[Jesus] sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” 

- Luke 9:21-22

And all were astounded at the greatness of God. While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was concealed from them, so that they could not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask him about this saying. 

- Luke 9:43-45

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” 

- Luke 13:31-35

Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; and he will be mocked and insulted and spat upon. After they have flogged him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise again.” But they understood nothing about all these things; in fact, what he said was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

- Luke 18:31-34

Last week we discussed the balance between God’s will and our free will. The conversation above between Jesus and some religious leaders underscores the tension between the two. Jesus explains how He longs to minister to the religious leaders and their followers, but the leaders are not willing, so their followers fail to hear Jesus’s message. Jesus longs for a certain result, He wants it for their good, He understands what is at stake, but He respects their free will.

In his gospel, Luke records three times Jesus clearly explained in advance that He would be killed. On two of the occasions, Jesus explained that He would rise again on the third day. But His listeners did not understand.

Hundreds of years earlier, prophets foretold the events, and things happened the way they were described Scripture. On the evening of the Last Supper, shortly before He was arrested, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want” (Matthew 26:39). Later that evening, as guards were arresting Him, Jesus once again explained, “But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” (Matthew 26:56).  

According to Scripture, Jesus’s arrest, torture and crucifixion accomplished God’s will. Jesus’s death and resurrection are fundamental to our faith; yet, it is disturbing to consider that God accomplished His will by allowing horrific acts of evil – Judas’s betrayal was evil, the Sanhedrin’s hate-filled schemes were evil, His friends’ desertion was evil, Pilate sentencing an innocent man to die was evil, the soldiers’ brutality was evil. God allowed evil, He allowed His Son to suffer in awful ways, all to carry out His greater plan. Through the pain, through the agony, through the suffering, God revealed His glory and forever changed the world, but it doesn’t feel quite right for God to allow evil and then, depending on our perspective, either use the results of evil to accomplish His plan or accomplish His plan through the evil.  

Scripture records other occasions when God allowed evil and revealed His glory through it. As two examples, God allowed Joseph to be sold into slavery (see Genesis 37:28) and Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem and carry God’s chosen people to Babylon as slaves (see 2 Kings 25:8-12) – great acts of evil – all to accomplish His greater plan. As Joseph explained to his brothers, what they intended for evil God intended for good (see Genesis 50:20). God allowed evil and He took it and created good out of it and through it.  

As my wife, Lori, suffered from an evil illness and the harmful effects of her treatment protocol, God revealed His glory time and time again through it all. We know that God is sovereign, He has all power and authority in heaven and on earth, He can do everything. We know that He loves us and hears our prayers and He responds; yet He sometimes allows us to suffer, He sometimes allows evil, and He respects our free will. We know many events of Passion Week were evil; yet, God used them to accomplish His purposes and to reveal His glory. God is good. He is the standard by which good and evil are delineated. He is incapable of evil; yet, He allows free will, at times He allows evil to proceed unabated, and He regularly reveals His glory out of or through evil. Lori’s pain and suffering and exhaustion and the general awfulness of her physical condition were evil, and God revealed His glory through them every step along her path to recovery and she is now positioned to serve God in ways she never could have accomplished before.

This causes me to consider those whose physical condition does not improve, but whom God allows to suffer until He calls them home. Sometimes terminology analogous to competition is used with respect to cancer. I have heard people described as battling the disease, cancer survivors, people who beat cancer, or people who lost to cancer, as if physical health is the ultimate victory. But we know relationship with Jesus Christ is the ultimate victory. Like Jesus during Passion Week, if we grow closer to God through our suffering, if we allow God to reveal His glory through us as we suffer, if we grow in Christ Jesus, continuing to take on His likeness, that is victory, and if He calls us home before cleansing our physical body, it is still victory.

We trust that God is truly sovereign, that He truly has all power and authority, that He loves us, that He is good, that He hears our prayers, that He responds to our prayers, and that we will do greater things than Jesus did on earth because He is with the Father in heaven (see John 14:12). Whatever you are experiencing, it is not too big for God. Seek Him. Praise Him. Surrender to Him. Grow closer to Him through your pain, suffering and grief. We offer ourselves as holy, living sacrifices to God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit. Allow the holy, divine Creator of all things, the Author of life to accomplish His will in you and through you.