Why Do Bad Things Happen to Those Jesus Loves? Finding Glory Through the Dark in John 11
The Christian life often brings us face-to-face with one of the most troubling questions in human history: Why do bad things happen?. We frequently hear variations like, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" or perhaps more pointedly for those who follow Christ, "Why do bad things happen to the ones whom Jesus loves?". If Jesus is the sovereign shepherd who reigns over all things and protects his sheep, leading them and ensuring everything arrives at its appointed end, surely he would prevent suffering from reaching those he cherishes.
Yet, bad things do happen.
Discovering the Sovereign Purpose Behind Suffering
The Bible does not leave us in the dark regarding this difficult question. As seen in the powerful narrative of Lazarus in John Chapter 11, the main idea that governs our suffering is revealed: God orchestrates the darkness to magnify his glory.
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The Sovereign Delay: Love, Illness, and Intentional Tension (John 11:1-10)
The story begins in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, focusing on Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. John makes a critical point early on, highlighting that Mary was the one who later anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, an act of great worship that directly results from the events of John 11.
When Lazarus became ill, the sisters sent a message to Jesus. Their appeal centered entirely on the intimacy of their relationship: "Lord, he whom you love is ill". The sisters omitted Lazarus’s name, instead using generalized language—"the one whom you love"—which allows us, the reader, to see ourselves in the same light. In their minds, because Jesus had such great love for Lazarus, he would surely come and prevent the pain.
But Jesus’s response was shocking and counter-intuitive: "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".
Jesus genuinely loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. John highlights this love specifically to set up the incredible tension that follows. What does Jesus do upon hearing the news of the impending death of a loved one? He delays. "So when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was".
This intentional delay raises the question that plagues many believers: Why does God let us suffer for so long?. If we saw a loved one on their deathbed, we would rush to their side, yet Jesus waited. This sovereign delay is designed for a purpose: sometimes, we cannot see the particular glory of the Son because it's not dark enough yet.
Danger and the Completeness of Divine Timing
After two days, Jesus announced his plan to return to Judea. The disciples immediately protested, reminding him that the Jews had recently sought to stone him. Going back was a dangerous journey.
Jesus responds by speaking about the "twelve hours in the day". This is a metaphor for his time on Earth—a period that is full and complete, meaning no one can cut his appointed time short. The application for the disciples, and for us, is profound: because God handles the timing and the glory, we do not have to be ashamed, afraid, or hide.
Jesus then softens the blow of Lazarus’s death by referring to it as sleep: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him". The disciples misunderstood this, thinking Lazarus would recover. Jesus’s use of the term "sleep" highlights the temporary nature of physical death and takes some of the edge off the fear of death. It also magnifies his power, showing that bringing someone back to life is as easy as waking them from slumber.
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The Purpose of Pain: Believing with More Conviction
Only then did Jesus tell them plainly: "Lazarus has died". He follows this statement with a staggering declaration of purpose: "and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe, but let us go to him".
Jesus was glad he wasn't there because the disciples would get to see a particular glory they would not see in any other way. This revelation enables them to believe with more conviction. Through the pain and suffering we experience, we are given a fresh vision of Christ’s glory, allowing us to experience His grace, mercy, and forgiveness in new ways that we would otherwise never see.
This revelation was deemed so valuable that the disciple Thomas, known as the twin, was willing to face the danger, telling his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him". Thomas was willing to go into a dangerous place, even expecting death, in order to see the glory of Christ revealed. This begs the question for us: Is the glory of God enough for you to risk everything, to follow Jesus into the storm or the wilderness?.
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The Confrontation: The Misunderstanding of Mary and Martha
When Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. This four-day duration is significant in Jewish tradition. According to their practices, day four was the point where body decomposition began; the deceased was considered unrevivable. After four days, all hope was lost.
But the story is meant to prove that what is impossible with man is possible with God. Our God is the God of the impossible, meaning no situation we face is impossible for Him.
Both Martha and Mary confront Jesus with the exact same heartbroken statement: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died".
Martha, the woman of action, approached Jesus first. Her statement demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of Christ—the belief that Jesus's primary role is to prevent bad things from happening to those He loves. She believed Jesus should have stopped the death, but she did not expect him to reverse it.
In response, Jesus delivers the critical revelation that stands as the ultimate justification for the delay and the suffering:
"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?".
This revelation of the glory of the Son of God is the reason He delayed. Resurrection requires death. Jesus had to allow Lazarus to die so that He could demonstrate, through experience, that He is the life-giver, conquering eternal death. Martha answered, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who is coming into the world".
Jesus is Deeply Troubled
When Mary arrived, she fell at Jesus's feet, repeating the same questioning phrase as her sister. The Jews who had come to console them were weeping as well. When Jesus saw their collective grief and weeping, he was "deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled".
While Jesus weeps with those who weep, displaying his full humanity, His distress was largely caused by their profound misunderstanding. If they had truly known who He was, their weeping would have turned to joy because the Resurrection and the Life was standing before them. They believed, "If only you had been here, Jesus, then the bad thing would not have happened". They needed a mindset change to understand that suffering was orchestrated to reveal a greater glory.
Even some in the crowd questioned His power: "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?".
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The Glory Revealed: The Power of the Word (John 11:38-44)
Deeply moved again, Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone against it. When Jesus commanded, "Take away the stone," Martha objected once more, citing the odor because Lazarus had been dead for four days. They still did not expect Him to raise Lazarus.
Jesus responded by recalling His promise: "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?". When we suffer, we must look for the revelation and be on the lookout for the glory, because God makes himself known in a special way through difficult times.
The Significance of the Fourth Day
The four-day delay also served another prophetic purpose. Early Christians reading this text would connect the dots: the four days ensured Lazarus had seen corruption. This contrasts with the prophecy in Psalm 16:10, which states God would not let his Holy One see corruption. Because Jesus was raised on the third day, without corruption, while Lazarus was raised on the fourth day, the reader understands that Jesus’s resurrection is even greater, and therefore, His glory is greater.
They took away the stone. Jesus looked up and prayed, but He did not pray because He needed the Father to hear Him. He prayed aloud "on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me". This demonstrates that the power raising Lazarus is the power of the Father, illustrating that Jesus and the Father are one in divine essence.
Then, with a loud voice, Jesus cried out, "Lazarus, come out".
The dead man immediately emerged, hands and feet bound with linen strips. Jesus simply spoke the word, and it was so. This command power is reminiscent of Genesis 1, where God created the universe by speaking. Jesus performed no religious ritual; He merely spoke, and life returned. The resurrection required death, and the sovereign delay orchestrated the death so that Jesus could reveal that He is the resurrection and the life.
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Conclusion: Darkness is a Condition for Beauty
This entire episode teaches us that the darkness is not simply the absence of light. There is a story of a young girl who, looking through a telescope at the night sky, realized that "the darkness is not just the absence of light but a condition for beauty". The most spectacular, brilliant, and profound beauty is waiting to be revealed in moments that only the darkness can provide.
Jesus loves us and wants us to know Him and love Him. He orchestrates the hard times, the valleys, and the suffering because He wants to reveal Himself to us in a way that is only possible in those depths. When we experience the grace of God from the depths of darkness, we rejoice in Him like never before, and His people become more satisfied in Him.
God orchestrates the darkness to magnify his glory in the person of his son so that you may believe with more conviction and love Him with more affection. Remember, because our God is the God of the impossible, your situation, no matter how hopeless or painful it seems, is not impossible. Look for the revelation; look for His glory.