Life Isn't Fair - So What Does Jesus Say About It?

3/3/19          Ralph

A parable Jesus taught and the example He set came to mind as I reflected on my recent conversation with a man named Ralph, who allowed me 5 minutes for a conversation before he got back to work on his clothes at the laundromat. Ralph is probably in his 50's, but his thoughts about God revolve around the tragic loss of his father when he was just 17, and how with indignation he feels he has unfairly had to do things on his own ever since.

I kind of felt like I had no right to speak into Ralph's experiences, since God has spared me of a tragedy of this magnitude in my life. But the truths Jesus taught and the example He set apply to everyone, and many speak to our questions about what seems to be the injustice and unfair treatment God allows us to experience in life.

In our cultural moment many are quick to demand perfect fairness in life, but we are reminded from scripture that the hand we are dealt coming into this life, and the hand that awaits us at our exit, is entirely dependent on the One who deals the cards. Just as Jesus’ Parable of the Talents illustrates that whether we are given 1, 5, or 10 talents, the main point is more about what we do with the hand we are dealt.

We are born into different and unequal circumstances, and we often leave this life the same way. In a post-resurrection conversation with Peter, Jesus spoke of the fate that awaited John that differed from that of Peter: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Peter suffered martyrdom, while John lived to old age in exile.

I in no way want to belittle or minimize the tragic loss in Ralph’s life, but as Jesus said we must all “carry our cross” as we follow Him, and there is no guarantee that each man’s cross will weigh the same.

And Jesus carried, by immeasurably far, the heaviest cross of all. If anything is unfair in this life, it was the torture and death he experienced on that cross, for, as one of the criminals next to Him said: "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

And what about the loss and grief God the Father felt, as He was separated from the Son for the first time in eternity? But through Jesus and the cross, the most unjust event in all history, God the Father wants to work in and through Him with compassion. He is “the source of all mercy and comfort. For he gives us comfort in our trials so that we in turn may be able to give the same sort of strong sympathy to others in theirs.” (2 Cor. 1)

I hope Ralph might see beyond the premature loss of his earthly father so that he doesn’t miss out on the relationship his heavenly Father makes available through another tragic and premature loss of a family member – His own Son on the cross.

Thanks, Ralph, for allowing me to record our conversation. It can be seen at https://youtu.be/R-fD_FXg5po on my YouTube channel.