PerryDox – BeJustAChristian

Life’s unfair.  No matter how you look at it, life’s unfair.  Despite my believing in God, still life’s not fair.  Let me say it again – Life’s unfair.

To prove my point, let’s look at Luke 2.

Joseph had to return to Bethlehem for the census (Luke 2:3).  The rule to return to your “own city” (Luke 2:3), apparently was required only in Egypt and Palestine according to historical sources.  Why?  Don’t know.  Don’t care.  But what I do know and care about is that being treated differently is unfair.

Why the census?  Either for population or tax purposes.  Regardless of which, Rome had to know who was in its empire so that they could tax the people, didn’t they?  But did Joseph vote for Augustus?  No.  Hadn’t the Romans ever heard that “taxation without representation” wasn’t fair?  Don’t think they cared.  So when Joseph was required to make a trip, a trip guaranteed that he would get taxed, who do you think paid for the trip?  Joseph!  And I don’t think he could deduct the trip as a tax write-off either!  The whole trip was not fair.

Mary went with Joseph (Luke 2:5).  Roman law did not require females to return to their “own city” (Luke 2:3), but go she did.  If not required by Roman law, why go?  Again, I do not know why.  Maybe she was told to go by an angel.  If so, inspiration does not record that message.  Maybe she knew of the prophecy (Micah 5:2) and hastened to Bethlehem.   If so, she surely cut it close.  But here’s another possibility:

“In a few months, the birth of John the Baptist took place amid great fanfare, complete with midwives, doting relatives, and the traditional village chorus celebrating the birth of a Jewish male.  Six months later, Jesus was born far from home, with no midwives, extended family, or village chorus present.  A male head of household would have sufficed for the Roman census; did Joseph drag his pregnant wife along to Bethlehem in order to spare her the ignominy of childbirth in her home village?” (Philip Yancy, The Jesus I Never Knew, p.31)

But it wasn’t Mary’s fault that she was pregnant and unmarried…again, unfair.

Traveling at nine months pregnant, walking, or as traditionally pictured riding a donkey, is not the most comfortable situation.  How far from Nazareth to Bethlehem? Approximately 70-80 miles.  How long would this take?  About a week…if –

• If they could go straight through and not have to cut around Samaria.
• If Joseph was physically fit enough to walk 70-80 miles easily.
• If Mary could make such an arduous trip in such a short time – Ever travel with a pregnant lady?  I feel sorry for Mary and Joseph.  Plus it is not even his child.  Not fair.

Let’s say that they were lucky enough to take the short-cut through Samaria.  Wait a minute…that might not be lucky after all – for the Jews have no dealings with Samaritans (John 4:9).  I doubt Joseph and Mary ever personally did anything to hurt a Samaritan…and yet history suggested that both sides viewed each other with suspicion and contempt.  Hated…through no fault of your own…just for being born a certain race…not fair.

Which ever route they took, it’s not like the trip would be level or even down hill.  Bethlehem stands at an elevation of about 2,550 feet above sea level, thus about 100 feet higher than Jerusalem – which is on a hill.  No matter from which direction you went to Jerusalem, you went “up.” So I guess you went “up” to Bethlehem also.  Nine months pregnant, a week’s worth of walking, and uphill?  God, plus possibly prejudice, put her in this unenviable place.  Would you call this fair?

And don’t forget the timing?  All this happened the last few days before the days were completed for her to give birth (Luke 2:6).  Why couldn’t the pregnancy have come at another time?  God designed the time, didn’t He?  Unfair.

No room at the inn (Luke 2:7).  Why?  Joseph apparently had money, or he would not have tried to get a room.  Although not rich (Luke 2:24; Leviticus 12:8), he wasn’t the homeless sort – he was a carpenter.  Could the inn be full of so many visitors because of the census?  Probably.  Could the inn keeper not want the noise from a soon-to-be-born infant?  Possibly.  Why there was no room is not important.  What is important is the simple fact that there not being room was unfair – couldn’t God have made a reservation!   What did Joseph and Mary do to deserve not having a real roof over their heads?  Nothing.  Life’s unfair.

In a stable, where they keep the animals?  Excuse me!?  Mary will have to give birth in a barn?  Didn’t she have a nice comfortable home back in Nazareth?  Does this sound fair to anyone?

Let’s not forget the angels either.  They were given the job of proclaiming the Savior of the world – a savior not even designed for them (Heb.2:16).  How would you like the job of telling other people the good news that they can be saved when some of your own cannot (Jude 6)?  Unfair? 

And don’t overlook the greatest evidence that life’s unfair.  Jesus had to leave heaven; the creator of the world had to give up everything, be born as a helpless infant, become dependent on the same creatures that He created, live in the filth of humanity, and then as the filth of humanity?  Does that sound fair?  No! And again, NO!

And yet how often do we complain about how life was unfair to Jesus?

I shall pause for the self-aware, guilt ridden silence…. 

Are we sure we want to compare our lives to His?  Would that be a fair comparison?  Maybe we should just stop complaining that life’s unfair. 

In fact, since none of us deserves to be saved, and yet we can be; we should be eternally thankful that life is unfair (Romans 5:8)?

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This entry was posted by PHall on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 5:19 pm and is filed under Luke, John, Romans, Hebrews, Jude, Leviticus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.