The Way of Jesus:
What Justice Looks Like

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23).

“Justice is what love looks like in public. You can’t talk about loving folk and not fight for justice” (Cornell West).

When people think of justice, often what comes to mind is the notion of fairness. Justice involves the fair treatment of everyone. Even very young children develop beliefs about what’s fair and what’s not fair.

Related to fairness is the notion of consequences—meaning people get what they deserve for their actions. If those actions are harmful, justice entails bearing the consequences of those actions. This plays out in our homes and schools as well as in society within the parameters of our laws.

This is all helpful when thinking about justice. However, as followers of Jesus, we need to consider how Jesus thought about matters of justice. Throughout the gospels, Jesus expressed a view of justice that was fuller and that had God’s kingdom in view. Included in that is the core principle that God defines what is “fair” and what constitutes “just consequences.”

In Matthew 23:23, we observe Jesus confronting the religious groups of his day and calling them out for neglecting matters of justice and mercy—matters that were written into the laws of the Old Testament just as tithing was. Here, it appears that justice is linked with mercy and faithfulness. As followers of Jesus, we know that justness, mercy, and faithfulness are characteristics of God, ones that we should embody. Furthermore, the gospel writer Luke tells the same cautionary story using the sentence, “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone” (Luke 11:42, emphasis added). Again, justice is linked with another characteristic of God, this time with love.

For Jesus, love and justice go hand-in-hand.

As followers of Jesus, we need to embrace a biblical view of justice—seeing it as connected with mercy, compassion, and love. Pursuing justice does involve seeking what is fair and righting the wrongs. It also means addressing the effects of those wrongs and taking steps toward healing, restoration, and the wellbeing of others. Justice tempered with compassion and mercy should not eliminate consequences, but it should inform them. Biblical justice means everyone flourishes and human suffering and human need are eliminated. To God, this is what is truly fair and this is the hope of God’s kingdom that we look forward to as well as presently participate in.

Biblical justice is rooted in the very nature of God. God is always perfectly just.

Bible scholars would say that God’s justice is both retributive and restorative. Retributive justice refers to executing justice through punishment or consequences. As the Creator of all things, God has the right to set the moral boundaries for the people he created. God has the authority to define what is good and what is evil. And as a holy and righteous God, he also must deal with sin—when those boundaries are disregarded or broken.

We should find hope and reassurance in recognizing that God is the perfect Judge, who “reigns forever, executing judgment from his throne. He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness” (Psalm 9:7-8 NLT). But we must also humbly agree that we too are deserving of the judgment of a holy and righteous God.

Restorative justice entails repairing what is wrong and restoring victims of injustice to a place of wholeness, equity and shalom. It focuses on rebuilding what is broken, setting right what is wrong, returning what is taken or denied. It addresses the relationships as well as the actions. At the heart of restorative justice is the wellbeing and flourishing of all people. We know this is God’s redemptive plan for his world—no more conflict, no more suffering, no more broken relationships, no more oppression, no more fear of others, no more unjust systems, no more selfishness, no more going without food, no more feeling unsafe. Rather, a vision of community marked by compassion, love, generosity and equality in God-glorifying ways.

However, what we often witness around us is that people are inclined to disagree about what justice should look like in our communities. What is considered enough or fair when we consider giving money or aid to others? Who deserves what? Is it just for people to go without food or a safe shelter? In what ways does equality affect areas like jobs or aid? What about my rights? What things should be earned? Are “hand-outs” helpful? These can be difficult questions without quick and easy answers. However, when we think about these things with the world’s perspective, we tend to build a concept and even systems of justice that protect our own circles, our own people, our own ideas—but potentially at the expense of others. This is wrapped up in the fallen aspect of our humanity and in our desire to protect and focus on ourselves.

As Jesus followers, it is important for us to pay attention to how God defines justice and to whom he draws his attention and concern toward.

In Scripture, God is frequently attentive to the people in society who are more vulnerable, without protection, overlooked, oppressed, and taken advantage of.

Over and over, the Old Testament authors speak of society’s treatment of the widows, the fatherless, the foreigners, and the poor. These were the people with the least protection and the least resources. It’s not that people with more power or more money aren’t as important to God, but rather that these groups do not need others to speak up for them or help them the way more vulnerable people do. Here are just a few of the passages that advocate a God-ordained justice.

“Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this” (Deuteronomy 24:17-18).

“When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow” (Deuteronomy 24:20-21).

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed” (Psalm 82:3).

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed” (Proverbs 31:8 NLT).

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (James 1:27 NLT).

As you can see, there is a radical selflessness and generosity that are facets of justice.

What we as Christians know to be true is that everyone has sinned, everyone falls short of God’s glory and holiness, and everyone is deserving of death as punishment. It is why we put our hope and trust in Jesus. Can we just pause a moment and reflect on the most extraordinary and momentous action that Jesus took to bear your and my consequences as his own on the cross!

It is through the cross of Jesus that we are restored to right relationship with God and that God’s holy justice is satisfied. God’s justice isn’t erased—the cross truly and fully executes God’s judgement on sin. But in love, generosity, and grace, in the ultimate act of restorative justice, God makes right what is wrong and restores what is broken. Not because we’ve earned it, not because it is what is most fair, but because in Jesus, God’s love and justice meet.

When we keep in mind our own justification through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we should be people who extend God’s justice to a broken and hurting world.

Biblical justice can’t be boiled down to a set of rules. It must keep people and relationships as its focus. It must be shaped by truth, yes, but also by godly compassion and love.

Sometimes there are no easy answers, but if we want to follow Jesus well, then we are called to wrestle with ideas of justice. And more than wrestle, we are called to find ways to participate in things that bring restoration, that seek biblical justice, that work toward the wellbeing of all people.

Action Step

Sometimes a lack of understanding can stand in the way of pursuing justice. We need to be people who listen to the experience of the person who has struggled.

Come up with a list of everything you can think of that could be a justice issue. On a scale of 1-5, rate yourself on how well you have listened and sought to understand from the perspective of someone experiencing that justice issue.

Daily Scripture

Read each day’s Scripture passage and journal your responses.

Acts 23 | Acts 24 | Acts 25 | Acts 26 | Acts 27-28

What to do when you meet
with your group:

Begin with a short prayer.

Ask God to open your eyes to his perspective on things. Take turns each week.

Questions.

Begin by discussing how you are loving others.

What opportunities has God given you to love other people through serving, speaking truth in love, or pointing them towards Christ since we last met? How did you respond?

Talk about what God has been stirring in you through your time in the Word.

Share about one of your quiet times in the Bible.

Practice mutual confession.

Questions about section 1.

How would you define biblical justice?

What or who do you think Jesus showed the most concern for?

What does this mean for you as a Jesus follower? How does biblical justice inform the choices you make and how you respond to injustice in the world? (It might be helpful to consider spheres such as finances, political positions, personal time commitments, community opportunities, etc.)

End your time by praying for each other.

Pray that you would see the world the way Jesus does and seek biblical justice in the ways that God is leading you into. Pray that you would boldly live into God’s kingdom purposes.