PrintOur Journey Through The Valley (5)
22 April, 2013
How one couple are facing life and death in the presence of Motor Neurone Disease.
As word of my wife's medical condition spreads (diagnosis- = motor neurone disease), the most common response has been, "It just isn't fair!" In my more melancholy moments, I feel as they do. It just isn't fair.
As many of our regular readers are aware, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease over 12 years ago. Now my wife has been afflicted with a similar but distinctly different disease - a disease which is cruel but usually quick in its outworking and end result.
When someone says "It isn't fair!", what does that say about their theology and their world view? (By "world view" I mean their perception of reality). There is a belief system 'out there' as well as in the Church that holds to the notion that bad things should happen to bad people and good things should be reserved for good people. That may be their belief but their experience in the real world is often the very opposite.
One such person who held to this world view was the author of Psalm 73. It is as though he is wrestling with the question, "Why do good things happen to bad people?"
For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such a painless life; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They aren't troubled like other people or plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jewelled necklace and their clothing is woven of cruelty. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others.
They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth. And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words. "Does God realize what is going on?" they ask."Is the Most High even aware of what is happening?" Look at these arrogant people — enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Was it for nothing that I kept my heart pure and kept myself from doing wrong? All I get is trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. If I had really spoken this way, I would have been a traitor to your people. So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! (Ps 73:3-16 NLT)
If the inspired writer of Scripture found it difficult to explain why good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people, we are certainly not going to find it easy!
We struggle with this question partly because we operate on the principle that this world is a fair place.
It isn't!
This world is under the control of a regime that is anything but fair (1 John 5/19).This regime of "unfairness" is led by one who is the Father of lies and a murderer from the beginning (John 8/44). Once we have embraced the values of God's Kingdom which celebrates truth, love, light and justice, then anything that is contrary to those new values offends our sense of fairness. We now live by a different code.
We still live in a broken world. Our enemy may be defeated in the final outcome of history but he is still active and when he appears to have had some success everything within us cries out, "It isn't fair!
Apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, if there was one person in Scripture who had a right to cry out, "It isn't fair" that would have been Job. The loss of property, possessions, family disasters and personal health and all allowed with God's permission would be enough to rattle the faith of the faithful. Add to that the burden of three counsellors who each had their own explanation as to why all this was happening to Job and you have the perfect recipe for Job to throw away his faith (as his wife pleaded with him so to do). His is the ultimate example of "It's not fair!!".
Except one.
The just One dying for the unjust. The sinless One dying for sinners. The innocent One dying for the guilty....and so the list could go on.
I just think it is marvellous that if God could take all the "unfairness" done to His Son and bring glory to His Name and salvation to the world out of that injustice, then He can take my circumstances and do the same so that out of the seeming "unfairness" of our situation will come glory and honour to His Name.
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