Justice
In this
pivotal election year, we often hear our potential leaders discussing
the country of Iraq. Candidates from both sides debate about whether or
not to withdraw troops; they ponder what we can do to improve
conditions in that turbulent area. Both sides attempt to devise
solutions to the problems in Iraq. Yet, it seems as if the underlying
issues are not addressed. While our politicians debate numbers and
dates, there remains an absolute: violence. When one tribe or religious
denomination kills a member of a different group, the victim's group
retaliates. This process, this chain reaction explodes squabbles into
civil war. Vigilante justice like this is only a mockery, a farcical
form of justice. Retaliating against those who do wrong does no good,
it only makes more conflict.
In today's old testament lesson, we are told that "He will not
grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice." But, how
can we establish justice in our world? It's common for someone to say
that they work for justice, or that their actions were just. However,
how we carry out justice is affected by the events in our lives. How do
we respond to these events, from the traumatic to the mundane; do we
retaliate or do we forgive?
The nature of conflict is one of violence, it is the breeding
ground of strife. Acts of aggression and violence are brutal and
volatile. And, when people are met with these brutal actions, the most
common response is that of retaliation. While it is wrong for someone
to harm another, the damage done is not repaired when a victim responds
with violence. No matter how bad the original act was, it cannot be
fixed with more violence. If someone bumps into your car, bumping into
their car will not fix a dent.
In the heart of the holy land, Israel and Palestine, a terrible cycle of destruction continues unabated. An example situation: a member of Hamas in Palestine fires a mortar into Israel. The Israeli government responds with bulldozing houses in the area the attack originated in. Hamas
retaliates with bombing restaurants. Israel strikes back by attacking
suspected areas with attack helicopters. Over and over again this
endless waltz of destruction continues, with no end in sight. Neither
side is completely responsible for this situation; both sides have had
chances to stop the fighting, but have chosen revenge over peace.
It's common sense. If one man hits another, and then the other
man hit's the first back, they will keep on hitting each other. Like
dancers, both parties continue to retaliate, despite the simple fact
that if they had just stopped at any time, the whole fight would have
ended far shorter and without senseless brawling. As Gandhi famously
said "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind".
At 11:07 AM, on October 2, 2006, a man who had been laying siege to a small Amish school house in Pennsylvania
shot 10 girls between the ages of 13 and 6, killing 5 , before finally
killing himself. The Amish community responded with unbelievable
forgiveness; one of the victim's grandfathers said "let us not think
evil of this man". Not only did the community work to care for the
victims of the shooting, they also reached out to the family of the
shooter, they even formed a charity fund to help out those who were
affected by this tragedy. The fathers of the Amish girls went to the
parents of the shooter to provide any assistance they could.
What lesson can we see from this extreme example? When people
work together after a crisis, they can help to rebuild things and
restore life to how it was before. The Amish community did not shun the
shooter's family, they reached out to them. Everyone is victim when a
calamity like this takes place. By forgiving those who had hurt them,
the Amish provide for us an example of how retaliation is not the
solution, even in times of strife and violence.
Based on current events, the moral choice is to forgive, not to
fight. Now, it is time to ask this catchy question "What would Jesus
do?"
Well, what would he do? What do the actions of Jesus and the
events of his life teach us about how to respond to such tragic events?
Throughout Jesus' time on Earth, he never tried to force those who
called him a liar or fake to follow him. He did not use force in
response to tragedy, he used love and caring. Even in the end, when his
life had been sold to the Romans by Judas, when he was on the cross,
did he fight back?
No.
He certainly had the full ability to respond to any
attacks with overpowering force. After all, God could have destroyed
the Romans or worse, flooded the Earth again. Yet, Jesus remained on
the cross, and died there. And three days later he came back. Jesus was
not a violent man. When he was on Earth, he did all he could to help
others around him, and not once did he lash back after being attacked.
Jesus is the prince of peace, he is not a warrior.
So, what does our Christian faith teach us about justice?
Christians are the group of people who follow the teachings of Jesus
Christ, and Jesus showed the world what forgiveness truly means. Being
a Christian is not about going to church. It is not about having read
the Bible. It is about being Christ-like. Not by following the Bible
word for word, but by being Christ-like in our behaviors and actions.
God calls us to a ministry of righteousness; it is our duty to do what
is right.
If the world and our faith both show that those who are great are
those who forgive, then why do we so often hold grudges, or worse, act
on them?
We have a history of conflict. Throughout human history,
we are shown tales of "good" vanquishing evil, of men crushing other
men. In school, children are taught stories of valiant armies
destroying their evil opponents. These violent deeds are depicted as
necessary for the "greater good". Some people in our world do evil
things, yet that is no excuse for others to do evil things to stop
them. Good triumphs over evil by doing good, not by doing evil.
War is an inherently evil action. While history often glorifies
war, we need to realize that war is simply an elevated form of
violence, a brutal institution that serves only to wound those who are
powerless. A citizen in one country is worth the same as a citizen in
another, so what gives a nation the right to fight another, even in
self defense? In war, one country might be the victor, but all the
people ---civilians and soldiers on both sides--- are the losers, they
are caught in the unstoppable machine of conflict.
Still, it's not easy for people to always forgive. Times of
crisis elicit such emotional pain that it is often nigh impossible for
one a person to respond with peace. The times that are most difficult
are those when our morality is truly tested. A person may donate to
charity, he may help his community, but if he charges out to slaughter
people who do wrong, he is not a better person. It can be hard to
resist the temptation to lash out at those who do you wrong, but the
best rewards are those that you work hard to receive.
In our lives, we have the choice of deciding how we react to
situations. We cannot decide how others treat us, we cannot decide what
people do to us. But we can decide how we respond to those actions.
Based on our response, we can determine the outcome of the situation.
So, when someone lies to you, steals from you, or harms you in
any way, what will you do? Will you respond with violence and
aggression, will you punish those who do you wrong? Or will you forgive
those who have done you wrong? What will you do?
Henry Lydecker
January 13th 2008
5 Real Road (corner of Stockdale & Real)
Bakersfield, CA 93309
Phone: 661-327-1609
FAX: 661-327-4443
Sunday Services & Church School: 10 AM
(Services last about an hour, dress is casual)
Nursery care available
E-mail: firstcong(at)postoffice.igalaxy.net
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