O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet,
O trysting place where Heaven’s love and Heaven’s justice meet!
~~~~~
(I have removed the first paragrah due to a somewhat graphic story. If you want to read it in context, go here.)
Mercy and Justice
J.M. Njoroge
The debate raised by this case was gripping enough, but what I found to be most fascinating was the intense contest that was unfolding outside the premises where the execution was scheduled to be carried out. Both the proponents as well as opponents of the death penalty camped outside, eachside trying to drown the other’s voices. The news of the execution was greeted by a boisterous cry of triumph from those who had so vehemently sought justice for the crime. Others were left wondering where, when, and how mercy applies when the life of an individual hangs in the balance.
This drama was a classic representation of the two most disparate poles of justice and mercy. How are the guilty to be spared in cases where absolutejustice is administered? If there are no shortcuts, no bribes, and noturning of a blind eye against evil, what hope is there for those wedgedbetween the jaws of justice? The tension between justice and mercy is areality with which we all live, and depending on the circumstances, ourhunger for vindication is only matched by our plea for mercy and forgiveness.
The biblical solution to this conundrum is uniquely ingenious in bothlogical and relational terms. It was at the Cross of Jesus where God’sjustice was perfectly administered and his eternal mercy publiclydisplayed when God took upon Himself the punishment meant for the guilty. The perfect, sinless, infinitely just God devised the means whereby sinful, guilty human beings could be justly reconciled to God without an ounce ofguilt being swept under the carpet. No other proposed means of liberationfor humanity in the world even begins to address this dilemma. The rhetorical force of the question posed by the author of Hebrews oughtforever to haunt every seeker of justice, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation” (Hebrews 2:3)?
Unfortunately, some stumble over the gospel of Christ even whileincessantly seeking either justice or mercy in matters they deemthemselves entitled to judge. When our sense of justice is threatened, werarely hesitate to demand answers, whether the object of our wrath is amere child or a perfect God. This is nowhere more evident than in thecurrent attack on the character of God based on his administration ofjustice, especially in the Old Testament. But at the root of thisreaction lies the failure to appreciate the full implications of what onereally asks for when one demands justice. If justice is to be absolutelyserved, the guilty cannot go unpunished. The only recourse for the guiltyis to seek mercy, and mercy cannot be demanded.
Old Testament saints harbored no illusions about God being subject totheir standard of justice, for they were no strangers to his terrifyingholiness and hence the gravity of sin. The fact that the Israelites werehis chosen people did not keep them from facing the consequences of theirown disobedience, as even a casual reading of the book of Lamentationswill show. It was not without reason that the script writer for themotion picture Fiddler on the Roof, which chronicles the strugglesof a Jewish family, has the lead character suggest that God choose otherpeople the next time around.
Part of the reason why we are disinclined to recognize our own need formercy may be due to the fact that our clamor for justice, howeverimpassioned, is almost always skewed in our favor. Narrow indeed is thepath to the dark recesses of our own hearts. But there the light of thegospel must shine, and our strong sense of justice demands that we agreewith God’s assessment of our true condition. Nothing short of the kind ofrepentance that produces humble love within those who turn to Him can everpoint humanity towards their identity and purpose. Without a clearglimpse of our own sinfulness, not even God can measure up to ourlopsided, self-righteous standards.
But if God is anything like the Scriptures say He is, then not only shouldwe expect Him to judge sin but we can also be confident that, in the end,no one will be able to find fault with his verdict. That is why Abrahamwas able to trust in God’s righteous judgment, even beyond the grave, whenhe chose to sacrifice Isaac at the behest of his Creator. He reasoned thatGod is able to raise the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Whenever we demand justiceand obedience, we affirm the same standard that also condemns us. Theyare blessed indeed whose passion for justice is informed by the mercy of the Cross.
Copyright(c) 2008Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM).Reprinted with permission.A Slice of Infinity is a ministry of Ravi Zacharias InternationalMinistries
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