Booger McLovin

I hear it often: “Why didn’t God end suffering? Why didn’t God take away death? Why didn’t God save that child from the flood?” These are not light questions, and they weigh on both unbelievers and believers alike.

The Mystery of Suffering

Evil and suffering remain one of the deepest mysteries of existence. Yet Scripture gives us a lens to understand. Without hardship, there would be no perseverance, no choice to cling to life, no call to courage. The apostle Paul wrote, “And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope” (Romans 5:3–4).

Choosing life requires struggle: finding food, shelter, companionship, and family. It means forging friendships that strengthen survival. Remove all of this, and life becomes dull, empty, and directionless. Solomon wrote, “The soul of the lazy one craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is made prosperous” (Proverbs 13:4). Struggle shapes diligence, and diligence bears fruit.

When societies move toward effortless living, they begin to collapse. Fertility rates in places like Japan, South Korea, and even cosmopolitan America reveal that comfort without purpose leads to extinction. Scripture warns us of this decay: “But she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives” (1 Timothy 5:6).

The Example of Judas

We live in a fallen world, and it has always been so. Consider Judas. Unlike the other disciples who confessed Jesus as Lord, Judas addressed Him only as Rabbi. Matthew records, “Now the one who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the one; arrest Him.’ … And immediately Judas went up to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed Him” (Matthew 26:48–49).

Judas likely believed Jesus was the Messiah, but he expected the wrong kind of Messiah. Like many rabbis of his day, Judas thought Christ would overthrow Rome, crush suffering, and bring heaven to earth in one decisive act. He betrayed Jesus perhaps thinking that the arrest would force Him to rise up in power and conquer.

But Judas misunderstood the prophecies. Isaiah had spoken of a Messiah who would be “pierced for our offenses, crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Only after this suffering servant comes the conquering King: “The Lord will be king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one” (Zechariah 14:9).

Why So Much Suffering?

You might say, “If you are right about why suffering must exist, then why so much suffering?” Good question, one I cannot answer with full confidence. I can only assume that God, who knows all things, knew exactly how much was required and has only allowed what serves His perfect plan. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Job faced this same question. When he asked why, God answered not with an explanation but with His majesty. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:4). God does not always tell us why, but He assures us that His wisdom is beyond measure.

The Mistake of Judas Repeated Today

Many atheists, agnostics, and even rabbis make the same mistake Judas made. They demand that if Jesus were truly the Messiah, He should have ended evil and suffering at His first coming. Yet Scripture teaches otherwise. Jesus Himself said, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The first coming was to deal with sin. The second coming will deal with suffering and death once and for all.

Meanwhile, the Word has gone out to all nations, just as the prophets foretold: “I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). Jesus confirmed this in His command: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).

We are now in a period of judgment. Romans 1 describes this plainly: “Therefore God gave them up to vile impurity in the lusts of their hearts… For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions… And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). What we see in the West, and increasingly across the globe, is not God abandoning man, but man abandoning God.

Signs of Revival

Yet there is hope. Even as judgment unfolds, a great revival is stirring. Young men and women not raised in the church are being drawn to Christ. The prophet Joel foresaw this: “And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will have dreams, your young men will see visions” (Joel 2:28).

Church attendance is rising in surprising demographics, and testimonies pour in from the Middle East and Asia where faith in Christ spreads against all odds. Jesus promised, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). What we are witnessing may be part of this fulfillment.

The Real Question

The real question is not why does suffering exist, but what will you do with it? Judas saw Jesus only as a teacher and stumbled. Peter saw Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and was restored even after failing. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Suffering is not the final word. Christ is. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). One day, every tear will be wiped away: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

The question remains. Judas stumbled because he would not call Jesus Lord. Will you?