Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Palm Sunday By Pastor Dan Kennedy © March 25, 2018 www.pastorkennedy.com Palm Sunday, only a few days from Christ’s agonizing death, is a glorious celebration focusing on Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, only to be followed by His body being mercilessly pummeled and His hands and feet being pounded through with the garish nails of crucifixion. Jesus is the epitome of Goodness – God’s pure Goodness, to whom seriously bad things happened. He is the example for the rest of us (all whom are not perfect) in how we should respond when bad things come our way. The first thing we need to define in this message is “goodness.” What makes a “good” person? The ‘Good People’ in this World are known only for what they have Done, how they act around those they want to impress, and how others perceive them and reward them with their affirmation, but not necessarily knowing who they really are.   Does a person have to be good all the time in order for others to consider him or her a good person?  o Can the world’s “good” person become angry, indignant, and become “unglued” from time to time? o Can the world’s “good” person be marginally moral from time to time? o Can the world’s “good” person be deceptive from time to time? o Can the world’s “good” person be proud, selfish and unloving from time to time? Can these people with these negative traits still be considered “good” people by those around them? Does the world seem to have a double standard for “good?” Even evil or vile people may be called “good people” if they announce to the world that they have moments of generosity, relating to “good” humanitarian and philanthropic causes applauded by the world. “He or she is a good person, down deep!” the world will then proclaim.  Who are “Good People?” The Perception and the Problem People who give the world Life Benefitting Solutions Social Benevolence Cultural Advancements  Are often considered to be good people. What did Jesus say when a person called Him “Good?” Was He Good? Absolutely - Jesus was Perfect! Why did Jesus respond the way He did? A Lesson from the Ultimately Good Person A super nice, considerate, smart, successful, respectful, handsome, well-to-do person ran up to Jesus and fell at His feet. (Think of the nicest, most gracious person you have ever known, or wished to be.) Jesus knew the true character of this person immediately and loved the qualities that this man desperately wanted to be and to portray. By every detail of his attitude, the refreshing style of his new crisp but unostentatious clothes, his successful appealing presence, and his respectful words, this man represented the kind of person that anyone in the world would admire and wish to emulate…with the exception of the cultural and theological differences in the following cases: ~ This young man was the ultimate Jew. ~ He was the ultimate Protestant or Evangelical Christian. ~ He was the ultimate Catholic. ~ He was the ultimate Buddhist. ~ He was the ultimate Muslim. ~ He was the ultimate Hindu. ~ He was the ultimate Mormon. ~ He was the ultimate Jehovah Witness. ~ He was the ultimate Seventh Day Adventist. ~ He was the ultimate agnostic or atheist. ~ He was the ultimate philanthropist. ~ He was the ultimate “good” person of the world. ~ He followed the best rules, given by God, for human life. ~ He was prosperous and successful. ~ He was a model human being. This man showed genuine respect toward Jesus, in what He taught and in who He was. He began by falling down on his knees in front of Jesus and giving Him the ultimate compliment, respectfully addressing Jesus as, “good teacher.” He would have been thrilled to have Jesus look back at him, smile broadly, and return the compliment by greeting him saying, “Ah, now here is a good man,” because the young man knew he was a good person – and everybody else around him knew that too. There was no one better. Mark 10:17–22 17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” But in this man’s heart there had been a gnawing problem that had been plaguing him for some time and he wanted to ask Jesus about it. No matter how good he was, he still felt he was not good enough to earn eternal life. In fact, down deep, he knew he was not good enough. Does this sound familiar? Jesus said something that totally threw the young man off from his desire to know about what could earn him eternal life. 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. Why did Jesus respond like this? Wasn’t Jesus God? Didn’t He call Himself, “The Son of God?” Hadn’t Jesus said, “I and the Father are One?” If anyone was “Good,” wasn’t it Jesus? What point was Jesus making? Obviously, Jesus wasn’t going to respond by looking into this rich young ruler’s eyes and calling him “good,” after saying that only God is “Good!” “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” the young man persisted. He could sidestep the confusing “good” comment, this question was really what he had come to find out. He already knew down deep that being “good” wasn’t good enough. Jesus followed His rather shocking response to this dedicated young man about being “good,” by itemizing those things that Jesus already knew this man was methodically and legalistically following every day. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. It wasn’t the committed dedication to legalistically follow the Law that was lacking in this young man, it was something far more sinister. Jesus discerned where the love of this man’s heart resided. You cannot serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and your Possessions. (Matthew 6:24) Eternal Life is found only in Jesus Christ, and you can’t truly follow Jesus, if you have a greater love in your heart. The rich man left Jesus as a sad young man, because his riches were more satisfying, more appealing, and more necessary right then to him. Question: Does Jesus require anyone with surplus finances to give it away in order to have eternal life? No. Eternal life can never be purchased through good deeds or great generosity. But there are also plenty of Scriptural cautions about the powerful delusions of the love of money and making money and/or possessions our god. (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:10-13; 1 Tim. 6:9-10; Heb. 13:5) Question: Can being a super nice, genuinely good person, who follows God’s rules all your life make you pleasing enough so God will allow you to go into His Holy heaven when you die? No. Never. There would be no need of Christ’s Sacrifice should there be any other way! (Titus 3:5-6) Question: Should being a super nice, genuinely good person, who follows God’s Rules all your life, prompt God to keep you from experiencing testing, trials or suffering in this life? One must first find out… Who are “good” people? Only God is good. Folks Asked Jesus about issues surrounding “Random” Tragedies Jesus