The Eternal Cry for Justice

Last month, in keeping with Easter Sunday, I wrote about the strong historical evidence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead. As a result, Christ-followers should find great assurance in, and take great joy from, their faith in Jesus being substantiated.

 

The Scriptures go on to say that there were forty days between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension, and that Jesus spoke often during that forty-day period concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). I have too many thoughts and emotions swirling inside me when considering the significance of Acts 1:3, so let me tell you a short story to set it up.

 

Some years ago, I was invited to go to Haiti. I was tasked with helping build a cinder block school in the daytime and teach marriage classes in the evening. Before leaving, the team leader told me to not take or wear any valuables since it was highly likely we would be robbed sometime during the 7-hour ride on a flatbed truck from Port-au-Prince, the nation’s capital, to Pignon, a small village in the northeastern mountains. The story of why we didn’t get robbed is too long to tell here, but what I witnessed while there was even more shocking.

 

The shock upon landing and extending all the way up into the mountains was the degree to which governmental corruption had nearly everything and everyone in danger—the material poverty, the physical illnesses, the environmental havoc, and the spiritual bankruptcy were inescapable and profound. There are scenes and experiences I witnessed that have marked me. I often think of the people I worked with for just one week whose lives continue to be one of ongoing, unjust suffering. They did not ask for this pain; it was put upon them. And they have no recourse. They will live their entire existence there, suffering unjustly, and then fade away into what?

 

Back in the confines of my safe and sanitized home, whether I’m looking over the headline news or my counseling schedule for the week, the cries of injustice—a wrong has been inflicted or a good has been denied—are everywhere. Wars are obvious places of injustice, where innocents are handicapped and others die, where victims starve while their leaders luxuriate. Then there are the uncountable daily injustices that occur outside of war: discrimination based on age or race, favoritism based on beauty or wealth, family secrets of abuse and neglect, scams preying on the elderly and vulnerable, workplace malpractice in both corporate life and church body. On and on it goes. There are times I just want to scream.

 

Christians believe those screams are heard. From the first one to the last one. “And God said to Cain, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground’” (Genesis 4:10). “They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” (Revelation 6:10).

 

Of course, the cry for justice requires there be a judge to adjudicate each case. If you have no judge, well, you’re out of luck. The drone that was sent into your apartment building and eviscerated your non-combatant family, or that drunk driver that hit your grandmother head-on and took her out, none of that matters a thousand years from now if there’s no justice. It was all just an accident in stardust. Or maybe just bad code in the simulation.

 

If you’ve lived a mostly comfortable life, you might be willing to accept that. But if you’ve really suffered, are you ok with that?

 

Christian Scripture is not ok with that, and this is where the resurrection of Jesus comes into play. Christian theologians say that Jesus holds three offices: prophet, priest, and king. Jesus comes into the world holding those three offices and he dies as such. But if Jesus has not risen from the dead, then he’s a false prophet, an ineffectual mediator, and he has no kingdom.

 

For my purposes here, I will only point out the value of Jesus as a risen king. It’s in the role of king that Jesus reigns and rules. He has the authority, integrity, wisdom, and power to judge each injustice. As the story unfolds in the Bible, a tension grows of one who’s coming, like but superior to king David (1 Samuel 2:12). I believe that is Jesus. Here’s a very brief sample of what Scripture says about Jesus’ rule as king:

 

His rule is universal. “His rule shall be from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9:10).

 

His rule is everlasting. “May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun!” (Psalm 72:17).

 

His enemies are defeated and destroyed. “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (Psalm 110:1-2).

 

His people are delivered and protected. “For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight” (Psalm 72:12-14). “He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’” (Jeremiah 23:5-6).

 

Perhaps the most glorious snapshot of the fulfilled justice we all long for and what Jesus promises via his resurrection is found in Isaiah 11. I’d encourage you to meditate on those sixteen verses and let your heart be filled in anticipation of the day when the cries for justice from God’s people are finally fulfilled.

 

Since all of these are Old Testament prophecies about the coming king, it’s fair to ask when does Jesus actually sit down on his throne and begin his rule? Though Jesus was always a king, it is the resurrection and ascension into heaven that he fulfills the complete role of his kingly office. Think of Easter as a coronation ceremony at which point the King sits on his throne, takes up his scepter, gathers his troops, and then the great conquest begins.

 

You and I, fellow Christian, are now part of that ongoing conquest until our King returns. How? Now that Jesus has made us righteous through his atoning death and then guarantees our justification through his resurrection (Romans 4:25), we are to go about our day doing justice as Jesus did. We can’t make every wrong right, nor can we completely heal all that is broken. But we can do something for “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, since they do not have the means to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:13-14).

 

Because the complete satisfaction of justice requires both a bloody cross and an empty tomb.