Sermon: "The Unfairness of God"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

Life is not fair. At times, life really is not fair! Sometimes things do not turn out the way they should - at least, in terms of what we believe to be right and fair.

We have been reminded recently of vivid examples of life's unfairness. Not long ago, we remembered the anniversary of the horrible events of "9/11." The images and stories of innocent suffering in that time of tragedy and massacre will remain with us for as long as we live, I imagine. Also, in this hurricane season, we probably have remembered those scenes from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina … scenes that will also remain in our minds for a long time - scenes of people who were victimized several times over. Remember seeing the faces of children, whose homes had been flooded and, then, who were waiting for food and water and medicine? Of course, Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, and Ike have all caused hardships this year as well. Indeed, life sometimes is not fair. There is no getting around it.

We can find two of the Bible's most vivid examples of life's unfairness in today's readings. Surely the murmuring of the people in the wilderness, on their way to the Promised Land, raises the theme of the unfairness of life. Then, secondly, those workers in Jesus' parable about the vineyard have a good case to make about the lack of fairness in the actions of the landowner.

In the Exodus story, remember that Moses had led the people of God out of Egypt and slavery, in response to God's wonderful promise of their own land. But the going was difficult on the journey through an unknown land. Dangers and problems surely were numerous. There were challenges beyond what any of the people had anticipated. We read the words of complaint in our lesson this morning: "If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you (Moses and Aaron) have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (Ex 16:3). That's a serious complaint, indeed - wishing to have died in Egypt rather than to have to endure the current journey. The underlying message of that complaint is that life is unfair. The people might as well have said, "It just is not right."

Next in our reading we hear that the Lord, in response, decides to give the people bread from heaven - manna - to eat, along with quail. But, of course, that is not the end of the story, as we know, even though it may be the end of today's reading. The people would not follow the Lord's instructions, and they found fault with the provisions of God. The whining and complaining continued, all the way to the Promised Land. "Life is not fair", they seemed to say, again and again. "Life is just not fair."

Then, in the Gospel reading, we heard the parable of the workers in the vineyard. A New York friend of mine, who has made a lot of money on Wall Street - at least, prior to last week - is a faithful Episcopalian, and he has a definite opinion about this parable. He says that he believes just about everything in the Bible, but he just cannot accept this parable of Jesus. Why? It is not fair.

A group of workers is hired to do a day's labor in a vineyard for a denarius - the typical wage for a day's work. During the day, though, the owner also hired other laborers - and some of them worked for as little as one hour.

At the end of the day, those who worked the shortest time were paid first - and they were given a denarius. Therefore, those who had worked all day thought they would be paid more when their time came. And my Wall Street friend and most of us here probably agree that such an expectation seems reasonable. That clearly would be fair. But actually, those laborers who worked all day also were paid the wage they had agreed to - a denarius. They were upset. They did not understand. The whole situation just does not seem fair.

My friends, I am here today with a surprising message for you. It is a simple message, but it is equally surprising. Life is not fair. But, further, like the owner of the vineyard, God is not fair either. And, finally, the unfairness of God means good news to us. The unfairness of God means good news to us.

Perhaps you know some people - as I do - who when asked, "How are you doing today?" will reply, "Better than I deserve." That is precisely the point. We are doing - and we will do - better than we deserve. God deals with us more on the basis of mercy than with justice. The fact is that we do not get what we deserve … what would be fair. Rather, we get more than we deserve.

It is important to realize here that what another person gets - in money or health or friends - is not the point. After all, the landowner affirms this principle: "Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?" (Matt 20:15). The same is true of God Almighty, who is the owner of creation. Rather, the point is simply about what I receive and about God's graciousness toward me. And, that is surely true of each one of us as well.

Now, make no mistake about what I am saying. God himself is just. But God deals with us ultimately and finally on the basis of mercy rather than justice. Therefore, in those terms, thank God that God is not fair! We receive - and we will continue to receive - far better than we deserve. We have not earned what we have - our life, our health, our loved ones. And we cannot earn that which God wills for us - eternal life. Thus, thank God - thank God, indeed - that God is not fair! God's treatment of us is far better than fair, for God shows us profound and eternal mercy.

Copyright © 2008 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee