THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT C

[cappie]

Does God cause suffering; and is suffering a form of Divine punishment?

In his short book, entitled The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis considers these questions and has this to say: “The existence of suffering in a world created by a good and almighty God… is a fundamental theological dilemma and perhaps the most serious objection to the Christian religion.” For 2,000 years, preachers and scholars alike have searched for a reasonable, logical, and erudite answer for the problem of suffering in Christian theology. From Augustine to Thomas Aquinas, to more contemporary theologians, much ink has been spilled attempting to offer a hypothesis for the problem of suffering—and each time, comes up short.

Even so, amidst all of its snares and dangers, to those who have been battered and bruised by the changes and chances of this life, Luke 13 offers an important word of nourishment.

The context of the passage is this: Word reaches Jesus that Pilate has made a religious sacrifice to the Emperor and as a part of that burnt sacrifice, he slaughtered a gathering of Galilean Jews and placed their remains on the sacrificial pyre. And as if that is not horrifying enough, at the same time that Jesus hears of Pilate’s treachery, news arrives that a tower in Siloam has fallen, crushing eighteen people.

The crowd who relayed this horrible news to Jesus has the same question that has echoed throughout Christendom for 2,000 years: “Why did this tragedy happen to these people?”

We’ve heard this question asked before elsewhere in Scripture: The Gospel of John asks the same question in a different way, as Jesus is asked about a man born blind: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents?”

Even today, it is difficult to pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without encountering vivid and often excruciating details of the latest tragedy that has befallen innocent victims. We think today especially of Ukraine

 And so, things from as simple as a paint scrape on a new car to suffering as profound and heart-wrenching as a divorce or an ominous diagnosis, or even the death of a loved one, can cause us to ask the question, “What did I do to deserve this?”

But as the crowd asks Jesus the question of who or what is to blame for these tragedies, Jesus cannot be clearer: Those who died were no better or worse than we are. Rather, Jesus says, we have all made mistakes and lost sight of God’s will for our lives, and we are all sinners.

What’s more, Jesus reminds us that sin itself can cause us to suffer. There is no question that Pilate’s murderous deeds—as well as the horrific actions perpetrated by today’s tyrants—are sinful. And sin has consequences.

Destructive behaviours, violence, the lust for power, and the quest for vengeance and retribution lead to much suffering in the world. The Church is called to speak out in opposition to these forms of suffering, and to do all in its power to combat them.

But with all of that said, what sense can be made of the parable of the fig tree? Why does Jesus tell that particular parable, and why does he do it here?

 Humans, both ancient and modern, hold “fairness” as an important value.  This concept of fairness is at play in the parable of the fig tree. The landowner says what most of us have come to believe about fairness: “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still, I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” In other words, it hasn’t lived up to its potential, so it has to go. 

But the gardener proclaims another possibility: “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”

Perhaps this parable is a reminder that God operates, not on our conventional conceptions of fairness and causes and effects; but rather, God operates on contrarian wisdom—patience, faithful tending, and hopeful expectation. Rather than certainty; rather than providing a recipe for putting an end to human suffering; rather than offering a panacea that would make the world turn on blissful peace and harmony, Luke 13 offers a word of good hope: God is still tending the garden.

God is still working in and through God’s people to bring light and life, love, and peace to a broken and sinful world.

And in that, there is indeed hope for us all.