Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Introduction

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Have you ever gotten a text like this? Maybe not from Satan… but you probably have been asked the question, “Why would God let that happen?”

Just before 8:30am on August 27, 2025, a shooter opened fire on a group of school children and others that were in the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. As a result, 2 children lost their lives and 18 others were injured. It is a horrible thing to imagine, someone with so much hatred in their hearts would have desires to commit an atrocity like this upon little children. What did the children do to deserve this? Why would God let that happen?

In the early morning hours of July 4, 2025, the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas experienced catastrophic flash flooding. The water level rose 26 feet in less than an hour. Twenty-seven campers and counselors from Camp Mystic perished in the floods, and around the region, 135 others lost their lives. Why would God let that happen?

This question is one that has been asked for a very long time. We could rephrase that question into another one that is very common, and for the purpose of today’s service, we will, and that question is,

“Why Do Bad Things Happen?”

Continuing in our series The Way, the Truth, and the Life, we are going to see Jesus’ response to a terrible tragedy, and biblical principles that deal with this as well.

A student once asked his teacher, “Teacher, why is it that when I ask you a question, you always reply by asking me another question? It’s terribly frustrating!” The teacher looked at his student intently and said, “Why shouldn’t I? Doesn’t it help you learn?”

As Jesus continued His ministry, He begins to make His way to Jerusalem once again. And on His way, He encounters situations and questions that needed to be answered.

An old German proverb says that to question a wise man is the beginning of wisdom, and though not everyone that asked Jesus questions was looking for wisdom, this did not stop the Lord from teaching them what they needed to know.

As we continue on our journey of studying Jesus through the Gospels, we find ourselves in Luke 13. Today, our passage is short. it is just 5 verses, so we are going to go ahead and read all five verses, and I’ll ask you to follow along as I read them. Luke 13:1-5

Luke 13:1–5 KJV 1900

1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Let’s look back at the first verse and analyze it. Luke 13:1

Luke 13:1 KJV 1900

1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor over the region of Judea, where Jerusalem sat. He was very insensitive to the Jews and to their religious convictions. For example, on one occasion he brought the Roman ensigns bearing Caesar’s image into Jerusalem. The Jews, naturally, resented having those in their Holy City and began protesting in the streets. Pilate threatened to have the protesters killed, and they, in turn, were willing to die. So instead, Pilate removed the ensigns and had them posted in Caesarea.

Here in this verse that we just read, there is an incident in which Pilate had Galileans, Jews from the region of Galilea, killed. Looking at various commentaries, this could have referenced a couple of different things that happened in Jerusalem under Pilate.

Pilate is recorded as having appropriated money from the temple to help finance an aqueduct. A large crowd of angry Jews gathered to protest, so Pilate had Roman soldiers dress as civilians and mingle with the mob. Using concealed weapons, the soldiers began to kill a number of innocent and unarmed Jews.

There is another occasion in which Galilean Jews were travelling to the city of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, and Pilate, thinking them a mob of people that were coming to start an insurrection in Jerusalem, had them killed, therefore, mingling their blood with their sacrifices.

Whatever the case, Pilate had had a hand multiple slaughters involving the Jews, and one of these instances is brought op to Jesus.

A Political Question about Justice

I will remind you that Jesus has spoken about justice several times up to now, and so this does not seem to be something that is totally out of the blue. But this question was potentially dangerous. We know well that the Pharisees, Scribes, and other religious leaders are purposefully seeking ways in which to kill Jesus.

Since Jesus is making His way to Jerusalem, the seat of Judea, His response could either get Him in hot water with the Romans, particularly Pilate, or discredit Him with the Jews. Either result would have been desirable for those seeking to kill Jesus.

See, Jesus’ only options were to say that the Galileans that were slaughtered deserved it, or did not deserve it. If He says that they did not deserve it, then they can go and tell Pilate that Jesus is coming to Jerusalem, and He’s speaking bad about you. You better do something about him before he starts another riot. At this time, Pilate was on thin ice with the Roman government because of all the protesting that had happened during his tenure and for the way he was dealing with them. So Pilate may be tempted to arrest Jesus and even put Him to death the moment He set foot in Judea.

But If Jesus said that the Galileans that were slaughtered deserved to die, then Jesus would lose credibility with the Jews.

But as we read awhile ago, Jesus did not respond in either of these ways.

Instead, Jesus moves this issue to a higher level and completely avoids the political realm, and answers their question with questions of His own.

And you may notice that the question that He is answering is not one that was really asked, but Jesus here is addressing a question that needs to be answered.

