On a day like this it is natural for our thoughts to turn to Christ's death. Because of something I was reading by John MacArthur, my thoughts also went to injustice... and who suffers it.

Recent years have seen an almost bizarre interest in the inner workings of America’s justice system. Not so long ago, the notion of bringing live television cameras inside the courtroom was highly controversial. Now I am told there is "Court TV", an entire cable channel devoted to nothing but courtroom cameras and criminal justice.

Or sometimes injustice.

Human courts have a knack for turning justice completely on its head. The wicked often prosper while the righteous suffer.

One of the best historic examples of this is the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. No victim of injustice was "more innocent" than the sinless Son of God. However, no one ever suffered more agony than He did. He was executed by men who openly acknowledged His faultlessness. Yet at the same time Barabbas, a murderous, thief and revolutionary, was summarily set free.
Consider the facts: Jesus Christ was the only truly sinless individual who ever lived... the most innocent, blameless, virtuous man of all time. He "committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth" (2 Peter 2:22). He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Hebrews 7:26). And yet the torment and punishment He suffered in His death was worst than most have ever suffered. He bore the full weight of retribution for human evil. He suffered as if He were guilty of humanity’s worst offenses. And yet He was guilty of nothing.

It is easy to look at the cross and conclude it was the worst miscarriage of human justice in the history of the world. And it was. It was an evil act, done by the hands of wicked men.

But that is not the full story.

The crucifixion of Christ was also the greatest act of divine justice ever carried out. It was done in full accord with "the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23) and for the highest of purposes: the death of Christ secured the salvation of untold numbers and opened the way for God to forgive sin without becoming less-holy, himself.

The hard thing for me is that I am also called to pick up my own cross and follow Him. There are days that does not seem just from my human perspective.

When I wrote Julie Bowler (one of our International Teams' missionaries) recently, I quoted one of her fellow Brits. Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, "There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below." I hate it when someone comes up with something pithy that requires something of me and sticks in my head! An American, Vance Havner, said, "We need men of the cross, with the message of the cross, bearing the marks of the cross."

From a human perspective, Jesus' death on the cross was unjust. Still, it was God's plan for paying for our sins. From our perspective, the call for us to pick up our cross is cruel. Unfortunately, it is part of God's plan for reaching His world in His way.