The problem is significantly larger than you think.

Why does God allow good people to suffer?

This problem terribly perplexes pretty much everybody who believes in a loving, generous, powerful God. But in a way, that fact alone should worry us about our theology.

Here’s what I mean. Let’s say a man walks into a doctor’s office one day to get a physical. After the exam and lab results are taken, the doctor says, “Okay, we’re going to give you these pills for your high blood pressure, we’re going to do some physical therapy for your knees, and I want you to cut down on caffeine for the headaches.”

But imagine the man replies, “Well, doc, that’s all fine and good. But what are you going to do about the fact that my right hand is three times normal size and bright purple?”

“Unfortunately, son, I can’t explain that and I’m not sure how to fix it. But trust me about the rest of what I’ve said.” Naturally, the man might be skeptical of medical advice that can’t even address his most glaring problem. What’s the point?

Not only does God let good people suffer, but God caused the very best Person in history to suffer more than anyone else ever has or ever will. And if our theology can’t explain that oversized purple hand of a historical fact, it’s surely not equipped to explain more routine forms of injustice.