with you.  

He is always troubled by the brokenness of life because of the effects of sin on humanity and Jesus stands by you to have compassion on you, comfort you and provide hope that this is not over, this is not how life will end for you who have faith.  There is meaning and purpose in everything that happens even when you don’t understand.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Believe in him and even though you die, you shall live.

The is the Word of God for you.

This is the Grace of God for you.

Amen.

Pastor Fred Scragg

March 26, 2023