Life Isn't Fair

When my kids were little, we had family rules posted on the refrigerator, perhaps 5 in all. The Number One rule was, “Life isn’t fair.” Whenever one of the kids would say, “That’s not fair!”, Brenda or I could reply, “Go see rule Number 1.”

(Rule Number 2 was, “You must pay taxes”.  Brenda and I could use rule Number 2 to grab a spoonful of whatever delicious treat, such as ice cream, that was being enjoyed. When Rule Number 2 was invoked, inevitably Rule Number 1 was also discussed.)

Today’s reading, Luke 23:1-25, is an example of life not being fair. Jesus was put on trial to face bogus charges. The Gentile leadership (represented by Pilate) found no crime committed. The Jewish leadership (represented by Herod) also found no crime committed. Yet Jesus was sentenced to death, simply to appease a mob of unbelievers.  This certainly was not fair to Jesus.

Jesus’ rejection by the world should not surprise us. The Bible is a history of humans rejecting God and his commands. Adam and Eve rejected God’s commands. Humanity rejected God and God then sent a flood to start over with Noah. Years later mankind rejected God when they built the Tower of Babel to honor pagan gods. (The Tower was a ziggurat, which Sumerian records tell us were “footstools of the gods”.) Even after Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, their history is one of rejecting God.

 In spite of our sinfulness, Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins, so that we may live with him forever and ever. Jesus gets punished for our sins and we get eternal life. By anyone’s account, getting the opposite of what we deserve certainly is not fair!

How do we respond to such “unfairness”? Jesus answered this question. He told us to let others know about him and make disciples of them. He told us to love our neighbors and to love God.

We deserve death, yet we are blessed because of Jesus.

Fortunately for us, life is not fair!

Babel and Canaan - Genesis 11

"Haven't you learned your lesson?" I often heard this question posed by mom and dad following a grounding. Unfortunately, I hadn't learned, as I often found myself on their bad side.  The scripture story of the Tower of Babel is an echo of that sentiment. It had only been 100 years since the great flood and here mankind was at it again! We were finding new ways to create and worship idols; new ways to deny God and put self first. Hadn't we learned our lesson?

How we forget, even today. We go from one predicament to another; from one crisis to one even more frightening. The people in the story in Genesis 11:1-9 built their tower as a monument to their own greatness, something for the whole world to see.

Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4)

It is easy to get caught up on the excitement that comes with fame and fortune. It is common to put "things" in front of God. As sinful humans it is often simple to place idols of this world on the altar we worship. It is important to remember to ask this question daily.  What "towers" have I built in my life?

To read the entire scripture text select here Biblegateway at Genesis 11

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