Being Sick is Terrible

Luke 24:25-26, John 16:33, Romans 8:28

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Being sick is terrible. You don’t feel right. You don’t feel yourself. And maybe you can experience certain things that are difficult and painful while being sick. I think especially if things like a high fever or like throwing up, those are just miserable to have to endure those things. And yet it’s interesting to note that doctors say that a high fever and even throwing up can at times be good for our body.

That fever will actually cause our body or help our body to overcome the sickness, and throwing up can actually expel whatever’s causing the problem to get out of our stomach and get out of our system. It’s interesting to think about those things as terrible as they are to go through that they actually can be beneficial, ultimately, good for us.

In Luke, chapter 24, we hear about two men, two disciples of Jesus, who are walking along the road to a small town called Emmaus on Easter afternoon. As they’re walking along, they’re in distress. In distress about everything they had recently witnessed in Jerusalem, everything that had happened to Jesus. You see, these two men believe that Jesus was the Messiah who was to come the Savior of God’s people. And yet they wondered how could he be? After all, he had been handed over and crucified. So how could he possibly be the Messiah if he’s dead?

But then there is also rumors about the tomb being empty that day and possibly even some suggesting Jesus rose from the dead. They really didn’t know what to think. While they’re walking along the path that day another man starts walking with them and he begins to ask them what they’re talking about and they explain it all to him. After listening for a while, he responds in this way.

How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory? (Luke 24:25-26)

The man, of course, was Jesus. Jesus appeared very much so alive to them on that road to Emmaus, and Jesus wants to show them something that they shouldn’t discredit Jesus and say that He couldn’t possibly be the Messiah, but instead to show them that’s exactly what the Bible said. The Bible said that the Messiah would have to suffer many things and that He would ultimately be glorified. We know why Jesus had to suffer and die on the cross. He went to the cross to do the very thing those men were concerned about to redeem Israel, to buy men back from their sins. He went to the cross to suffer punishment. Yes. To suffer a horrible, miserable death. To pay for our sins. And to grant eternal salvation to all who believe.

Now for us as Christians, sometimes in this world, we experience great trouble. We can be in much distress over all of the bad things that happen. Maybe we can wonder at times why are these things happening? If I’m a Christian, shouldn’t life be a little bit easier for me? But here, too, Jesus tells us in John 16,

In this world you are going to have trouble. But be courageous! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

You see, Jesus foretells it in his word. We’re going to have trouble. We’re going to have problems in this world. It shouldn’t seem unusual to us to endure trouble. But it also says be courageous. Be courageous because he has overcome the world. So we can know that even in the midst of our trouble, even in the midst of our suffering and the things that we go through is as bad as they are, we can know that Jesus has overcome the world. We can take comfort also in that passage from Romans Chapter 8:28 that says this

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

It tells us that God can use even apparently bad things for our good for his own good purpose. And his ultimate purpose is to bring us out of this life with all of its sorrows, suffering and trouble, to bring us to that perfect place of heaven where we will have none of that anymore. But we will live in glory with him forever. And so we see very clearly God can easily turn bad things, trouble, for good. Let us place our trust in that God who had turned bad things, Christ crucifixion for our good and our eternal salvation. And to know that he turns our own troubles in this life for our eternal good. Amen.