answered this question when folks came to Jesus questioning him about tragedies that took the lives of those who were killed in Luke 13:1-5, when they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. The same questions may arise in our minds today regarding tragic car accidents, catastrophic fires and floods, gang related or terrorist violence, the deaths of students or church members killed in the recent shootings, or those this past week who were crushed when the bridge collapsed on top of their cars. What happens when people are randomly killed? Why are people swept to perish in such tragedy? Jesus’ response dealt with the question a totally different way. Luke 13:1–5 13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” We are all going to die. That in itself is tragic. But what is truly tragic is that if we don’t repent of our sins, those who have not repented and accepted Christ, who is the Redeemer from sins, we will eternally perish in hell, and that would be catastrophic. Bad things happen. Don’t let the absolute worst thing happen to you! Bad things happen to good people? Who then is Good? No one but God! (Ps. 14:1,3; 53:1,3) Prepare then, to meet God. The Eternal Perspective We Do Not See God’s perspective of a Child or Person’s early Death from Sickness or Tragedy is not the same as ours. Jeroboam’s Son Dies – God’s Perspective on Age, Goodness and Death 1 Kings 14:1–18 14 At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, 2 and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go, disguise yourself, so you won’t be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam. Then go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there—the one who told me I would be king over this people. 3 Take ten loaves of bread with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.” 4 So Jeroboam’s wife did what he said and went to Ahijah’s house in Shiloh. Now Ahijah could not see; his sight was gone because of his age. 5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and you are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else.” 6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and made you a leader over my people Israel. 8 I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes. 9 You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind your back. 10 “ ‘Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. 11 Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!’ 12 “As for you, go back home. When you set foot in your city, the boy will die. 13 All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will be buried, because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found anything good. 14 “The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Yes, even now. 15 And the Lord will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their forefathers and scatter them beyond the River, because they provoked the Lord to anger by making Asherah poles. 16 And he will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.” 17 Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and left and went to Tirzah. As soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died. 18 They buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, as the Lord had said through his servant the prophet Ahijah. God knew everything about the child and took the child to be with Himself. David had sinned. God was judging him for his sin. Bathsheba’s First Child Dies, and David’s Declaration 2 Samuel 12:15–23 22 He (David) answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Questions 1. Do people who die old, wrinkled, and infirmed with Alzheimer’s, or some other affliction, still stay that way when they get to heaven? 2. Do babies when they die, remain as babies in heaven? What happens to us when we die? 2 Corinthians 5:1–9 5 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. Ecclesiastes 12:7 7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Our spirit goes to God who made us, and our old body goes back to the dust from which it was originally created. Upon Christ’s return, our old bodies will be transformed into our new perfect Resurrection Spiritual Body joined together with our spirit – being caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so be forever with Him. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. What will we look like in heaven? We will look perfect, with perfectly new glorious bodies. (1 Cor. 15:35-54) The Resurrection Body 1 Corinthians 15:35–54 35 But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Why do bad things happen to good people?” None of us are “good,” Only God is good. No one can avoid suffering. Death is no respecter of persons. Everyone will die. The worst thing that can happen is if we reject Christ and perish in hell. The Only Good One, Jesus Christ, Suffered so We Could be Redeemed. All of us will face suffering in this life; how then should we respond to it as a Christian?  Enduring suffering is commendable before God, because you follow Christ’s example… 1 Peter 2:19–24 19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. Do not fear in Suffering, keep a clear conscience, and be prepared to give a reason for your hope… 1 Peter 3:14–18 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, Do not be surprised at suffering, rejoice to participate with Christ in His suffering… 1 Peter 4:12–19 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. The Mysterious River of Life Life is like a huge, unstoppable river -- deep and gentle at first, moving almost imperceptibly, but ever pressing unrelentingly forward. All the souls of the world find themselves confined between its banks. As it flows, those so constrained may gleefully play in the warm and soothing water, calling to one another, splashing each other, fishing quietly, or lazily lying back and drifting to who knows where, under the glowing sun on bright summer days. Sometimes the water passes through murky, polluted discharges, foul with debris and waste, which poison unsuspecting voyagers with virulent sicknesses. Sometimes dark, cold rain clouds cause the drifting masses to huddle together for warmth and protection. Sometimes the unprepared are bombarded with the horrors of war, famine and hideous atrocities. No matter through what circumstances of joy or despair affecting those so destined to be upon this amazing earth, the giant river of life continues to flow. It keeps pressing on, until it becomes more aggressively possessive in its undertow; rushing more determinedly toward its final surge; and then, in a giant rainbow cascade, with frightening speed and violent turbulence, it thrusts all humankind, in unique individual completeness, over its brilliant but terrifying waterfall...into eternity! In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul concludes his treatise on the Coming Resurrection with these verses. “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:56