Seems like nearly every day (hour?) you'll hear somebody, somewhere, cry out a phrase most of us learned to speak right after "Mine!" as a child. What is it? Let me see if you can figure it out. What's the first thing you think of when you see someone being mistreated? Hopefully, "That's not fair!" jumps to mind, and it indeed has become one of the most prolific proclamations among us as relatively-spoiled-compared-to-the-rest-of-the-world Americans.
The great UCLA coaching legend, John Wooden (if you're too young, Google him - you'll be impressed!) was challenged in his prime about his approach to the game of basketball. Now, he was blessed with an almost unimaginably talented group of men over an extended period of time - so much so that he literally couldn't use them all at the same time! When taken to task about why he played certain future Hall-of-Famers more than the others, being called categorically "unfair" in his decisions, he responded with one of the greatest quotes of all time (in my humble opinion). It went something like this:
"Our culture has done a great disservice to people in determining that in order to treat every person fairly, each person must be treated the same."
Coach Wooden knew his players' strengths, weaknesses & abilities better than anybody, and in doing so, knew exactly when & where to play each one of them so that their contributions would be maximized for the good of the team. If that meant in one game a "star" played 40 minutes and another sat, it was the coach's call. And if the next game the roles were reversed, it was the coach's call.
This is exactly why Jesus actually treated different people differently. In our equality-minded culture, this sounds almost reprehensible, for I know that as a pastor, people expect me to treat everybody the same. But if you really think about it, treating everybody the same is one of the most unfair things we can do.
To expect "Johnny" to run a 5-minute-mile at 300# just because "Tommy" can (at 140#) is ridiculous. And to demand that my son be a great singer because his sister is, equally ridiculous. One step further - if an employer treated all his or her employees the same, regardless of skill or performance, he or she would quickly lose all the top performers and the business would settle into mediocrity.
The way our treatment of others is manifested will be different for different people...it must be...because different people have different needs, strengths, skills & potentials. But hear me well, the reason for that treatment must be absolutely the same - because we love them.
Back to Jesus, this is why He was "hard" on some (because they needed a kick in the seat...or a wakeup call) and "easy" on some others (because they needed hope or encouragement or such). In no way did He treat everybody the same, but He absolutely treated everyone fairly.
Thank God that He does not treat us all the same, but that He treats us according to what we need, granting compassion when it's needed and correction when it's needed; both a tender shoulder and a stiff-arm (at just the right times).
I'll be the first to confess that I don't always get this right - not by a mile - but I am endeavoring in my daily life to be more this way, asking the Lord continually for wisdom to know who needs what and when. If I, by His grace, can be more and more like Him in my desire & ability to do this, just maybe I can improve on my ability to give each person what they need most...the love of God with skin on!
The next time you're tempted to cry out, "Hey, that's not fair!" Remember that it's "the coach's call" and with our Heavenly Coach, he's never lost a game yet! What may seem quite unfair to us, may indeed be the very best thing that can happen.
