Jesus, Justice, and Peace: Part 2, Justice
For Christians, the words of Jesus are prized over all others in the Bible. In some Bibles, His Words appear red, to draw our attention to them, to remind us of His sacrifice, and to focus us on His teachings. The books most focused on the Words of Christ are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Gospels containing the Good News of Jesus’ teachings.
So, just what did Jesus say about justice and peace? Unfortunately, He never completely connects them the way humans would like.
Looking first at justice, there are 4 passages where Jesus talks about justice. Primarily, I use the Tree of Life version unless noted otherwise.
Matthew 12:15–21
The first time Jesus mentions justice in Matthew 12:15–21, He has healed a man with a diseased hand as well as others. As part of a warning to those healed, Jesus quotes Isaiah (42:1–4) about Himself:
“Here is My servant whom I chose, the One I love, in whom My soul takes delight. I will put My Ruach upon Him, and He shall proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A crushed reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, until He brings forth justice to victory. And in His name the nations shall hope.”
Jesus declares His purpose before the Father is to serve; He then lists how He will do it. He will proclaim in some versions is actually translated as to bring about or establish, indicating justice requires effort to be achieved.
The other line… until He brings forth justice to victory… is in some translations presented as leading justice to victory, indicating that Jesus sets the standard with His followers in working until justice is achieved.
Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42
The next time Jesus mentions justice is Matthew 23. In this passage, Jesus is challenging the religious leaders who are good at making others follow religious rules they themselves do not. When they do follow the rules, the motives are impure, focused on the accolades of men instead of the worship of God.
Specifically, justice occurs in verse 23: Woe to you, Torah scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, yet you have neglected the weightier matters of Torah — justice and mercy and faithfulness. It is necessary to do these things without neglecting the others.
To Christ, true faith wasn’t about ritual according to a standard; it was about a mindset. Justice, mercy, faithfulness… those character attributes that lead to right attitude and right relationship with others.
Let’s move on to Luke 11:42, very similar to Matthew 23:23. Jesus says: But woe to you Pharisees, for you tithe mint, rue, and every garden herb, yet bypass justice and the love of God. It is necessary to do these things without neglecting the others.
Again, Christ isn’t challenging good deeds; He’s arguing that proper attitudes should motivate good deeds. In this case, justice should be accompanied by God’s love, pure, unconditional, selfless.
Luke 18:1–8
Jesus again mentions justice in Luke 18:1–8. In this passage, He tells a parable, a simple story exposing a key moral teaching. A widow has a problem and needs help. She repeatedly talks to a judge to get justice. The judge eventually gives her what she has asked, not because he fears God or man, but because she sweetly nagged him to death.
Christ then argued that if the unjust human judge could give the widow justice, God Himself will grant justice to His people. In verses 7–8a: Won’t God do justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He be slow to help them? I tell you, He will quickly give them justice.
In essence, human beings can achieve justice. However, there are complex situations requiring intense, repeated prayer; God intervenes when righteous people pray fervently.
