We Talked About Justice

A teammate shared a story of a child’s experience with injustice.

The discussion exposed old and new pains. Like many late-night conversations, this one raised questions, deepened relationships, and opened doors to further dialogue. Sharing our stories isn’t about providing answers. It’s about disclosing a part of who we are. Hopefully that process leads to the mystery and wonder of vulnerability, friendship, and love.

Our jersey proclaimed JOURNEY FOR FREEDOM AND JUSTICE. As the week progressed, I realized I needed to develop my personal understanding of justice. There’s society’s justice and there’s kingdom justice. As I see it, they’re divergent.

Society’s justice is a flawed system created by imperfect people to manage behavior in a broken world. It’s political. It involves compromises. Society’s justice inherently rests on preventing wrong.

Doing right is a bonus. One avoids the justice system simply by not doing anything wrong. Or by not getting caught doing anything wrong. Or by having a really good attorney or being a person of privilege if you did do something wrong.

Imperfect as it is, society needs a justice system, hopefully as fair, impartial, and effective as possible. But society’s justice can never be kingdom justice.

Kingdom justice is about setting things right, aligning circumstances with God’s perfect will. It requires things like reconciliation, restoration, forgiveness, and wholeness. Kingdom justice involves more than avoiding wrong; it’s about actively doing right.

I don’t believe kingdom justice involves balancing the scales, handing out consequences, punishments, and rewards. Jesus talked about loving our enemies and doing good to those who persecute us. He told stories in which undeserving people received disproportionate rewards. He died on the cross for my sins.

Kingdom justice is radically unfair.

Our goal, I think, as followers of Jesus, is to do what we can to seek kingdom justice in an imperfect, broken world. We can go beyond simply not doing wrong. We can, where possible, set things right. We can seek reconciliation. We can forgive.

For the kids at the HOME OF HOPE, justice means giving them the opportunity to grow into the men and women God intended. It means providing counseling and aftercare to heal emotional and psychological wounds. It means helping them forgive so they don’t carry the burdens of anger and resentment. It means, where possible, restoring relationships.

It means making sure they know Jesus.

That’s what this thing is about–we’re supporting those who are setting things right for 22 kids whose world was horribly wrong.

Society needs a system to regulate behavior, punish harmful actions, and confine dangerous individuals. Can we agree, however, that a justice system based on punishment hasn’t done much to curb negative behavior?

Courts and prisons can never set things right. Only light can drive out darkness.

Only love can set things right.