Unjust Justice

Her name was Miss Schimpf. 2nd grade.

I was an insecure, attention-seeking 7 year old.

Me and Acey Sandy and Tim Cliff we the class clowns/trouble-makers.

When Miss Schimpf was not looking we throw a piece of an eraser across the room. It would bounce around and make noise. The kids would laugh and the teacher would seethe.

At some point she got my attention and I stopped. But, the other 2 didn’t.

One day, when Miss Schimpf was helping another student at her desk, Tim stood up and threw a pieces of an eraser over by her desk then pointed at me as if to say he saw me do it.

He immediately went up to her and told her I did it.

That was it, she’d had enough, she glared at me and told me I had to stay after school t/b punished.

I was mortified. B/C then I had to go home and face my grandmother.

And, I didn’t do it. That time. And what Miss Schimpf did to me on the way out of her classroom, down the hall and out the door she’d get fired for today. Maybe sued.

I was 7. I’m now 60. I remember it well.

The injustice. It wasn’t me that time. I had to take the punishment that was due Tim Cliff. I wasn’t guilty.

But, I was. How many times had I done it myself w/out getting caught or punished. Justice was served.

In the grand scheme of things, a 7-year old throwing erasers around the classroom is nothing.

But that event of unjust justice made a lasting impression on my life.

There was another event of unjust justice that was much greater, made a significant impact, a lasting impression on everyone who’s ever lived.

This is Good Friday. It’s the day we annually commemorate the single greatest act of unjust justice ever performed in history.

It was just in that the scales of justice were lop-sided, weighed down by every misdeed we’ve all ever done and X’s death evened the scales for all of us.

But, it was also unjust in that an innocent man got punished for you and my misdeeds.

That’s what makes Good Friday good for you and me.

The injustice perpetrated by God on Jesus evened the scales of justice making us right w/ God.

And, from almost the beginning, God warned us this was what it was going to take to make things right.

Someone was going to have to die to even the scales of justice w/ God. Would it be you? Me? Or, someone else?

It started in the garden where God required an innocent animal to cover the shame of the sin committed by Adam and Eve.

In the Garden

You know the story.

Adam and Eve in the Garden full of fruit trees and vegetable plants. They could eat from any of them.

There was just 1 that they couldn’t. But, they did anyway.

Immediately they felt guilty for the first time. Never experienced it before. They knew they’d done wrong.

And, they tried to hide from God b/c of it.

Genesis 3:10 NIV

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

They were afraid. Ashamed. Naked and aware in a way they never had been before. It hadn’t occured to them to cover up.

So, God had to do something.

Genesis 3:21 NIV

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

This is the 1st time an animal had been killed for any reason.

In the garden, up until Noah came out of the Ark, everyone was a vegetarian. No one ate meat.

So, never, out of all God’s creation, had an animal been killed.

God did it Himself to make the clothes that covered Adam and Eve’s shame.

What had the animal done to deserve this? He was innocent.

And, it only covered their shame.

Like painting a wall that is water-damaged and water-stained w/out fixing the leak.

The stain will soon show thru the new paint job and water will leak again making doing even more damage.

This was the first time God required and act of unjust justice to fix a problem disobedient ppl caused.

There were more, all pointing to Good Friday.

Passover

The very first Passover in .

Israel had been enslaved in Egypt and God was in the process of getting them out.

It was time for the last plague; the death of every firstborn in Egypt.

Every firstborn of every animal and every human throughout Egypt was going to die that night.

That is, except those who slaughtered a lamb and spread His blood around the door of the house.

Exodus 12:7 NIV

Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.

The angel of death would passover each house that had this marker on it.

It was an act of faith that the lamb’s blood would save them.

And, they had t/b ready to run b/c God would deliver them out of slavery in Egypt the next day.

What had each of those lambs done to deserve to be slaughtered, 1 for each household in Egypt.

The lives of innocent lambs, their blood shed and spread around the door of believing families, delivering them out of slavery.

First in the Garden, then out of Egypt. These are big events in the lives of Israel making lasting impacts on them.

There were more.

The Day of Atonement

The Day of Atonement was established by God while Israel was wandering thru the wilderness on their way to the PL.

It was to be recognized annually by Israel to acknowledge God allowing sinful ppl into His holy presence to worship.

The event that launched this rite was when Aaron’s sons led a worship service w/out first repenting of their own sins.

