Dear Christian Friends,

A doctor, chatting with his lawyer at a party, was interrupted by a woman who insisted on telling the doctor about her leg and asking him what to do about it. The doctor advised her, and after she went away, inquired of his lawyer friend, "What's your opinion, do I have a right to send that woman a bill for my professional services?" "Most certainly," the lawyer replied. So the next day the doctor sent the woman a bill-and he also got one from his lawyer. Wouldn't you say that was fair?

We want life to be fair. We make rules and want them enforced in the same manner for all people. And, of course, we want God to be fair-or do we? This evening in our Lenten series, "Places of the Passion," we sit in on Jesus' trial before the Sanhedrin and see how unfairly Jesus was treated, why it is that way, and how we fit in.

1. It was an unfair trial and verdict for Jesus

The Sanhedrin was a ruling religious body of the Jews made up of Pharisees and Sadducees; some were scribes, others were teachers of the law or elders. A simple reading of the account of Jesus before the Sanhedrin and a little background information give us enough evidence to come to a reasonable conclusion that this trial was unethical, illegal, and unfair. Based on what we know of the ancient Jewish legal system, the Sanhedrin broke its own laws by dragging Jesus into court at night. They also had an unfair motive for putting Jesus on trial, "looking for [false] evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death" (vs. 55). To put it simply, the trial was over before it began. Adding to the unfairness of the trial was the clear lack of evidence for a conviction, so "many testified falsely against him" (vs. 56). Perjured testimony didn't even work, and when they came across something that Jesus truly said as admissible evidence, they dismissed his statement as a lie and used it against him. Finally, the verdict was wrong and unfair; it condemned an innocent man for telling people he was himself! It's just not fair!

What got into these men? Why did they go to such extreme and illegal measures to have Jesus killed? Sure, Jesus was a threat to their position, prestige, and power among the people, but the real reason is revealed in the words of Caiaphas: "Are you the Christ?" (vs. 61). Caiaphas knew that Jesus had clearly confessed his deity, but neither he nor the majority of the Jews would accept Jesus' claim to be the Son of God and Savior of their souls-a claim fully attested by Jesus' mighty miracles and teaching. Why not? Wasn't it obvious? We can understand why someone today might not believe in Jesus, since no one in our era has seen him with his or her own eyes and heard him with his or her own ears. But these people had! Shouldn't they, as poor sinners, have welcomed with joy the one who said he was the Good Shepherd, ready to lay down his life for the sheep; the Great Physician, here to heal the brokenhearted; the Bread of Life, able to provide hungry sinners the rich bounty of heaven's food?

Ah, there was the problem. They didn't think they were sinners. "Sinner?! I don't need to come crawling before God as an unworthy sinner who can offer nothing to deserve God's favor; that's for the gentile sinners, dogs begging crumbs at the table. Besides, I'm a descendant of Abraham; my heritage earns me a right to heaven. It just isn't fair, this rabbi from Nazareth going so far as to say that if I do not in faith accept his claim to be the Savior, I will suffer the same curse for my sins as the heathen nations! It just isn't fair, this devilish deceiver calling us children of the devil! It just isn't fair, this breaker of the Sabbath claiming that even tax collectors and prostitutes enter heaven ahead of me! This so-called Son of God isn't giving me the credit I deserve. He can't be God! God would be patting me on the back with a smile and giving me what I deserve-a place of honor in heaven as a reward for my virtuous life and Jewish heritage! Get rid of this blasphemous imposter before he ruins our religion, no matter what it takes! It's just not fair!"

This was the reason for their hatred of Jesus. Jesus had thoroughly denounced and discredited all self-gained righteousness before God. It's like finally getting to the cashier in the grocery store, ringing up all your items, handing over your check when the cashier says, "Sorry, this line doesn't take checks." The anger at facing another ten minutes in another line doesn't even compare with the raging fury and relentless hatred the Jewish leaders bore toward Jesus. It was their arrogance that wanted to get rid of him for good. They would do anything to protect their pride, even if it meant conducting an unfair trial and rendering an unfair verdict toward Jesus.

