The Myth of Justice

So much thought, time, and man power is pumped into the struggle for justice. I remember a certain super hero who stood for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." All the while, this super hero lived a lie by having duel identities, really only fought one person a a few monsters, and never went from rags to riches. But, I digress. Many people say that the only reason worth fighting for is the attempt to bring justice to those who do not have it.

What is justice? Is justice an ideal impartiality that makes decisions on the lawfulness of an action? - Who is impartial? Is justice the administration or the end result of the following of the law? - Whose law is used? Is justice being impartial, compartmentalized, and fair? - What is fair? Is justice conforming to the principles and ideals of one's metanarrative? - Can we do it?

God's justice seems to be mixed. God punishes the Israelites and other nations for their inabilities to follow Him alone, and this is just. God asks His people to care after those who cannot care for themselves (orphans, widows, those who are hungry, etc.), and this is just. According to Jesus, the justice of God exists when the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and the dead rise. According to Scripture, justice is not a shiny ideal created in the halls of the ivory towers. Justice is lived. "Love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly." Justice is an action.

In a fight between two parties, the "justice" system tries to find the guilty party and the oppressed party. The guilty party has some kind of sentence that is supposed to bring justice to the situation for all parties. However...if a woman is raped, justice for her is not merely the imprisonment of the guilty party. True Justice would have to take into account the fact that this woman has lost her sense of safety, of love, and of trust. True Justice would seek to correct the guilty parties problems by more than imprisonment. True Justice would recognize that justice cannot and does not occur on one day in a courtroom, but it will take a lifetime to create.

And, what is justice for countries? How much blood should be split before a country feels it has been justified? If the guilty party has been utterly destroyed, do we feel justified? If the death tools for both parties even out, do we deem that mission a justified mission? Whose justice does a country fight for? Can a dispute over apathy and faulty economics be settled by the banging of the war dreams and the slaughtering of thousands? Can a war over oppressive religious matters ever be solved by retributive justice or eye-for-an-eye vengeance?

Justice is God's work. True justice is not getting even. True justice is finding a way so that all parties (guilty and oppressed) will walk away with something to grow from. True Justice is not the implementation of the law process. True Justice is the willingness to judge and take on yourself the penalty. True Justice is not an ideal that can never be achieved. True Justice is real, lived, and experienced through the full life that comes with Jesus. It is experienced NOW, and it will continue forever.