Heb. 12:5-17, Is Every Hard Situation the Lord’s Discipline?

Let’s consider this hypothesis: “not every trial is the Lord disciplining us for some wrong; but every trial is an opportunity to mature as believers.”

The typical views people hold about why people suffer tend to be one or the other of two extremes: either it’s just a chance experience and there is no eternal or spiritual work being done; or you must have done something wrong and are being punished.  The former view is referred to in Eccl. 9:11: “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.”  The latter view is seen in Acts 28:4-6 when Paul was bitten by a snake as he was putting wood in the fire when shipwrecked on the isle of Malta.  People thought he must be evil.  Then, when he didn’t die, they assumed he must be a “god.” 

How did Jesus answer this question?

·       Luke 13:1-5: Jesus is asked about and then refers to a couple of traumatic situations.  His answer leads to several conclusions.  1) All are sinners.  Everyone must repent.  This would be true of those who were killed but also of those who asked the question and to everyone.  2) Trials don’t just target the biggest sinners.  The ones killed weren’t necessarily any worse than people not killed.  3) The passage ultimately refers to the coming judgment of 70AD.  This was the broad message to all who were listening to His words.  4) Thus I believe we also can say that Jesus taught that every situation provided an opportunity to learn and obey the Lord.  Even if you weren’t one of those killed, or even one of the grieving relatives, yet you could learn from the tragedy that you need to repent. 

·       John 9:1-3: This is the situation where Jesus’ disciples asked about the man born blind.  Since he was born blind, one might wonder: who’s fault was his blindness?  Was it his, even before he had committed any sin?  Or was it his parent’s fault?  Again, the disciples are working from option number two above, believing that every bad event in life involves punishment of someone.  Jesus’ answer again gives us a universal principle.  First, it was neither the fault of the man or his parents.  But it was a situation in which God could and would be glorified.  That is the universal truth.  Every trial is an opportunity to bring glory to the Creator.

In Hebrews 12, the Greek term for “chastening” is used in such a way to make it apply to all kinds of trials, whether the result of sinful actions or just a trial that has come for no known reason.  As Thayer’s Lexicon says it, it involves “whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, especially by correcting mistakes and curbing the passions.”  One of those “chastening” tools of the Lord is “suffering.”  1 Peter 4:1 says, “for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”  Suffering does its work.  The same word is used of our Lord in His humanity: “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8).  In Jesus' case, the obedience He learned was not the correcting of mistakes.  It was bringing Him to maturity as He endured trials.

So today, how can I think God’s thoughts?  The answer is to see every situation, particularly those that are painful or difficult, as an opportunity to mature as a believer in Christ, and thus as an opportunity to glorify my Creator!  Those are God’s thoughts.  Let us submit to the will of the Lord.