Good Friday and Justice

Good Friday is about justice.

The price Jesus paid on the cross for all mankind is the result of pure justice.  Justice demands that a price be paid for sin, in order to be in relationship with a Holy God.  But perfect love and grace causes that same Holy God to pay the price for sin. (Rom. 3: 23-26)  Justice matters to God, but so does His grace and love.

However, the trial and execution of Jesus Christ is also about a travesty of justice.  He was improperly accused, improperly adjudicated, unrepresented, and improperly punished.  Christians believe that the crucifixion was preordained before the foundations of the earth were laid, and such a spectacle could only happen through injustice and fear.  But the trial of Christ is not an example of people acting justly toward each other.

Two-thousand years later, does justice matter to you?  The Lord requires us to be just.  Micah 6:8 states, "What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (NRSV)

In this Easter season, may we remember the importance of justice, the cost of injustice, and mostly, to appreciate Jesus for sacrificing Himself to fulfill perfect justice and perfect love at the same time.