JUSTICE & MERCY

When we see and experience brokenness around us, sometime it’s hard and overwhelming to know what to do and where to start. As followers of Jesus, we must ask ourselves, “What is my faithful response to the pain and suffering around me? What does God require of me?”

The following passage is God speaking to the prophet Micah, asking this very question, “What does the Lord require of you?” Micah 6:8 (NIV) says the following:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

The first thing to note is that God has shown us “…what is good.” God continues to reveal, model, share, and show us God’s goodness and faithfulness despite our own rejection and rebellion against God. And yet it’s from that experience of God’s goodness in the midst of our own brokenness where we are then invited and called to respond to the brokenness of the world in the same way. 

God spoke this through the prophet Micah (and others) and further exemplified this through the life and ministry of Jesus, who then also called those willing to follow him to walk in this same manner. Jesus summarized all of the Law and the Prophets (including Micah) in this way: 

“…‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Matthew 22:37-39, NIV)

When we are joined with God, we are shown and we experience God’s goodness. And when we experience God’s goodness, we are required to extend that same love and goodness to others. 

And yet what does it mean “…To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God?” and what could it mean for us today and the next day?  

First, justice and mercy are different. Mercy is often synonymous with compassion and kindness. Mercy is typically done in response to someone’s need. If someone is hungry, I can show mercy by giving them something to eat. This is wonderful and we are encouraged to do it often. Justice, on the other hand, pushes much further. Not only do we respond with mercy by providing a meal for someone who is hungry, but justice asks the question, “Why? Why is this person hungry?” And that’s a big question! Even still, the question must be asked, because wouldn’t it be better if the problem of hunger went away rather than only our response with mercy? 

Imagine a scenario where an empty room contains only a running water faucet, a small cup, and an open window. An individual is then instructed to prevent the room from flooding with water. One could imagine the individual frantically running, grabbing, and filling the small cup, then dashing over to the open window to empty its contents. Over and over this continues. Until finally, the individual realizes he/she has to simply turn the faucet off. 

In a similar way, justice requires us to look at the bigger picture as to why things are happening, rather than just reacting to them, in order to find solutions that bring about permanent wholeness and restoration. 

Jesus didn’t only react to our brokenness. He certainly showed mercy, kindness, and compassion but his primary mission was to provide justice; to solve the problem of what has been causing our brokenness in the first place. Jesus went straight after sin and death in order for the whole world to experience what it was like to be in the presence of God and God’s Kingdom. And then he charged his followers to continue living this out by responding with mercy but also seeking justice for the oppressed so that the oppression would cease. This is the kingdom image Jesus showed us and now calls us to build and live into more fully each and every day. 

So, here we are. What is your faithful response to what’s happening? How will you show mercy, kindness, and compassion? How will you then also push deeper by asking, “Why?” and begin working toward justice? It’s a lot but I encourage you to ask the big questions and find your faithful next step.

And we’re here to help you with that. We’ll start by walking humbly with God and each other to figure this out faithfully, together. 

What’s next?

You can learn more about the process of reconciliation that helps us and holds us accountable to this faithful work.