Its not fair! If we had a Rand for every time weve heard that said or said it ourselves wed probably be wealthy. Fairness is one commodity that has been in very short supply from the beginning of human history.
Jesus was certainly no stranger to unfairness. When he entered Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion, the crowds were cheering for him and waving palm fronds to honour him in the traditional manner of an anointed king.
We can read the story in John 12:12-15:
The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel! Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkeys colt.
It was a glorious day. But a week later, the crowds were shouting, Crucify him! Crucify him! It wasnt fair. He had never done anything to harm anyone. He did not deserve to be killed. But lying witnesses and corrupt officials had turned the crowds against him.
By the time most of us enter kindergarten, we have discovered the sad truth that life isnt always fair. So, as much as we hate it, we do our best to adjust to a life expecting to be deceived, lied to, scammed, or otherwise taken advantage of by self-serving people. And most of us, if we were really honest, would have to admit to being unfair to others a time or two ourselves. But we all have a deep sense that we deserve to be treated fairly, even if we arent always fair ourselves.
Ironically, the gospel, which is by definition good news, isnt fair either. The fact is, were all sinners, and by definition, we deserve punishment. But God doesnt give us what we deserve; he gives us exactly what we dont deserve grace.
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:6-11,
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from Gods wrath through him! For if, when we were Gods enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Grace isnt fair. With grace, were getting what we dont deserve, and were getting it because God loves and cherishes us in spite of our sins. He values us so much that he took our sins on himself, forgiving us and drawing us into fellowship with him and with one another.
Its backwards and upside down from the way we usually look at things. We might have discovered in Kindergarten the bad news that life isnt fair. But when we meet Jesus, we find the good news that life isnt fair. He gives us exactly what we dont deserve. He forgives all our sins and gives us eternal life. It isnt fair, but its the best news we could ever hear.
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