what matters to jesus | justice

Isaiah 1:17, ESV
Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

There is always a crowd. There are always onlookers. People who watch our lives. We may not know it but who we are can speak louder than what we say. Our values have a voice even when we’re silent.

Jesus knew this. He was always aware of the crowd. He ministered to the person in front of him, but he knew there were onlookers. And he lived and gave voice to the values of the Kingdom so everyone could understand more about the Father, more about themselves, and more about Jesus’ own purpose. And I think if something matters to Jesus, it should matter to me, too. So we're looking at five values Jesus shares with the crowd. We have considered and inclusion, and today we look at justice. Justice matters to Jesus.

Jesus was critical of the religious leaders of his time because they consistently misrepresented God. They placed burdens on his children and neglected justice and mercy.

Injustice incenses Jesus and it should us. Just think about the incident of the woman found in adultery. She is the victim of a deep systemic injustice that judges her more harshly than the man who committed adultery with her. Jesus challenges the thinking that led to that discrimination and there is thinking behind injustice in our time we need to challenge, too.

This isn’t a political statement, it’s a faith statement. God shares his heart for justice all through the Bible (Amos, Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah...) and calls his people to speak for those who have no voice. How each of us does that will depend on the focus God gives us, but we all have a role to play in speaking truth.

The crowd watches us and sees when we stand for what is right. And that points to Jesus.

Until next time

L x

PS: I wrote a book on developing resilience. It's getting great reviews and you can buy it here. I'd love to know what you think.