Why Do Bad Things Happen?

The Jews ascribed extraordinary misfortune to extraordinary sinfulness. Sacrifice was meant to cleanse that guilt. So an event such as this where people are intending to sacrifice for sin, but are killed in the process is such a tragedy even beyond the tragic loss of life.

But the common interpretation of this event was a mistaken one.

It is true that these Galileans suffered because of sin, but it is not true, necessarily, that they were being punished for their unusual sinfulness. So if it was not a punishment for sin, then how did sin make them suffer? Well, in the same way that all humanity suffers, and even all creation suffers - suffering of any kind is because of the condition of sin that exists in our world and in people.

Let’s look at Jesus’ answer and break it down.

Luke 13:2 KJV 1900

2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

I always thing it is the neatest thing when Jesus knows the exact thoughts of people. He confronts them with their common belief, “Do you suppose that these Galileans’ sins were worse than the rest of the sins of the people of Galilea, and that is why they suffered this way?”

If we were to hear the answer of those following Jesus, we may hear something along the lines of, “Yeah, probably. Otherwise, why would they suffer like that?”

Look at the next verse though. Luke 13:3-5

Luke 13:3–5 KJV 1900

3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? [We do not have biblical or extra-biblical references to this particular tragedy, but as opposed to the other tragedy mentioned, this one did not kill Galileans, it killed inhabitants of Judea, specifically Jerusalem. Did it mean that these particular Jews were worse sinners than all of the other inhabitants of Jerusalem?] 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Of course not.

Jesus’ answer tell us a few things. Firstly, it negates the common assumptions that people in that day, and even people now, make about suffering.

Jesus’ teaching shows us that

Suffering is not proportional to sinfulness - if this were true, then Jesus would have been the most sinful among us, but He is perfect. Jesus told His disciples that we would suffer for following Him.

Tragedy is not a sign of God’s judgment - It was tragic that the majority of the apostles were martyred, but it was not God ‘s judgment on them

Bad things don’t just happen to bad people - Bad things happen to good people and bad people alike. Good people is a misnomer, as “there is none righteous, no, not one.”

We have no right to make those judgments

When we read of tragedy in the news, we need to resist the temptation to judge and assign guilt to the victims. We remember from our studies in the Sermon on the Mount that we are not the final judges of anything. So what should our reaction to tragedy be?

It is a time for self examination and a time to look at the depth of God’s grace.

I think one of the many reasons that God allows bad things to happen is to teach us about His grace. Even Jesus was pointing to grace as He spoke about the tragedies in Luke 13.

Notice once again Luke 13:5

Luke 13:5 KJV 1900

5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

And looking at that verse, you might say, “That sounds like condemnation, not grace.” But it is absolutely grace, because everyone that heard those words had the opportunity right there to repent.

This morning I want to take the next few moments to talk about bad things happening being an avenue to experiencing God’s grace.

Grace for the Lost

In difficult times and tragic moments, many will point out God’s wrath and judgment. And though we must take into consideration that God does hate sin and does judge sin upon this earth with finality, those left behind are recipients of God’s grace on a daily basis.

Every breath that is given to man is an act of grace, because we are all sinners. The Bible tells us that we’ve all sinned and do not measure up to God’s standard of perfection. Sin deserves a punishment and that punishment is separation from God eternally in a lake of fire. But, the Bible says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

There are times when God allows and even orchestrates tragedies to happen. We see it all throughout the Bible. From the perspective that we have, we can often see the reasoning as well. So often, in these tragic times, God showed His grace to many, many people.

Right now we are talking about God’s grace for the lost after tragic moments strike, and there are two points I want to make.

The first is that tragedy almost always causes people to ask why?

God’s Grace Causes Man to Ask “Why?”

You may be of exact opposite opinion. You may think that it is only a handful of people that will look to the Lord for answers, and though it may be true that only a handful will specifically ask God this question, many will ask the question, "Why?"

Understand this: that in all creation, humans are the only ones that ask this question. I was watching on the Discovery Channel a while back, a documentary following a group polar bears. One polar bear had been left behind when his group had traveled to a different location at the end of spring. Many of you may know that a polar bear’s main source of food is seal meat. A polar bear needs to eat throughout the winter approximately 40 seals to build up enough fat reserves for when the ice melts during the spring and summer and the seals migrate away. It is during this time, that the particular group of polar bears covered in this documentary also migrate to group of islands in the Hudson Bay. There was one particular bear, however that was left behind by his group. This normally would have spelled disaster for the lone polar bear, but he caught a break.

