Why do bad things happen to good people? It is a question all of us ask from time to time. Some of Jesus' listeners asked him this same question. They brought up two stories. Firstly, there was an incident where Pilate slaughtered a group of Galileans who were in the temple so that their blood mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Then there was the news of an incident in which 18 people died in Siloam in the southern part of Jerusalem when a tower collapsed.
There was a commonly held view at the time of Jesus, that if something like the slaughter in the temple happened, or the collapse of the tower happened, those who died deserved what they got. They clearly were sinners otherwise they would have been spared. But Jesus challenges this belief.
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! Luke 13: 2 - 5
Jesus consistently condemned the notion that human tragedy is punishment for sin. In the Sermon on the Mount he established this sacred principle once and for all:
"[God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." Matthew 5:45
In other words, God does not reward us according to our virtues or punish us for our transgressions. There are some things in this world that just happen as a consequence of the physical laws which govern this universe. And sometimes they happen to the best of people. Some things just happen. Somebody was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some things in life we cannot control.
But we want to control them and that is what superstition is all about. We carry around a rabbit's foot or hang a horseshoe or consult a horoscope to try and control that small area of life that is unknowable and uncontrollable.
“I’m carving my name on a bullet sir. You know how they say that somewhere there's a bullet with your name on it? Well I thought that if I owned the bullet with my name on it, I'll never get hit by it. Cause I'll never shoot myself...”
When we attempt to control our fate by the use of a charm or a ritual or trust in fate or the stars or whatever, this is superstition. Most superstitions are harmless. Sometimes, if they give us confidence, they can even be helpful. Many sportsmen (and I suspect it is men!) have certain "lucky" pre match rituals. If Wales' number 10 Dan Biggar has to do his strange pre kicking ritual so what if he scores the penalty? If that helps them then that isn't a problem.
However, when Christians use superstitions as a substitute for helping ourselves or trusting God, they can be destructive. We need to understand the difference between superstition and authentic Christian faith.
Superstition is an attempt to manipulate that part of our lives that are beyond our control. If I carry a rabbit's foot with me, I am trying to control my luck. I may do this as a substitute for hard work. What poorly prepared student has not hoped that a particular topic will come up in an exam as they’ve not prepared as well as they should? “Fingers crossed!” That is superstition trying to control the uncontrollable.
Authentic Christian faith is something else. Christian faith, when at its best, is not an attempt to use God, but a willingness to surrender control of our lives to God.
Analyse your prayers sometime. Many of us use our prayers to manipulate God. We want Him to adjust the weather to our liking. Or to change our boss' attitude or to help us win the lottery. We try to advise God as to what we think is best for us. Rather than trusting that He in His omnipotence and omniscience knows best, we seek to guide Him, to control Him, to use Him.
It is the rare Christian who has the spiritual maturity to truly pray, "Not my will, but yours be done."
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