'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' Matthew 20:11,12You don't have to teach little children about fairness. We are born with an inbuilt sense of justice. When a sibling gets a larger slice of the cake, or a bigger piece of fruit, we hear the complaint, 'It's not fair!' Parents know that if one child cuts the thing in halves and the other chooses, the problem is sometimes solved.
Industrial bargaining is based on this principle. So is our legal system. When a president seems to have initiated some skullduggery and his henchmen go to gaol while he is pardoned, we sense something isn't right. When the rich pay a brilliant lawyer and get off scot free for a crime for which the poor go to gaol, that's not fair.
But 'It's not fair!' is usually a selfish utterance. It means I'm being 'deferred against'. Would the complainers have muttered against landowner if the latecomers had got less? Or would they have shared their wealth with them: now there's an interesting thought - for us in our world of haves and have-nots!
"Lord, some people earn more - or less - for the same work everywhere in the world. May I be slower to compare my earnings with the rich, and feel gratitude when I think of the less fortunate. Thank you for providing for my needs. Amen."
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Clergy Mailing List (Moderated)
All submissions welcome: [email protected]
This mailing list is open to all Christians via Internet
email and most fax destinations.
Copyright: Postings may be re-sent ONLY with all copyright notification intact.