METING OUT KINGDOM JUSTICE | KAIROS GLOBAL | MAY 2022

Author:  Raifiel Cyril. 

Intro: Justice cannot be separated from love, writes Raifiel Cyril. 

Justice is a virtue that is hidden deep within the ground and must be painstakingly mined for understanding and observation. While I could easily rattle off the CCC definition of justice as ‘the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbour,’ to define what that ‘due’ may be is a rather difficult matter altogether. 

Justice is often used in relation to crime and punishment and ensuring that justice is meted out to victims, and much is spoken and debated about it. But what is justice apart from crime? How do we practice justice in our daily lives? How do we give what is ‘due’ to our neighbour? And this can be understood so differently by everyone. While I may think my Prime Minister deserves due credit, others may perceive some criticism that is due him. 

Thus, to attempt to understand justice separated from love is a pointless pursuit. Without including love in the picture, what is ‘due’ to each man will be merciless consequences. That is surely not what the Word commands in Micah 6:8; And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. In fact, I suspect these three acts of justice, mercy and humility can hardly be removed from each other. The three walk hand in hand. Hand in hand with God. And who better to show us the best possible demonstration of these three virtues in action than our Lord Jesus Christ himself. The just, merciful, and humble Messiah who came not into this world to judge it but to save it. Instead of giving us our ‘due’ punishment, he covered our sin with his death. We were ‘due’ to die but the Judge himself took us off the stand and gave himself the death sentence. Which judge ever did that? And yet, isn’t this the kind of justice God is asking of us? To do as he did? To become the servant, the lesser, the one who loses his life, the one who gives away his coat, the one who offers his other cheek?

But this kind of justice is great when it’s God doing it for us. Us doing for others? Not so much. God doesn’t any longer tell us to ‘do to them what is due to them but do to them what is due to Me’. God tells us to love them as I have loved you, forgive them as I have forgiven you. He tells us that how we treat the least is how we treat him. Worldly justice is for the world. Kingdom justice is what God is calling you and me to. Kingdom justice is what was practiced by St Maximillian Kolbe in Auschwitz when he offered to die in place of another prisoner. Kingdom justice was practiced by St John Paul when he visited his assassin in prison, forgiving him. Kingdom justice was practiced by St Joseph when he received Mary as his wife even though she was with child. Kingdom justice is practiced every time you and I stop looking at each other to decide our next course of action and instead look to our Father in heaven. For when we look to each other we can only practice self-preservation, self-defence, justification and advocating for our human rights. But in Christ Jesus, our human right to death and punishment in hell was taken away! We fallible human beings can never stop having splinters in our eyes that are smaller than our neighbour’s, so wherein lies justice? Indeed, the only justice we will ever be called to mete out will be love. 

For Christ is our vindicator, our judge, and our counsel. Our calling is to stand back and let him fight our battles. To stand back and forgive. To stand back and see the face of God and our own faces in our brethren. We are all sinners in need of saving. So, who then do we fight and apply justice for? Indeed, for the poor, weak, the orphans, the vulnerable, the marginalised. Undoubtedly as the body of Christ, we seek justice for our brethren. Not a condemning justice, but one that builds up and empowers the voiceless.

Finally, how can we treat God with fairness? What is our due to God? Just treatment of God is giving him first place and second place and every place. Just treatment of God is giving him not just the first hour of our day but every single breathing minute. Just treatment of God is not just praising him when life feels downright lovely but even when it isn’t, ’cos he is still working behind the scenes! The fairest treatment of God is TRUST. Loving trust in God evidenced by our thoughts, words, actions especially in response to uncertainties and trials, is due him. May we repent of all our unpaid dues to the Just One and all who are his.