He found an aggregate of walruses (herd of walruses). Polar bears are one of only two common predators of the walrus, however, walruses are formidable foes for the bears, and rarely is there an all out fight between the walrus and a polar bear. Having unsuccessfully attempted that earlier, the polar bear waits until the aggregate is beached and resting on some rocks. The documentary showed that this bear approached from downwind, surprised the herd, and was able to take a walrus calf for its dinner. The whole herd, or aggregate, simply slid off the rocks and into the safety of the water, except for one: the momma walrus.

She approached the polar bear with maternal instincts to protect her offspring, but with one swipe of his enormous paw, the polar bear convinced the momma walrus to go into the water and join the rest of the herd. This particular polar bear had successfully procured dinner and would follow this group of walruses for the rest of the season, picking off the young as he got hungry.

Inevitably, when I watch shows like this, a part of me is glad that the polar bear is not going to go hungry and die of starvation, but a part of me is sad for the momma walrus that lost her calf. But do you know what I did not see in this documentary or in any other such nature documentary? I do not see walruses looking up to the heavens asking and crying, "Why?! Why did this have to happen to me?" In fact, when that polar bear attacked the walruses, I just knew that the bear was going to be history. Walruses are formidable enemies of polar bears, and a group comprised of hundreds of walruses would have been more than enough to take him down without the walruses suffering any losses. But it is their instinct to flee. Even the mother's instinct for survival was stronger than the instinct to protect her young. The walruses continued with their life and their routine, really without skipping a beat.

But man's "instinct," if you will, is to ask “why?” And in allowing man to ask this question, it is a show of God's grace amidst tragedy. For many would never ask this question, many would never even acknowledge God or seek to know who He is without tragedy first pushing him to ask the question, "why?"

For to ask this question, is to seek to know God's thoughts and His reasonings. And if mankind will truly seek the Lord, He may not give the exact answer to the why's of life, but God will certainly begin to reveal Himself to the man that seeks after Him.

It is God's grace that compels man to seek answers only He can provide. Romans 1:19-20 tells us that man has a knowledge of God in his conscience and through nature. Tragic events like this cause the conscience of man to ask "Why, God," or "Why would God..." when perhaps in a world without tragedy, he would never ask.

Secondly,

God’s Grace Causes Man to Evaluate Life

I’ve mentioned it before, but for three and a half years I worked at a funeral home. I talked to so many people that had lost loved ones. I preached about 60 - 70 funerals in that time period. At many of these funerals I was able to speak to friends and family members of the deceased. One of the questions I got the most from people who did not have a personal relationship with God was “Why would God allow this to happen?” This question often came from loved ones of someone who had died young.

Everyone expects to live to a ripe, old age and to die of natural causes brought on by the complications of aging. But if there is one thing that reminds us that there is no predicting death it is the tragic and unexpected death of a healthy, young person.

In these situations, we naturally begin to prioritize things in our minds. We adjust practices to reflect our new priorities that are now based on lasting importance instead of fleeting pleasure. It is in times like this that many a wayward son or daughter may call a parent and make things right. It is in times like this that many a workaholic parent or spouse may once again put family back in the top slot.

It is in occasions like this that a husband may realize his life could have ended and that unimportant argument with his wife before leaving for work may not be the last thing he wants to be remembered by.

And it is at this point people often ask the important questions about life: Why am I here? What is the point of life? Is there more to life than my routine?

No animal asks this question, they instinctively act upon, as a Disney movie once famously put it, "the circle of life." But that is not man's circle, for no man will ever be satisfied with the circle of “Live, Get, Spend, and Die.” No man will ever be satisfied with the philosophy that "He who has the most at the end of his life, wins." No man will ever be satisfied with the practice of "get all you can, and can all you get." The ultimate end of this is a reflection such as Solomon had in Ecclesiastes 1:2-3.

Ecclesiastes 1:2–3 KJV 1900

2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

And it is tragedy, and God's grace amidst the tragedy, that will have man reflect on these things before the end of his life.

Grace for the Believer

In difficult times, in times when we cannot understand the mind of God, in tragic times there is grace also for the believer.

God’s Grace Reminds Us That He Is in Control

Once again, we may never know exact why, and I would venture to say that the infinite mind of God has many reasons He allows things like this to happen, but we can be for certain that God is in control. Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 KJV 1900

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

tells us that we KNOW that ALL things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose. And who is the one working these things? It is God in all of His sovereignty. What people, what the world, what even Satan will intend to use for evil, God can and does use for God in the lives of those that follow Him. We get that truth directly from the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis.

