That’s Not Fair
Good people wrongly accused; the innocent paying the price for the ungodly; decent, upright people meeting tragedy and untimely death. It’s totally unfair. We cringe at injustice, despise what is underhand and disloyal, criticize the selfish, and condemn those who take advantage of others. Our sense of justice is huge and our value for integrity is held dear.
Alone in the darkness of night, a solitary man struggles with unfairness and the weight of what he does not deserve. Dawn will bring accusations that are untrue, beatings he didn’t deserve and a verdict that belonged to others. Kneeling in tears, he finds no way out. Crying for mercy, he receives none. When tears turned to blood, heaven was silent.
The light of day brought the darkness of evil and the torment of the devil’s domain. Their plan unfolded as the venom of evil fell upon the spotless and pure. Men of God, priests of the Most High, listened to lies and condemned the innocent. They spoke for God but rejected the One who was God.
Jesus was rejected by men, condemned by the religious, and executed by the authorities. He suffered what was unjust and accepted what was unfair. But therein lay its power. The potency of His death lies in its injustice. What we would resolve through judgment, God overcame by love. The innocent was slain for the guilty; the sinless redeemed the sinful. Injustice turned to triumph because our Lord did not become a victim but rather a sacrifice. No one took His life; He laid it down. In so doing, He established a justice that goes beyond what is fair. It is a justice of atonement wherein mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).
Our failure to forgive is evidence of our adherence to the law and the denial of grace. The One who forgave us, has also forgiven others, including those who have hurt us. The Lord totally understands the challenge that forgiveness brings, for every sin is an afront against Him. Every self-led life is an act of defiance and a rebellion that wounds His heart. Yet God has not only provided the way for us to receive forgiveness, but He has taken the just punishment that all deserve, upon Himself.
The next time we are tempted to cry out, “that’s not fair,” let’s remember the One who looked beyond what is fair and took our place so that the sinful could go free, the guilty could be saved, and the rebellious could be loved. Jesus knows all about what is unfair. He has suffered the greatest injustice of all but considers our freedom and salvation worth it.
The day will come when the One who suffered at the hands of man, will judge man. Then all will be fair, and justice will be complete. Until that day, the opportunity for mercy holds justice at bay. Judgment waits so that repentance is available to all. The judgment that is held back from those who hurt us, is also held back from those we love.
He does not expect us to trust when trust has not been earned. Nor does He call for us to bear the brunt of another person’s sin. Staying in abuse or being the scapegoat for another, is not part of His plan for us. He came to set us free but the freedom we freely receive is what He expects us to give to others.
When life is not kind and injustice leaves its scar, He hears our cries and understands our pain. He will comfort the hurting and restore the broken. He will also forgive the sinner, redeem the lost, and welcome all who turn to Him. In this is grace; grace for them and grace for us.
