And what does the Lord require of me? To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly
with my God. (Micah 6:8)
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the stories of the Bible
teach us more than how to be “holy”—they teach us how to be “human.” In so doing, they also illuminate themes recurring
over the ages into our contemporary society today.
Imagine this story line: a handsome, well-built young rising
star in government catches the eye of the First Lady. Starting with flirtation and then outright
seduction, the boss’s wife makes her desires known, literally demanding that he
come to bed with her. When he refuses
and runs from the scene, he leaves his coat behind, providing the “smoking gun”
the First Lady uses to falsely accuse the young man of rape. Shouting her claims of violation via the
media of the day, she secures her image as a tragic victim and her enraged
husband ensures the young man is imprisoned for his crime—justice secured…or justice denied?
Is this an episode of the popular television show, “Scandal?” It could be, but no—it’s the story of Joseph,
taken from the smoldering pages of Genesis
39: 1-20. In today’s vernacular, we would call Joseph’s case a “wrongful
conviction” and an example of justice gone awry.
When we hear this story, we might react immediately with, “That’s
unfair,” and we should—both for what happened then and what happens now. Wrongful convictions are nothing new. In fact, in a justice system designed to be
much fairer than the court of Potiphar, wrongful convictions still place people
behind bars for crimes they did not commit.
In fact, a study by the University of Michigan School of Law found a higher
rate of exoneration for wrongful convictions in 2015 than any other year. Other studies remind us that people of color,
already disproportionately represented in our penal system, constitute the
majority of those wrongfully convicted.
OK…you may be thinking that all of these citations are a
stretch for a Lenten devotional, but are they?
If we are called to “do justice” as Micah says, the examples of Joseph and
those who suffer the same fate today should be a call to us as people of faith
to continue to both pray and act: to pray for wisdom and fairness in
our justice system, and to act to ensure that the laws that govern our legal
proceedings stand up to scrutiny.
Jesus was also wrongfully convicted and paid the ultimate
price on our behalf. Knowing what was ahead
for him, Jesus taught the disciples (and us) about a new kind of justice…not
the “eye for an eye” justice of the Old Testament[1],
which we now call retributive justice,
to something completely different: You
have heard it was said, “eye for eye and tooth for tooth.” But I tell you…if anyone slaps you on the
right cheek, turn him the other cheek also (Matthew 5:38-39).
This is a mind-blowing approach to justice and to life,
literally. We cannot wrap our heads
around such a proposition! Our
either-or, in-and-out, right-and-wrong, black-and-white mindsets do not allow
for this. Our “software” requires a
major update for this teaching of Jesus to work!
And yet do we, as Christians, have any other choice? Jesus has redefined “justice” for us, from
retribution to restoration. It is far
less our task to be concerned with punishment than restoring those who “trespass
against us,” starting with forgiveness.
Reflection and Prayer:
Where are you holding on to a desire for retribution rather
than a heart for restoration?
Who needs your forgiveness?
Who do you need to forgive in order for you to move on?
How can your prayers and actions serve to do justice in the
way that Jesus expressed it?