What his brothers, his own flesh and blood, what they did to him was meant for evil. They fully expected Joseph to die a slave. But what did God do? He used difficulty after difficulty, unfairness after unfairness, tragedy after tragedy to turn Joseph into the savior of nations.

God works things together for good to those that love Him ad are called according to His purpose.

And what is His purpose? To make us more like His Son.

God’s Grace Causes Christians to Evaluate Our Spiritual Walk

God’s grace in tragic situations often serves as a reminder that we need to evaluate our spiritual walk.

So many times it takes a tragedy to wake up Christians or to redirect Christians. We often fall away from God's will and direction of God, and He has every right to strike us down the moment we do. More often, however, He lovingly disciplines us, He allows us to go through hard times to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes, God allows tragedy in our lives, not for the purpose of discipline, but for the purpose of testing us, molding us, and guiding us, ultimately to be more and more like His Son. For it is in tragedy that we, too, as Christians change our perspective to God's.

Have you not thought, "Of the 135 people that died because of the events on July 4th, how many of those souls are in hell?" Have you not thought, "If something were to happen here like that, how many of my friends, family, and neighbors would be in hell?"

God’s Grace Demands a Response

These things that God’s grace allows us to see demand a response. We aren’t just to think about these things. We are not just to contemplate. The reason God shows His grace to us is so that we will respond.

How Should Believers Respond?

As believers, we have two choices to make in responding to God's grace in times of tragedy. We can deny it, or we can receive it. Receiving God's grace implies that at these times we trust the Lord and accept that He has all things under control. That He is seeking our good; He is seeking to make us more like His Son. And to understand that He sees the whole picture where we do not.

On Wednesday nights we are studying the book of Habakkuk. It’s only 3 chapters long, but in it we have a conversation between Habakkuk and God, and Habakkuk does not understand why God is about to do what he considers a great calamity, a great tragedy - God is not only allowing, but ordaining the wicked empire of Babylon to conquer and judge the kingdom of Judah. But in the end, Habakkuk realizes that even though everything seems lost and even though he cannot understand all the ‘whys’ behind what God is doing, he is still going to rejoice and praise God, because God, ultimately, has the final say and is always in control. He has a purpose even though we may not see it.

How Should the Lost Respond?

Most people that are lost and without Jesus will not seek to know God in the midst of tragedy, but will be blinded to God’s grace. This will often result in bitterness toward God.

They will hate God for allowing such things to happen, not seeing that God has spared their life so that they may once again have the chance to put a shaking fist down and instead, bow a repentant and broken hearted knee. The response desired by God is that mankind will seek Him as a refuge and a savior.

This is where we, as sons and daughters of God, step in. Many times after a tragedy like these, there will be conversations in the workplace. If you open your ears to those around you, you may hear the question, "Why would God allow something like this?"

Are you prepared to extend God's grace? Are you prepared to show God’s grace? Will I become like those that can only spout out how God hates sin so much that he uses tragedies, deaths, and cataclysmic events such as hurricanes and the like to punish this world for sin. Though the Bible indicates that this is often true, we must take the opportunity to explain that though all this is brought on by sin, God still shows grace through it all.

It may not even be a tragic event, though. It may just be a hard time. It may be the oh, so common struggle to make ends meet that opens the door for you to speak of God’s grace.

Invitation

When Satan uses tragedy and difficulties to ask the accusatory question, “Why would God let THAT happen??” Use it as an opportunity to for good - an opportunity to point someone to the grace of God.

In a moment I am going to ask everyone to bow their heads and close their eyes, but not yet. In a moment I want to ask you something, the most important question that you’ll ever be asked. “Do you know for sure that you have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ?”

Before I do that, I want to explain something.

Of all the tragic events that have taken place in the world, there is none more tragic that the very first, when sin entered the world. What is sin? Sin is the transgression of God’s moral law. It is disobedience in the things that we do, say, or think, and even in the attitudes that we adopt. Sin is everything that goes against holy and perfect God and that displeases Him.

The Bible clearly tells us that when sin entered this world through Adam, that death entered in. Death affects all mankind because all men have sinned, the Bible is very clear on this, but even if it weren’t, our conscious cannot deny that we sin. Romans 3:23 “23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

God is a completely righteous God, and He is a just God - a God of justice. This is a legal term. God has a law, and since God is righteous and just, He cannot break His own laws. God’s law demands a payment and punishment for sin. Romans 6:23a “23 For the wages of sin is death…”

This death is not just a physical death, but Revelation tells us of a second death, and that is spending an eternity in a lake of fire.