And, it was a big deal. They were struck down and killed by God as a result

God needed to make a way for sinful ppl t/b able to worship holy God b/c He knew it was going to happen again.

So, He gave them these instructions.

Leviticus 16:6–10 NIV

“Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.

First, Aaron had to kill a young bull, sprinkle some of its blood on the altar then burn the rest just for his own sins.

Then, 2 goats. Cast a lot for each. God gets one. That means he gets slaughtered for the sins of the ppl who want to worship.

The other, Aaron would lay his hands on its head, confess all the ppl’s sins, then sent into the wilderness carrying their guilt w/ it.

Lest you think goat #2 got the better deal, remember, he couldn’t defend himself out there nor forage for food. It was certain death. And, probably a very scary death, too.

And, he never returned so their guilt never returned.

All while goat #1 was quickly and humanely killed.

Still, what did the goats do to deserve this? And that bull calf? Innocent blood was shed for the sin and guilt of the responsible parties.

Unjust justice. Annually they were reminded that they were not worthy to enter into the presence of holy God but He made a way for it to happen.

Grace.

Then, there was another memorable act of God’s grace when He got tired of their complaining all the time.

The story comes from Numbers 21.

Snake on a Stick

Israel was still wandering in the wilderness, grumbling and complaining w/ every step.

God had delivered them out of slavery and was going to deliver them into the PL.

It was their own fault they were having to wander for so long. But, as usual, they failed to take responsibility and they blamed God.

God took it and took it. Mercy. He didn’t smite them w/ the first, or second complaint.

Then, when He’d had enough, God sent venomous snakes to bite them, every one of them. It was certain death.

Then, He told Moses this:

Numbers 21:8–9 NIV

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

Not only did God show mercy by not killing them when they deserved it, He showed them grace by allowing them to live when they didn’t deserve it.

It was an act of faith, born of God’s grace, to look at the snake on the stick and believe that God would heal them.

God determined that the act of faith, believing in Him to heal them and simply looking at the bronze snake would even the scales of justice.

How unjust! Look and believe pays for all their complaining. It seems a small price to pay.

Only the rebellious would think it ridiculous and refuse to look and die.

The foolishness. Accept death over accepting God’s gracious healing by faith when afflicted w/ a deadly poison.

The foolishness of rejecting Jesus’ offer and accepting responsibility for themselves when Jesus is willing to take the punishment for them.

But, that’s what Jesus did, and the offer is still good no matter how many rebellious reject it and how many faithful accept it.

It’s Good Friday.

It was a good Friday.

B/C Jesus did committed the most unjust act of justice in history.

The scales were weighted down against us. And, He evened them up for us.

John 1:29 NIV

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

JB recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God.

God killed His own first born to save those who, by an act of faith, believe His blood on the doorposts of our lives will save us.

Just like Israel was delivered from slavery in Egypt we are delivered from slavery in sin.

Hebrews 9:11–14 NIV

But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 9:11–12 NIV

But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

He made right w/ God.

He didn’t have to sacrifice a bull for his own sins, He had no sins.

He didn’t need goats. He didn’t need to kill or send one away. He is THE scapegoat who takes our guilt away as far as the east is from the west.

Psalm 103:12 NIV

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

And He obtained eternal redemption for us. He only had to do it once. Until Jesus, every year the high priest had to repeat the behavior.

Jesus did once for all eternity.

John 19:30 NIV

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

We don’t have to look at a snake on a stick. We just have to look at our Savior on a stick.

How foolish it is to be rebellious, bitten by a fatal fang, when all we have to do to live is look, believe and receive.

Jesus finished what God started in the Garden.

The injustice perpetrated by God on Jesus evened the scales of justice making us right w/ God.

We look back and we know there’s more to the story.

This is Good Friday. It’s the day we annually commemorate the single greatest act of unjust justice ever perpetrated in history.

The scales of God’s justice had been completely lop-sided, weighed down by every misdeed we’ve all ever done.

But, it was unjust in that an innocent man got punished for your and my misdeeds.

It was unjust in that an innocent man got punished for your and my misdeeds.

But, that’s what makes Good Friday good for you and me.

That first Good Friday night, the scales were evened out. But, nobody this side of heaven knew it, yet.

At that time, it looked like we’d be the fools for believing a dead man on a cross could do us any good.

It was a dark night. But, Daylight is coming.

Sunday is coming.