A sense of justice that transcends culture and time is hardwired into all of us. We don’t like inequity. Our blood boils when we see one person oppressing another just because they’ve got more power or prestige. When Tony and I were raising our kids, our middle daughter was acutely tuned into justice—family style. Whenever she felt that one of her older siblings (or her younger brother) was enjoying a privilege she didn’t have, she’d cry out, “It’s not fair!”

We care about justice because God made it an integral part of His creation. Psalm 89:14 declares of Him: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing” (Isaiah 61:8). That’s why we find it so troubling to read about Job. His story seems to contradict everything we know about God and what He values.

The book of Job begins with a stunning appraisal: “This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil” (1:1). So why was he experiencing injustice? This “blameless” man not only saw his children and possessions violently ripped away from him, but he also was struck with painful sores throughout his body. What he was suffering sounded a lot like what Moses warned the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28 would happen if they chose to disobey God’s commands. “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done. … The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt … You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life” (vv. 20, 27, 66).

We’re relieved to read in the epilogue that Job was finally vindicated. He was not being cursed by God, despite all appearances to the contrary. He was being tested to reveal (prove) his devotion to God—in the same way Abraham was tested in Genesis 22 about sacrificing his son Isaac. Job’s honor in the community and respect among friends was restored after his trial. He even received twice as much wealth as he had before. To the “friends” who’d come to comfort him but had mostly misjudged or maligned him, God said, “I am angry with you and your two friends because you have not spoken the truth about me … My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly” (Job 42:7-8). In verse 10 we see that it’s at the exact moment when Job prayed for those who mistreated him that God exalted and restored him.

Does Job’s story remind you of anyone else in Scripture? Someone who would undergo unfair suffering, humiliation, mockery, misjudgment, and physical pain beyond description? Like Job, His suffering was not a consequence of disobedience to God; in fact, He is described as “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). Unlike Job, this One knew why He was suffering and submitted to the process that would bring blessing to the world. This suffering servant—Israel’s Messiah, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—is described in vivid detail in Isaiah 53. How amazing that this was written 500 years before Jesus was born! How blessed we are that He passed the ultimate test of obedience to His Father and secured our salvation!

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions … the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.” (vv. 3-11).

This kind of suffering is hard for us to understand, but God’s ways are always higher than ours. Through the humiliation and injustice of the cross, Jesus accomplished a miraculous exchange. Here’s how Paul summed it up in 2 Corinthians 5:21. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Not only were we set free through His vicarious death, but Jesus was exalted to the highest possible place of honor and authority by His resurrection. As Paul told the philosophers in Athens, “God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

Jesus’ willingness to endure the cross resulted in an inheritance that includes you and me! “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God … should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family” (Hebrews 2:10-11). Through faith in Him, we are now co-heirs with Jesus. Our training to rule with Him in new creation includes developing a servant’s heart. Oswald Chambers wrote: “The ecclesiastical idea of a servant of God is not Jesus Christ’s idea. His idea is that we serve Him by being the servants of other men.”

From humiliation to exaltation, from death to new life—this is the power of a life fully consecrated to God. At Easter we reflect on the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for us and give thanks for His unflinching obedience to the Father’s will. We rejoice in His triumph over sin and death. But it’s also a time to examine our own hearts to see if we are “servants of God” as Jesus (and Job, Paul, Abraham, and others) were in their day. It’s easy to say we love God, but when we are asked to undergo unjust treatment because of our identification with Him, what is our response? To willingly shoulder that kind of life will mean we’ll suffer scorn, misunderstanding, disappointment, and pain at times. We’ll feel like shouting “It’s not fair!” but we can count on this: God’s justice will vindicate us in the end. Those who are willing to share in Christ’s suffering will also share in His glory when it is revealed (Romans 8:17).

Thank you, Jesus, for your love, your willingness to lay down your life for us on the cross. We rejoice in your glorious resurrection and your exaltation as Lord of all. Help us to submit to our training to be faithful servants of God, especially when we’re asked to suffer for reasons we don’t understand. We want to glorify you by how we live out our redeemed lives. Remind us that our obedience to the Father matters—in the small as well as the big things. Give us hearts like Isaiah who don’t cry out “It’s not fair!” but instead offer, “Here am I, send me!” To you be all the honor, glory, and praise. We love and worship you. Amen.