Not Fair

Life is not fair.  If you are like me this is phrase you have heard a number of times before in a workplace, a family, or with friends.  It is a phrase that often draws all sorts of frustrated and angry responses.  We feel that things should be fair, that it is a God-given right.  If we are not careful we will begin to think fairness is something to worship and protect.  Yet as Christians we worship a God who does not reflect fairness in His work.  I know that is hard to swallow, but honestly Jesus does not reflect fairness in his work or ministry.  Just take a look through scripture.

Jesus is preparing to call the twelve men that He will pour his life into for the next three years, the twelve men who will start the church.  Jesus looks around and finds a political extremist, a cheating lying tax collector, some fishermen, and a high school kid, all of whom have little or no religious or ministry experience.  Having called the twelve Jesus calls his inner circle complete and begins his ministry.  Jesus, you did not have open auditions, you didn’t interview candidates, and then you called people that no one would have hired to run a church.  Jesus that’s not fair.

Jesus is walking along the road and a woman reaches out and touches his cloak, and she is healed of internal bleeding that has been an issue for decades.  But Jesus does not stop to heal anyone else in the crowd he just moves on, this doesn’t seem very fair.  Jesus what about all the other people that needed healing, why didn’t you heal all of them?

Jesus is on the cross with two other criminals hanging besides him.  Remember these are men who have committed acts strong enough to warrant the death penalty by the government.  As they hang there one man mocks Jesus, and the other one repents of his sins, and Jesus says to the repentant man, “Today you will be with me in paradise,” (Luke 23:42).  Jesus tells a man who is dying the death penalty that he will be going to heaven, that doesn’t seem very fair.

The best part, it’s a good thing God is not fair.  At the end of the day, each of us are broken, sinful people.  Were we to truly get what is coming to us for our sins, we would not be joining God in heaven, because only prefect blameless people belong there with God.  Instead, Jesus died on the cross as a go between for us, to say I will take the punishment they deserved, so that they can be with us in heaven, and stand before God as blameless, clean because of what Jesus has done.  I love you enough to be unfair, to do special work in your life unlike anyone else’s.  Fairness may be nice, but I am sure glad God is not fair with us.

Pastor Bill

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do we believe fairness is important?
  2. Can you think of other places in the bible where God does something “unfair”?
  3. Have you experienced God’s “unfairness” in your life?  How