What’s Fair?

“NO FAIR!” complained the pint-sized guy trailing his big brother and me in our neighborhood games.  Seems that we older fellas weren’t playing by his rules–and I admit that we often pushed the envelope to discourage his participation.  Human- kind dotes on The Rules:  every culture and society has ’em.  What can we feel when God chooses to love us even when The Rules consign us to the flames?  Two great stories and an introspection give us a look beyond our own meager codes…

Jonah’s story is full of Grace:  most of us know well the tale of Jonah’s running from his missionary assignment, and how God provided a “great fish” to pluck him from a watery grave and give him a second chance.  But wait, there’s more!  Forgiven Jonah DID get to Ninevah and announced its imminent destruction, then waited at a safe distance for the fireworks.  But the citizens of Ninevah repented their blasphemous living, and God removed his threat.  Happy ending?  Not for Jonah, who pouted that his mission was in vain:  “I KNEW you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.” (4:2)  So he built a hut to sit in (while waiting to die), and it was HOT!  God’s mercy caused a plant to grow up around the hut and bring a welcome shade.  Now a happy ending?  ‘Course not!  A cutworm came at night and destroyed the plant, and Jonah was angry again.  God said, “Look, you’re upset about the plant; don’t you think I should be upset about losing a city of 120,000?  I mean, Fair is Fair.”

Paul dares to be personal in his Letter to the Philippians (1:21-30).  Imprisoned—at Rome?–he feels that his life is done and worthless: “living is Christ and dying is gain”.  Jonah-like, Paul wishes to die and get out of his misery.  These are extreme feelings for an extreme situation.  Yet like the earth-worm that fell in love with a rubber band, he snapped out of it.  Remembering God’s works of steadfast love in life so far, he abandoned his own discomfort in the hopes of aiding others in theirs.  Fairness in God’s terms graciously exceeds human rules, thank heaven.

The second story is Jesus’ parable of the day-laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16).   You recall that the grower went to the labor-exchange square at various times of the day, even as the sun got lower.   The late-comers got paid the daily rate, so the all-day crew expected more.  But EVERYONE got the same daily rate, which was the original offer.  “Hey, that’s not fair!”  And the owner replied, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong;  did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?….I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.”  Omigosh!  Does that mean that we’ll all be equal in Heaven?  Fairness in God’s terms graciously exceeds human rules…                                                                                                                                                             Many will tell you that I’m quite compulsive about playing by The Rules.  I’m uncom-fortable when plans change.  But our exploration of these passages encourages me (maybe you?) to make room in my constricted life for Grace to bend my perimeters to include the newly repentant and even those considering Life in the Kingdom.

God Bless Us, Every One                          Horace Brown King

My thoughts about Scripture passages assigned to the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this space on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com