We say it in a hundred different ways.
- “It’s NOT FAIR…that Fred got a raise and I didn't!”
- “It’s NOT…FAIR that her child gets to go to the university and my child has to attend the community college!”
- “It’s NOT FAIR…that they can move into the new subdivision, and we can hardly afford where we are living now!”
We can add a thousand more things to the list. But the reality appears to be that life…just…isn’t…fair! It’s not! But what are you going to do about it?
If you are a Christ-follower, there is only one thing you MUST do. And the response that God wants from you is found in our text for the week, Hebrews 2:5-3:6. It is not an easy passage to understand. It is filled with Old Testament texts and Jewish innuendos. But don’t overlook the fact that the text has a lot to say about how we should THINK when life doesn't go the way we think it should go.
To find our way through this passage, let’s start by remembering the original audience. They had come to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the true King of Israel, and the Savior of the world. They embraced all that the apostles and prophets proclaimed about Jesus. But they had apparently not anticipated that their faith would also be accompanied by persecution, testing, and suffering. And when it arrived, these same “disillusioned” believers thought about walking away from the faith. Perhaps under their breath they whispered, “It’s not fair!” The writer to the Hebrews wrote his entire letter to remind these first-century saints that PERSEVERANCE was the right thing to do.
In our text, there are two words that are designed to help us in our frustration with life’s unfairness. You will find the words in Hebrews 3:1. The writer says, “CONSIDER JESUS.” In the previous context (2:5-9) we are told in accordance with Psalm 8 that the world was destined to be under the care of human beings. But sin changed the divine design. Everything has NOT yet been subjected to humanity. And then the writer says, “But we see Jesus (2:9).” If we look carefully, we see Jesus the suffering Savior, who came to redeem us and bring us into the family of God. Look carefully and notice that Jesus became a human being to destroy death (2:14-18). And notice that the writer wants us to be sure to see that this same Jesus is not merely a servant but the Son (the owner and heir) of God’s family (3:1-6). Even so, He experienced multiple injustices in His life.
Now why does the writer go to such lengths to talk about the suffering and saving work of Jesus? He has a very practical purpose. He wants us to stop looking at the unfairness of life. Yes, life hurts! Life stinks! Life is unjust, and until the Kingdom comes in its full form, life will always be unfair. But WHEN LIFE SEEMS UNFAIR, CONSIDER JESUS! Look at Him! Fix your thoughts on Him rather than yourself. That is, try to tell Him that your promotion is unfair, when as the King of Glory He was thoroughly rejected and humiliated. Try telling him that your living conditions are unfair, when He had no earthly home of His own. And be sure to tell the Heavenly Father that your children deserve so much better, when His Son was rejected and scorned.
Do you think I sound insensitive? Is it simply that I don’t understand your situation in life? Before you answer, just know that I have all too frequently complained that life wasn't fair for me. And I have had the audacity to tell God about it. Do you know what He told me? He said, “Yes, I know. I really do understand. But…CONSIDER JESUS!”
