Objection: It Rains on the Just as Well as the Unjust (Matthew 5:45)
If bad Scripture interpretation is a crime, this objection should be a felony. The idea is that rain falls on the just and the unjust, therefore everyone has to suffer. I suppose this gives rise to the popular, but unscriptural, saying, “Into every life a little rain must fall.” This completely ignores the context of Matthew 5:44-45 and makes it say the opposite of what it actually says.
To farmers back then, rain was a blessing. They were more concerned about their crops than whether they would get drenched and have to dry off.
Jesus spoke of God’s goodness: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45).
You can’t possibly read this whole passage and think that it means that God sends you sickness even though you are just. The sun rising on the evil and the good is a poetic parallel to the rain falling on the just and on the unjust. It shows God’s goodness to men whether they are good or not. When you read about God’s goodness, you should realize all the more that He does not want you to suffer with sickness. Jesus did not say that rain must fall into your life; He said that God sends rain to you, and if God sends something, it is good, not evil.
As with many objections, this one is a subtle misquotation of Scripture, although it’s a popular saying among Christians. Some have even extended the saying to: “It rains on the just and the unjust, but the just have an umbrella,” which does just as much violence to the verse as using it as a healing objection. The verse does not tell you that it rains but that God sends rain, which is completely different! When God sends you something, it’s a blessing. You won’t want an umbrella to avoid it.