Justice

Therefore justice is far from us,
   and righteousness does not reach us;
we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness;
   and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. 
We grope like the blind along a wall,
   groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
   among the vigorous as though we were dead. 
We all growl like bears;
   like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
   for salvation, but it is far from us. 
For our transgressions before you are many,
   and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
   and we know our iniquities: 
transgressing, and denying the LORD,
   and turning away from following our God,
talking oppression and revolt,
   conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart. 
Justice is turned back,
   and righteousness stands at a distance;
for truth stumbles in the public square,
   and uprightness cannot enter. 
Truth is lacking,
   and whoever turns from evil is despoiled. 

The LORD saw it, and it displeased him
   that there was no justice. 
He saw that there was no one,
   and was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm brought him victory,
   and his righteousness upheld him. 
He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
   and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
   and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle. 
According to their deeds, so will he repay;
   wrath to his adversaries, requital to his enemies;
   to the coastlands he will render requital. 
So those in the west shall fear the name of the LORD,
   and those in the east, his glory;
for he will come like a pent-up stream
   that the wind of the LORD drives on. ~ Isaiah 59:9-19
Justice that love gives is surrender; justice that law gives is punishment. ~ Gandhi
Until we are all free, we are we are none of us free. ~ Emma Lazarus
What is justice?

I remember years ago taking some version of the Myers-Briggs personality inventory and there was a question that asked which word I was more attracted to - "justice" or "mercy."  I struggled with that question then and I still do because for me the two are inexorably connected.

For some they are perhaps not opposites, but pretty close to incompatible.  

There is in one definition of justice the presumption of the assignment of merited rewards or punishments, and the idea of being "fair." Yet also tied up with the definition is the concern for peace, righteousness and respect for people.

One word covers a lot of territory.

Gandhi here defines justice in a way that I think begins to get to the heart of Christian understanding. In a gospel world - in God's merciful world - justice is surrender. Surrender to God. Surrender to each other.

 Surrender to love.

 Or to paraphrase Emma Lazarus, I'm not free if you aren't free.

Justice as we read this text is perhaps most notable by its absence:  "we wait for light, and lo! there is darkness; and for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope like the blind along a wall, groping like those who have no eyes"

In this situation of no justice in a dark world, we are told that God is displeased and enters in to intervene. We know that God in Christ provides the light to see justice so we can live justly, surrendering our own needs when needed if brings about justice for another.

Isn't that what loving our neighbor is all about?

 Because if justice isn't equal for all, is it truly justice?
God of justice, send your Holy Spirit to surround us with your love so that we may seek justice for all and that we may be merciful even as we ourselves beg mercy from you.  Amen.


 Thought for engagement:

 - How do you define justice?  Where does mercy fit?  
- Is justice really blind? Is it truly fair?   
- How are you being called to surrender to show love of neighbor?

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