Blood is required to pay for sin. Hebrews 9:22 “22 And almost all things are by the law purged [purified, cleansed] with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission [no forgiveness of sins].” But the blood that is required is perfect blood. And I don’t have it, and neither do you.

If I were to die for my sins, I would spend eternity paying for it because my blood is not good enough to ever pay it, much less to pay for others. If you die in your sins without God’s forgiveness, you will spend eternity in a lake of fire never being able to complete the payment for your sins, much less for the sins of any others. You blood and my blood is not an acceptable offering because it is tainted, corrupted by sin.

However, God did make a way for us to receive that remission, that forgiveness, and that is through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

How is God able to offer this forgiveness through Jesus?

Well, because like John 3:16 says, He sent His Son so that those that believe in Him could have eternal life, not eternal death.

Jesus came to this world, God in the flesh. While on this world, He was tempted to sin, but never did sin, because He is God and cannot sin. He taught about repentance, turning from sin and believing in Him for salvation, but these teachings did not go over well.

So Jesus, the Son of God, God in the flesh, was arrested. He was taken before the Roman authorities and they demanded that He be crucified.

And Jesus died on a cross, but He did it on purpose. This was Jesus’ mission. It was to die on a cross, to shed His blood, to take upon Himself all of the wrath of the Father against sin, so that you and I would not have to suffer God’s wrath eternally.

And there on the cross, after hanging there for about 6 hours, suffering physically and spiritually for you and me and for the sins of the world, Jesus victoriously declared, “It is finished,” and hung His head and died.

The payment for sin was complete.

To prove that all he had taught was truth, to prove that He actually is God in the flesh sent to earth to redeem man from sin, Jesus rose from the dead as He had said that He would.

It is because of this that He offers to us a gift- the gift of salvation. You don’t have to work for it, you don’t have to pay for it, you don’t have to try to earn it. It is a gift.

But you must receive it. Only those that receive it can have forgiveness of their sins and a personal relationship with God.

So how is this done?

By realizing that you cannot save yourself. Jesus said that He was the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man can come to the Father except through Him. You must believe Jesus and what the Bible says about Him - that He is God and that he died and rose again to pay for your sins.

Then you must ask forgiveness from Him, and ask Him to save you. It must come from the heart. It must be done in faith, fully trusting only Him to save you.

And when you do, Jesus promises that all those that call upon His name shall be saved.

I am going to ask you to bow your heads now. In a moment, I’ll ask the question, and I am going to ask you to raise your hand. I am not going to embarrass you or call you out, that’s why I don’t want anyone else looking. But I do want to know how to pray for you privately.

So here it is.

Do you know for sure that you have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ? Are you sure you have forgiveness of your sins through faith in the Son of God? If you do, would you raise your hand confidently. You can put them down.

My next question is this.

If you are not sure about your salvation and forgiveness of sins, but you would like to be, would you raise your hand?

Question for believers:

Are you letting God’s grace speak to you during tragedy and difficulties or are you raising your fist at Him?

Are you surrendering to His omniscient sovereignty, or are you becoming accusatory and bitter toward Him?

Is there anyone here that would say, “Mike, I needed that message today, God spoke to my heart about how I need to respond to events and difficulties in my life.”

If anyone needs to talk, please see me after the service.

If God has touched your heart about anything, would you please deal with Him as we pray to close this invitation.

Home Groups

What, if anything, stood out to you from the sermon? Are there any questions or concerns?

Warm Up Questions

1. Why do you think tragedies sometimes bring people together instead of pushing them apart?

2. If you could ask God one “why” question, what would it be?

Scripture Focus

3. According to Jesus, were those people that suffered the tragedies in Luke 13 worse sinners than others? What does that teach us about suffering and sin?

4. What wrong ideas about suffering do people sometimes believe today, similar to the ones Jesus corrected here?

Heart Focus

5. How do you personally respond when you see tragedy or hear bad news?

6. What does it mean to you that asking “Why?” can actually be part of God’s grace?

7. Has God ever used a painful or confusing season in your life to draw you closer to Him? Would you feel comfortable sharing?

8. What fears or doubts about suffering do you sometimes wrestle with?

Life Application

9. How could you show God’s grace to someone who is angry at God after a loss?

10. If someone asked you, “Why would God let this happen?”—what could you say that would point them toward hope?

11. In your own life right now, is there an area where you need to trust God’s control instead of demanding an explanation?