When you hear the
word justice, what things comes to mind for you.
Punitive justice, is form of justice that focuses on
punishment to bring about change. Which
can be linked to a type of justice found in the Old Testament “an eye for eye,
a tooth for a tooth and taught by the Law.
Restorative justice is a form of justice which focuses on acceptance and forgiveness to
bring about change. Which can be linked
to a type of justice found in the New Testament and taught by Jesus.
Nov 24 2019:
Colossians 1: 11-20 Luke 23: 33-43
The statement that we hear Jesus make in verse 43 this
morning must have been profoundly touching to the criminal next to him, “I tell you the truth today you will be
with me in Paradise” But what about
all the victims this fellow left in the wake of his criminal activity. Especially those with whom he personal
affected as Jesus tells him these liberating words. What about you and I, how do we feel about
Christ’s, radical forgiveness for this person?
Is it touching for us, or do
we struggle with Jesus’ decision here? It’s
not fair you know! Do we really
understand the implications of what Jesus has said and what he has done for
this convicted and confessed criminal. There is nothing in scripture to let us in on
who this fellow really was. No one knows what else is hidden in his
sinful background for we are not told.
He might have been a wife beater or a child molester, a notorious
murderer, evil through and through, we just don’t know. It
would seem that in the blink of an eye, whatever his sinful past was, Jesus has
just wiped his slate clean, he is restored he is “forgiven” and the gates of paradise are wide open for him. This just doesn’t seem right, it’s just not
fair. Doesn’t he have to pay, should
there some form of punitive justice, shouldn’t there be punishment? This kind of justice might not be so easy to
accept if a confessed criminal happens to be the murderer who took the life of
a child, a man who raped and murdered a young women, or the leader of a country
{and we have had many I might add} who condemns thousands to death with just
the wave of his arm. But for this fellow, whomever or whatever
he was, Jesus’ words must have caused for him unspeakable JOY!! Jesus words directed to this man before
his death were radical words not of punitive justice but of restorative
justice, a justice that restores our relationship with God, which would have
been in perfect harmony with his short life and ministry of unconditional
forgiveness of sin. This act of
forgiveness is so difficult for our human nature to digest. In fact it is so difficult that many of us
cannot go there.
He preached liberation through surrender and
repentance, go and sin no more. He
restores the sick to health, the blind to sight and lamb to walk once
again. Their history of sin never keep
Jesus from seeking and finding them in their time of need. His teachings had so confused the status quo of
his day, the elders of the early church, priests, and the political keepers of
the law, that He was deemed a threat to their religion and their punitive way
of serving justice, an eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth. In Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus rejects this
notion of punitive justice under the law, then during His crucifixion He make a
new covenant with all who accept Him as their Lord and Savior.
His ministry had been controversial, powerful, and
world altering to the point that to those whom he threatened condemned him to
death by crucifixion. Jesus completely
understands that they are being blinded by their own self-righteousness they truly could not comprehend what they
had done, nor could they comprehend or understand Jesus’ radical form of
restorative justice something we know as unconditional forgiveness, no
strings attached. Jesus loved the other criminal just as much,
but his choice to ridiculing Jesus holds him captive and keeps him from the
prize. Can you imagine what kind of love would utter
these words? “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” Folks these
words were not just meant for the audience at the crucifixion, for we all truly
do not understand the implications of our sin.
We
often make judgements when it come to the sin of others but ignore to recognize
or admit to our own. Do I understand that I will be judged as I
have judged Matthew 7: 1-2 and that I will not receive that which I could not give?
Luke 6: 38 do we really upstand the implications here.
May I also suggest that Jesus illustrates for us in
this act of radical forgiveness that acceptance of one’s own sin and one’s own repentance
is the key to paradise and to His heart? Who among us then, is worthy of God’s Amazing
radical GRACE!! ALL ARE thanks be to God!!!
We truly do not know what happens the person who
rejects Jesus so we are cautioned not to make judgements because God is the source of GRACE and it just
might surprise us that grace is given to whomever God wishes, in what ever
portion God sees fit. This kind of unconditional
forgiveness that Jesus offers to a convicted criminal is a challenging notion because for many of us it is not fair. Our obsession, over being fair and demanding
punishment, inhibits our ability to believe and trust in the forgiving power of
God’s grace and mercy and it also inhibits our ability to believe that certain "other
people" deserve God’s grace and mercy.
As Christians, we make our confession, not because we
are weak, but because God’s power is made strong in our weakness and His love
is unending. We make our confession
because God’s grace is sufficient for all, no one is excluded. Confession is our way of surrender with the
hope of renewal and the opportunity to begin once again. We
confess our faith because we are people of the way, the way of Christ and as
followers of His way let it be known, we are a forgiven people folks. One of Jesus last restorative acts on this earth
was to proclaim that a repentant sinner would be with him that very day in
paradise. His final act: Oh praise God for it gives me hope for my
future. Let us pray.
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