I have been thinking about justice lately. We like to use that word: “With liberty and justice for all” in our pledge to the American flag, or maybe the “Justice League” if …
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I have been thinking about justice lately. We like to use that word: “With liberty and justice for all” in our pledge to the American flag, or maybe the “Justice League” if you happen to be a DC Comic fan, or even the familiar phrase, “has justice been served?”
What is justice? Well, I have discovered that has a rather complex answer. The word justice actually comes from Latin origin (jungere) and in that context it meant, to bind or tie together. Comparing ancient meanings of the word justice, we can see that the term begins to change a bit. In Rome, it began to center around a person or god/goddess being in charge of justice. Justitia, the Roman goddess of justice, weighed justice by holding a set of scales that balanced evidence and arguments equally (as justice is blind).
In Egypt it was Ma’at who weighed justice by placing a deceased person's heart on a scale and comparing it to her feather of truth; if the heart was heavier than the feather, it meant the person had led an immoral life and their heart would be devoured, but if it was lighter, they could enter the afterlife with Osiris in paradise. In Ancient Greece, Themis was the goddess of justice, wisdom and divine law and much like her Roman counterpart, she was blindfolded and held scales. However, the Hebrew word for justice (tzedek) encompasses more than mere fairness or punitive measures. Justice for the ancient Hebrews was a mixture of divine mandate, morality and righteousness.
So how do we as Christians perceive justice? If we truly believe that God will ultimately deliver justice to all people, because each person is the very image of God (“Imago Dei”), then shouldn’t we be … treating one another as equals … caring and advocating for the marginalized … acting with compassion and mercy to address injustices?
In Micah 6:8, scripture tells us "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
And, in Isaiah 1:17, the scripture says: "Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
In Matthew 22 a lawyer asks, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” The question is about law, not about the gospel. Jesus answered, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, “‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Our commandment to love is not the Gospel; loving God and loving your neighbor — it is the law. In this season of new beginnings, may we strive to remember that love and justice are not incompatible.
(Janita Krayniak is the pastor at United Church of Powell.)