Not fair

Luke 23:13-25

¹³ Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. ¹⁵ Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶ Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” ¹⁷

¹⁸ But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹ (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

²⁰ Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. ²¹ But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²² For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”

²³ But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate decided to grant their demand. ²⁵ He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

How many times have you heard someone cry ‘it’s not fair!!’? How many times have you said it yourself?? Jesus and his supporters would have been well entitled to shout it from the rooftops. Declared innocent by the authorities and yet handed up for a brutal and undeserved death. And yet isn’t that the point? God is not about our ideas of what is ‘fair’. He is about justice and mercy, and used this situation to fulfil His plan for our opportunity of redemption and restoration with him. All things for His glory. Jesus submitted to the will of God, no matter the cost. I need to align my feelings with the will of God so that next time I find myself in an unfair situation I can know that God is bigger than popular opinion and the desires and motives of others. I can be confident that God is always in control, even when things seem most out of control. We will always be facing unfair situations in our lives, but we need to remember God is never taken by surprise and He is always with us. This Christian life is no easy journey but a life of submission to God’s will, with eternal reward.

Heavenly Father, thank you that you always had a plan for us to be reconciled with you. Thank you for the example that Jesus gave us in how to live a life of Faith. Help me to walk in your will today. In Jesus mighty name I pray. Amen

Written by Christine Knight