2. Jesus' unfair trial and verdict resulted in an "unfair" verdict for us

"Fred didn't deserve to die that way." "How can God let this happen to me when I'm doing my best?" "Of all the families, ours certainly didn't deserve to have this happen." "Why does God let innocent people suffer?" "They can't tell me that my faith is in danger. I was born and raised a Lutheran, and my great-grandfather was baptized in this church."

We want God to be fair, to play by the rules of justice, to treat us as we deserve to be treated-then, we think, everything would be okay. But this phony system of justice is based on one big, bold, blasphemous lie! It's the same self-deception that led the Jewish leaders to crucify their only Savior: "I deserve to have God's blessing."

Before we, with Sanhedrin-like arrogance, demand that God hand us a silver platter with what we deserve on it, we better make sure we understand what we do deserve. The fact is, even our best isn't good enough for our holy Creator. Even our most faithful efforts fail to meet his expectations, falling short of his perfect glory. We know that, but then the devil tempts us to appeal to our heritage. God responds: "If you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands . . . and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases . . . and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain. . . . I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies. . . . I will punish you for your sins seven times over. . . . I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve" (Leviticus 26:14-21). This is deserved and fair! This is what God owes us! So how can we ever accuse God of laying more afflictions on us than we deserve! We say, "It's just not fair," and we're right! God isn't fair. A psalm writer explains: "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him" (Ps 103:8-11).

It's just not fair! God doesn't treat us as we deserve; he treats us better. How much better? How much more does he love us than he really should? The degree of loving unfairness in God's treatment of sinners equals the degree of distance between this ground and the most distant galaxy. Now, it still remained necessary for the just God to deal with our sins and to deliver the blow of punishment that we truly deserve. But that blow of justice came crashing down on our substitute, Jesus Christ. That's not fair. He's innocent, yes, but instead of demanding to be treated fairly, our Savior wanted to be unfairly punished for our sins. "I have not been rebellious," he says. "I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting" (Isa 50:5,6). What might sound like a kamikaze mission, however, is not-not with God Almighty mapping the strategy. So the next words our Savior speaks in the Isaiah prophecy reveal his sure hope: "Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced" (vs. 7).

Jesus would endure suffering for us and through that suffering save our souls, but the suffering would not conquer him. Instead, it would open the door of exaltation and glory, as he told the members of the Sanhedrin. He promised that he would return, "sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven" (vs. 62), and judge them according to their deeds, if that's what they really wanted.

It's just not fair! My innocent Savior's unfair trial before the Sanhedrin was finished before it began. It's just not fair! My Savior's bitter trials and torments on the cross should be mine, not his. It's just not fair! I have a merciful God who treated his one and only Son according to what I deserve, and I am now treated according to what Jesus Christ deserves. It's just not fair! I don't deserve even the smallest blessing from heaven, and I'm showered with abundance every day. That "unfair" love leads me to have an appreciation for my Savior instead of an arrogance like the Sanhedrin had. That "unfair" love leads me to a participation in humble things, like Christian service, sacrifice, and submission, instead of a proud haughtiness that considers myself too important to roll up my sleeves and work without reward. That "unfair" love leads me to a dependence on God's mercy instead of a denial of my sins. Now I can show that same "unfair" love to my bratty brother and sassy sister, to my classmate who got me in trouble, to the coworker who always gets the credit but doesn't do the work, to the neighbor who is so obnoxious, and to the friend who destroyed my trust.

Life is just not fair. It wasn't fair to Jesus, and it's not fair to us. Thank God for it. He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve but treated Jesus that way instead. Can we remember that when it comes to treating others with more love, more forgiveness, and more kindness than they deserve? Jesus is counting on it. So are they. Jesus didn't demand fairness and give up on love; he gave up on fairness and treated us with love. We are his followers when we do the same. Amen.