Rough Justice

Rough Justice

The press tell us that Amelia Lily believes she was the victim of rough justice.  For those not in the know, Amelia was one of this year’s ‘X Factor’ contestants.  The first live show this year saw a twist in the plot.  Instead of the usual public vote resulting in one elimination, four contestants were selected by the judges to be sent home.  Amelia was one of the victims who were sent home. 

For her and the other three contestants, the sense of injustice came because the rules had been changed.  They felt that the criteria by which they were judged was unfair. They felt that they had been subjected to public shame and humiliation.

Amelia Lily’s case seems trivial.  But imagine that a different person stands facing judgement.  The rules appear to have changed.  They are sentenced for crimes that they did not commit.  In their place, a man guilty of vile crimes is released.  Their public shame and humiliation isn’t simply a TV vote.  He is deserted by his friends, mocked by his enemies, stripped, tortured and publicly executed.  And for this man, there is no exclusive interview on Day Break, no revenge; rather, he remains silent.

Injustice is serious.  When there is a miscarriage of justice, we expect a retrial.  We want justice to be done and if someone has been unfairly accused and wrongly punished, we know that they deserve some form of reparation.

So, it is even more shocking to know that this man willingly subjected himself to this injustice because the man is Jesus and we are not dealing with some accidental miscarriage of justice.  Jesus deliberately chose death.  He chose to die in our place.  We deserve death and eternal separation from God’s presence.  This is the just penalty for our sin and rebellion against God.  Jesus received that penalty for us. 

And here is something else surprising.  Suppose that you have been required to face injustice.  Perhaps you have been accused of something that you did not do.  Perhaps you are being mocked, bullied, ill-treated, simply because someone sees you as different, simply because they’ve taken a disliking to you.  The Bible tells us that Jesus’ willing submission to an unjust death enables His followers to face injustice too.  It is possible to suffer humiliation, loss, even death and still to be described as a conqueror.  Surprising?  Intriguing?  Why not investigate for yourself?

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