Human beings are the only creatures in the entire world that care about fairness. ‘Care’ may not be the best word to describe how we feel about this; ‘obsessed’ is probably more appropriate. ‘It’s not fair!’ echoes around the world; on courthouse steps, in playgrounds, sporting fields, schoolyards, dessert time at the dinner table. We are always making sure we don’t get ripped off, watching the other guy, protecting our rights. You may be a deeply spiritual person and fooled yourself into thinking you are above this petty game. Maybe you can’t remember the last time you said, ‘It’s not fair!’ but if I could mess with your circumstances I know I could get you to say it. We know life wasn’t meant to be easy but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be fair, does it?
We can chant our catch phrase and complain all we like but it will not change the fact that life is indeed, not fair. Life is unfair from the word go. I wasn’t consulted about being born into this depraved world. It wasn’t my choice. And what about this whole sin problem I have, and falling short of God’s glory? I didn’t ask to be infected with this evil sin nature, but I was born with it. I had no choice in the matter. It’s not fair I tell you! What we think is unreasonable can really screw us up inside. I know what it’s like to lie on the bed at night unable to sleep, stewing over something I think is unfair.
The big question is this: does God care? What does God think of those hard-done-by prayers? You know, the self-pity ones where we spew out all those unfair things others have done. This might shock you, but God is not fair and neither is His Gospel. The parable Jesus tells in Matthew 20:1-16 makes a point of it. The workers who started in the last hour received the same as those who worked all day in the hot sun. And when those who worked longer complained about the way they were treated Jesus responded in verses 13-15 by saying, ‘I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ (NIV) Don’t you think it’s a little unfair that God rewards with the same heaven those who said ‘yes’ at the last hour and those who sacrificially gave their whole life to serving Him?
Comparison is the driving force behind our idea of fairness. Like the workers in Jesus’ parable, we don’t think or know something is unfair until we start comparing. Comparison is a deceptive form of selfishness. It uses others to validate more for itself. Hidden within comparison is an assumed right not to be outdone, to be at the top. It makes sense that Jesus finished the parable about the workers by saying, ‘The last will be first, and the first will be last’ (verse 16).
If comparison is the problem it can also be the cure if we put things into perspective. Yes, it’s not fair that we were born on this planet with a sin nature. But it’s infinitely more unfair that the Creator became a man and took the punishment for our sin by suffering and sacrificing His life. If we must compare, than let it be with God. The unfairness Jesus endured will trump anything in our life. Remember the Cross when you scream for your ‘rights’ or about the way you were treated. Picture yourself standing beneath the bloody Cross of Christ and the words ‘it’s not fair’ will seem paltry and empty.
God is keenly interested in unfairness. He uses it to bring about change in our lives. Unfairness is God’s primary tool for character development. You will never know if someone truly has good character until something unfair comes along. How we react to unfairness either proves our character or proves we didn’t have any. Through unfairness God prepares us for service. The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 is a fine example.
Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. Finally he gained a position in his owner’s household only to be falsely accused of sexual misconduct. After spending years in prison and being forgotten by a friend, it was then, and only then did God sovereignly elevate him to the position of prime minister. Joseph’s ‘unfair’ treatment produced his amazing character and allowed him to take the weight and responsibility of a nation. But that wasn’t his greatest test; that came when his brothers stood before him begging for food and he forgave them for the unfair things they had done.
It’s true - God is not fair, but He is just, and there’s a huge difference. Fairness is relative; justness is objective. Fairness is driven by comparison; justness by holiness. The Cross of Christ is not about fairness, it’s about divine justice. It is through the divine justice of the Cross that God is able to forgive our sin and keep His pure character intact. The message of the Cross is clear. God is not into fairness; He is into forgiveness.