Deserving of death? (Good Friday 2025)

The deep desire for fairness

From the time we’re children, the concept of fairness is etched into our being. Remember our playground squabbles? “That’s not fair! He cut in line!” We have an innate sense of justice, of things being “right” or “wrong.”

Or consider a more serious scenario. Imagine hearing in the news about someone committing a heinous crime — perhaps theft or violence. And then, imagine that person walks free! No arrest, no trial, no consequences. What’s your immediate reaction? I bet it’s a feeling of outrage. “That’s unfair!” we think. “How can they get away with that? They need to be held accountable. They deserve to suffer the consequences.”

And we’re right to feel that way. Because if there were no consequences for wrongdoing, what would happen to our society? It would likely descend into chaos. People will think, “Well, if they got away with it, maybe I can too!” and soon, the fabric of our communities would unravel.

Let’s watch a short clip that plays on this very human desire for justice… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk

What was your reaction at the end? A little chuckle, perhaps? But also a sense of satisfaction? “He got what he deserved,” we think. Even in this light-hearted scenario, if he’d gotten away scot free, it wouldn’t have been “right.”

The Law is written in our hearts: proof of a Lawgiver

This built-in moral compass isn’t just a random evolutionary quirk. It suggests there’s an objective standard of justice impressed into our very being. I believe this is the Law of God written on our hearts. God’s Law tells us what we should do, the Law demands how we ought to live, the Law has consequences. When giving the Ten Commandments to Moses, God says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts” (Deuteronomy 6:6). God has written the demands of his Law on our hearts, so that we innately know right and wrong.

This makes sense of our world. Think about it: If everything is just a matter of opinion, then who’s to say what’s right or wrong? We could do whatever we want to each other, no matter how monstrous or disgusting. Yet sometimes, in the darkest moments of humanity, that’s exactly how we treat each other. The very fact that we recoil at injustice suggests that we believe in an objective moral standard that transcends individual preferences. This is a powerful argument for the existence of God, at least as a Lawgiver — someone must be the source to this inherent, objective moral code, and this someone is God.

The unfairness of the cross: Jesus doesn’t get what he deserved

But our understanding of fairness takes a dramatic turn when we look at the story of Jesus. When Jesus stood before Pilate, he didn’t receive a fair trial. He didn’t get what he deserved.

The Gospel of Luke makes this abundantly clear. Three times Pilate declares Jesus’ innocence. He says to the religious leaders and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” (Luke 23:4). Later, he reiterates, “As you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.” (Luke 23:15). And even as the crowd cries out for his crucifixion, Pilate asks for a third time, “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty.” (Luke 23:22).

The False Witness by James Tissot

Martin Luther, a monk who lived in the 1500s, described what happened to Jesus as “the great exchange.” He recognized the profound injustice. Jesus, the perfectly innocent Son of God, took the place of the guilty. He didn’t get what he deserved. He was innocent, yet declared guilty and punished, unto death.

We fall short: what we truly deserve

Jesus stands in stark contrast to us. We are guilty. We might not murder, but we hurt others. We might not steal, but we fail to help our neighbours in need. We deserve to suffer the consequences of our sinful actions. We deserve death. St Paul writes in his letter to the Romans: ‘we all fall short of God’s glory,’ (Romans 3:23) and ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23). This isn’t mere physical death, but spiritual separation from the most holy, perfect God.

The truth is, we all fall short in various ways, whether in thought, word, or deed. Imagine that God’s Law is a wide and deep ravine to jump over. It doesn’t matter if we miss the other side by one metre or one centimetre, either way we fall to our death.

God’s alien and proper work

Now, this might sound like a harsh and unforgiving picture of God. And you’d be right, except this is an incomplete picture of God — it’s only half the picture. The Law, with its demands and consequences, is what theologians sometimes call God’s “alien work” (“alien” in the sense of unnatural and strange). It’s not God’s ultimate desire to condemn us. Instead, it serves as a wake-up call. It’s like that warning light blinking on your car’s dashboard, indicating that there’s an empty fuel tank. You can’t just ignore it and pretend it’s not flashing. The light indicates there is a problem that needs to be addressed. I heard a story once: a new driver saw the empty fuel tank light flashing on their dashboard, and they didn’t like the irritating orange flashing, so they got some black nail polish, and simply painted over it! Likewise, we can’t simply ignore God’s Law, we just can’t pretend it’s not there and hope everything’s okay. The Law on our heart shows us the problem within ourselves — our sin. We’re empty. We don’t have enough to cross the ravine. We need help.

The scandal of grace: unfair forgiveness

Think back to the story of Jesus’ trial. Who was released that day? Barabbas. A man guilty of rebellion and murder. He did deserved to die. Yet, he was set free. And Jesus, the innocent one, was crucified in his place. The guilty is exchanged for the innocent, the innocent for the guilty.

And here’s the incredible, scandalous truth: you also don’t get the consequences you deserve! You are Barabbas. Jesus exchanges his innocence and rightness with your guilt and sin. On the cross Jesus took upon himself the pain and suffering for the sin of the entire world (Isaiah 53:3–5; John 1:29). He carries your consequences, your pain, your suffering. Jesus, in an act of ultimate love and sacrifice, unfairly takes your consequences upon himself. The guilty is exchanged for the innocent, the innocent for the guilty. You are set free. Not because you earned it. Not because you’re good enough. Not because you jumped hard enough and made it across the ravine. But because of God’s incredible, “unfair” grace. This is the good news of the Gospel! This is God’s “proper” work (“proper” in the sense of natural and native).

So, what are you going to do with this incredible news? Do you keep on trying (and failing) to jump the ravine yourself? Do you ignore the flashing light on the dashboard by hiding it? Or will you accept this undeserved gift of grace? Will you allow Jesus to perform the great exchange for you?

Today, I invite you to consider the “unfairness” of God’s selfless love. Recognize that you, like all of us, fall short. Acknowledge that Jesus took upon himself the consequences you deserve. Accept that he exchanges your guilt with his innocence. Give your burdens to Jesus to carry on the cross. Receive innocence and freedom. Not because you deserve it. Not because of anything you have done. But because Jesus willingly took on the sentence of death that he didn’t deserve. He didn’t deserve to die, yet did so for your sake. Hear and receive this forgiveness and new life. Amen.