Have you ever walked down a street with a group of people
headed in the same direction? Whether
acquainted with them or not, it seems as
if there is an unspoken, yet general consensus of the acceptable pace that you
should be walking. Your steps may even
become synched with those around you, creating a symphony of strides along the
pavement. Then you realize, in the middle of this sonata, that you are actually
inclined to go in the opposite direction.
It can be intimidating, gazing at all the mystified faces and probing
eyes that beckon to know the reason that you are disrupting the flow, yet their
bewilderment and disapproval will not negate the fact that you need to go the
other way. This is the predicament I find myself in today. I am looking forward
at oncoming traffic during a very volatile time. I feel as if I am standing in the moment of
cautious anticipation, as though awaiting the thunder to crash moments after
seeing lightning illuminate the sky. Nevertheless, my goal is clear and my
conviction is strong so I will endeavor to swim against the current, challenge
perspective and encourage that we seek to view the affairs of life through the
lenses that God looks through rather than our own.
"Someone must
pay!"...These few, energized and passion-filled words carry with them the
official notice that there has been a failure to settle arrears. It denotes
that there is a standing debt that must be resolved and someone is required to
accept responsibility for it. It bellows a demand for justice. Unfortunately,
this demand, all too often refers only to the aspect of justice that reflects
retribution. It calls for justice to exercise its authority and administer to
the respective party exactly what they deserve. Rarely, though, does this
request summon justice as a whole. Not only welcoming the side that drives the
gavel to the sound block announcing punishment, but also the side that
soothingly conveys the message, “the debt has been satisfied”. This other
“face” that I am referring to is restoration. Restoration is defined as “the
return of something to a former owner, place or condition”. It implies that
someone or something is placed back in the original state prior to the catalyst
of change. It is as much a part of justice as is retribution, but a very distorted
and inaccurate picture can be painted if left unacknowledged. Restoration
battles to show itself as a worthy co-representative of justice but is often
overshadowed by its counterpart. This concept of unadulterated justice is
illustrated in Ezekiel 18:20-29. Two scenarios
are given: one is of a righteous person who ceases from doing right and begins
to do evil. The other is of a wicked person who ceases doing wickedness and
begins to do good. The righteous person, who begins to do evil, dies. The
wicked person, who begins to do good, lives. At this particular time, I don’t
want to begin a dialogue about what defines righteousness and wickedness…that’s
for another discussion. Rather, let’s
highlight the point that justice is administered in both scenarios, but not with
the same method. Retribution is assigned
to the wayward, righteous person. Restoration is assigned to the reformed,
wicked person. Was the administration,
in both cases, not considered just? If a person commits a crime and carries out
the sentence imposed, at the end of the sentence, is it not equally just to
release the person because they fulfilled their obligation? If their detainment
was prolonged due to non-compliance of the enforcers, would that not be
considered unjust?
I am willing to step out on a limb and say that we, as human
beings, acknowledge and understand that consequences do follow offenses. I am
not, however, as confident to defend our awareness that once amends have been
made then punishment becomes void and liberation or release is in order.
Indeed, someone must pay for the debt that is owed and well deserved punishment
must be executed on the guilty. That is justice, right? With that said, what if
the debt has already been paid? What if punishment has already been
administered? What position does that then place the guilty? It is, then, the
responsibility and in the nature of justice to exonerate. The apostle John puts
it in this way: “He [Jesus] Himself is the sacrifice that atones[makes amends]
for our sins[offenses] and not only our
sins[offenses] but the sins[offenses] of all the world”(1
John 2:2). All of the offenses, of every person has been punished and
dealt with in the life of Christ Jesus. Retribution is evident in His death on the
cross, therefore we are released from it. Justice must be true to itself and
afford us the restoration that is now due. Now, I understand that this concept
may be logical and even acceptable in theory. The difficulty presents itself when it is
applied to actual situations such as the Trayvon Martin case. It strums anger
and unforgiveness within many, only to lead them to utterly reject the idea
that provision has been made for the guilty to walk free. The perception of justice then becomes
distorted and we are left with a Quasimodo-like depiction of it. Could it be possible, that what we have
considered and claimed to be “justice” is actually a form of revenge? Absent of
mercy and focused on punishing in return for being injured. I am in no way
proposing that we minimize or make light of the loss incurred by wicked and
selfish acts. Neither am I condoning wrongful deeds committed against one
another. I am suggesting that we take a
closer look at what justice really is so that we are not found guilty of the
injustice that we so ardently oppose.
Jesus gave His life not only for the victim, but also for the culprit.
His actions conveyed His desire for us to know justice in its entirety and to
experience the mercy that travels with it. Would we really want God to allocate
the justice to us that we dole out to others? Jesus was punished… that we may be released. Justice served.
