My guess is that if you ask 100 followers of Christ if they believe in justice, you'd get 90 saying yes.
And yet, injustice passes us by everyday.
It's in the eyes of the homeless man with a sign that says, "Anything will help."
It's in the grumblings of a single mom working two jobs to keep her kids off food-stamps.
It's in the hands of a child who has no friends because he talks different.
It's in the AIDS ward of a hospital down the street.
It's in the sighs of an aging pastor who sees his congregation join a mega-church so they can get what they want.
It's in the tears of a foreign woman who is trying to find a job with the American dream being shattered by the American reality.
It's in the mouths of those who yell about a future hell and ignore those who are already living in it.
It's in the products we buy that are being made by slave children in a world away.
It's in the heart pounding of creation watching herself be destroyed by those commissioned to nurture her.
It's in the loneliness of an elderly woman who has been left alone with a TV and medical staff as her only companions.
And that's just in Northern Colorado.
Throwing money something is not justice. Crying foul is not justice. Getting your hands full of shit because you're cleaning it off someone who is covered in it - that's justice.
I heard the saying, "No one cares about injustice until it happens to us."
And yet Jesus crushes injustice. He pursues it like a starving lion stalking a lame animal for prey. He was beaten and bleed for it - suffering injustice Himself.
So what is our response?
I want to be the other 10 that say, I don't believe in justice - I believe in DOING justice.
May the God of justice hunt us down and teach us how to do justice as he did.
2 comments:
Good words bro, i agree that it involves being action orinetated but i am not so sure we should write off action that involves giving of our money, or our time, skills etc.
Yes getting hands dirty is one form of direct activist form of justice but it is not the only way to be about doing justice.
Hi Paul,
That's kinda my point.
We should give more than just our money by giving our time, skills, etc.
And money. There are some things I can only give money too and I'm happy to do it to support those who are getting their hands dirty.
The point I'm making, is that we as humans so often just throw a dollar down to the homeless guy on the sidewalk and never do anything else. Jesus didn't throw his money down, but threw his life down.
We tend to call it justice, when it's really pity.
We all don't have to be Mother Theresa, but we can't just write a check and think we've done justice either. I'm all for writing checks, but I'm also all for doing something in our sphere of influence that can make the world a better place. And here in America, many people just write the checks and think of nothing more...
Pity is throwing a dollar down (or pound!)
Compassion is giving a dollar and hug.
Justice is walking with them as Jesus does to make lives whole with future and hope.
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