When most people think of justice, I think the general perception is positive. After all, we have a “justice” system to make sure that criminals are punished, that people are treated fairly, and that society at large abides by a set of rules that prevent us from succumbing to the darkest places in our hearts. We have “justices” of the peace who handle smaller court matters and perform marriages. We hear things like “justice was served” in our media, and there’s even a comic about a team of heroes called the “Justice League”. Justice is good, right?
Further, even the Bible addresses the issue of “justice” – “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”, right? There’s your “justice” right there!
The problem with justice, however, is that it’s often based on own own biases and prejudices about what is or is not “fair”. And, we forget that “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” was not actually prescribing a system of justice, but prescribing limits on how far justice could go (back in the days when this was written, people had a tendency to take justice way too far – for example, if someone stole a sheep, they could possibly face death!).
Sometimes, administering “justice” is easy – if my son takes something from his sister, he has to give it back. If one them breaks someone else’s toy, they have to replace it. If I make a mess, I have to clean it up.
We know, though, that life’s rarely that simple. Take, for example, the criminal justice system. If someone murders someone and are locked away in jail for the rest of their life because of it, does that all of a sudden make up for the loss of life? What about circumstances where a person who commits murder is taken away from their children for life? How “fair” is it that those kids do not get to grow up with their dad or mom? At least one of the providers for the family is now gone and who now is responsible for supporting the ones who did nothing wrong?
That isn’t at all to say that evil shouldn’t be dealt with – it must, or the fabric of our whole society is at stake. It’s just that a lot of people look at justice as an solution or an end, but this is where justice becomes a trap.
I personally know some really good people who have strong moral character and a strong sense of right and wrong. The problem, however, is that they can sometimes obsess over times when they are wronged and demand that justice be done. Seeking “justice” becomes an all-consuming mission, and talking about grace or forgiveness with them isn’t an option until justice is done. Evil must be confronted, period and end of story!
When one paints a picture of justice that looks like that, it’s easy to see how justice could end up tearing a person to pieces. Yet, this occurs to each one of us when we:
- Refuse to forgive a friend who hurt us by saying or doing something something that was ill-considered.
- Expect that those who act like fools will all of a sudden see the error of their ways and making amends for all of the people they’ve hurt.
- See evil as a force that must be confronted, even if we have to “go at it alone”.
- Obsess over the behavior of others.
- Cry out at the injustice of an immoral person receiving any time of reward or promotion.
- Stubbornly hold onto “moral” behaviors that are ruining our relationships and our lives.
- Rail against the injustice of how we’re being treated.
To be honest, it is a bit frightening to me how easy it was to come up with this list, because I have let each and every one of those things happen to me over the years, and there’s no doubt that in each time, engaging in those behaviors left me empty, alone, angry, bitter, disillusioned, disheartened, paranoid, and ultimately, broken. God knows that obsessing over justice creates bondage in our hearts and minds, but luckily, He has a plan!
First, he tells us to leave the ultimate justice to Him, which completely sets us free from having to worry that justice will be done. We have to have the patience and faith to know that God is going to take care of things, whether we see it or not, and whether or not it happens in this life or the next. We have to learn to “let it go”, and “love our neighbors as ourselves”, even if things are not perfect.
Second, God sent His Son to usher in and model what the Kingdom of God should look like. It is a Kingdom where we are free to exercise grace, a Kingdom where we can be defined by God’s justice, and a Kingdom where we can bring Heaven into any place where we see Hell.
This is why in Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” – he is telling us not to worry about tomorrow or what’s going on around us. God will take care of it if we only let Him! Meanwhile, we have a duty to make sure we’re defined by grace, forgiveness, and ultimately, love. As Oswald Chambers says in his book My Utmost for His Highest, “Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to [God]”.
Let God take over – not only does He want to, but He sees a bigger picture anyway. Set yourself free from the justice trap and live life to the full!