Rev. Cary M. Richert
Midweek Lenten Service 6
March 28, 2007

IS THERE NO JUSTICE?
Isaiah 53:8

    He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

          Throughout history the world has been full of injustices.  People clearly guilty of crimes they committed get off on technicalities.  Innocent people are convicted for crimes they never committed.  People are mistreated, even annihilated, simply because of their race. Millions of unborn children are destroyed, never having a chance at life.

          We ask, "Why doesn’t God do something?  Why doesnt He intervene to prevent the injustices?"  Or, as the prophet Jeremiah asked centuries ago:  You are always righteous, O Lord, when I bring a case before you.  Yet I would speak with you about your justice:  Why does the way of the wicked prosper?  Why do all the faithless live at ease? [Jeremiah 12:1   In other words, "LORD, why does your righteousness appear to be so unjust from where I sit?  I don’t get it!  Help me out here!"

          What would you say?  How would you respond to Jeremiah's lament?  Why does God continue to allow injustice in the world?  Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, proposed that God isn't powerful enough to stop evil and injustice. ⁽¹⁾   Others, as reflected in Bette Midler’s popular song, From a Distance, suggest that God is too distant and disinterested to care about these things on earth.  Atheists would answer that there's no God at all ... injustice is simply powerful, spoiled, greedy people selfishly getting their way at the expense of others.

          But consider this: if God were to completely eliminate all injustice, then we'd have to go too.  How often haven't each of us gone unpunished 

Ø     When we exceed the speed limit?

Ø     When we're less than honest in preparing our taxes?

Ø     When we break the Lord’s holy commandments and lie, cheat, steal, gossip, lust, hate ... and on and on?

          True justice from God leaves no room for mercy.  True justice from God would have Him punish us every time we stray off the pathway of perfect obedience.  True justice from God would have Him sentence us to death and eternal condemnation in the unquenchable fires of hell.  True justice from God would strip us bare of every rationalization that somehow our disobedience should be overlooked and deserves leniency.

          Yet, while God is perfectly just He's also perfectly merciful.  And in His mercy He carries out His true and righteous justice in a way that appears to be strangely unjust.  How so?

          Jesus' trial before the high priest and Jewish ruling council was patently illegal according to ancient Jewish law.  A trial at night, before the Passover, in a private home, with a premature verdict, based on trumped-up charges and conflicting testimonies ... all combined to make Jesus' trial a travesty of justice.  The Gentile prefect, Pilate, and the half-Jew, King Herod, together acquitted Jesus 5 times ... and yet, in the end He was still sentenced to die the death of a criminal.

          The sham trials of Jesus were a travesty and a miscarriage of justice.  Yet, the greatest injustice of all was this:  the totally Innocent One, Jesus, suffered for our sin and for the sin of all humanity, from Adam and Eve on.  Jesus was pierced for our transgressions; (Jesus) was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon (Jesus), and by (Jesus') wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on (Jesus) the iniquity of all of us. [Isaiah 53:5-6]

          In God's economy of justice, we, who are "guilty" are considered by Him to be "not-guilty" because, Jesus, who is perfectly "innocent" was convicted as the "guilty" One and sentenced to die our death as punishment in our place.  As Paul describes in 2^nd Corinthians:  God made Him who had no sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God. [2 Corinthians 5:21]   Now, how "just" is that?

          This is how God carried out His form of justice, merciful justice, saving justice, perfect and righteous justice.  The wages of sin is death [Romans 6:23], as God told Adam in the Garden of Eden, and as He reiterated through the prophets and the apostles.  But it was Jesus who was beaten, who was nailed to a cross, who wore a crown of thorns, and who endured that atoning death in our place.

          Jesus was the One cut off from the land of the living, so that we could live forever in His name.  Jesus' condemnation is our pardon.  Jesus' judgment is our acquittal.  Jesus' conviction is our freedom.  Friends in Christ, thanks be to God for His mercy … and for Jesus' crown of thorns ... and for the LORD's  undeserved forgiveness and justification of us!

          And what about the injustices that continue to exist in the world?  For now, God patiently tolerates humanity's injustices, although He most certainly doesn't approve of them.  For now, He graciously grants us time to turn in repentance from our unjust ways and seek His forgiveness.  For now God graciously lets the world go on -- postponing the day of final judgment.  Why?  So that more people can be brought to faith and salvation in Jesus. [2 Peter 3:9]

          But the day of the LORD's final judgment IS coming.  We don't know when.  We must be ready at all times.  Being ready means trusting by faith in Jesus Christ alone for our forgiveness, for our justification, and for our salvation.  Only when Christ returns will all the present injustices in God's creation be done away with.

          "Is there no justice?" we ask in the sermon title.  In Christ alone, there's perfect justice ... perfect justice for you and me!  So, take refuge in the equity of God's justice, justice that condemned the innocent Savior for our sins, so that we might be undeservedly declared by God to be innocent and righteous ... and welcomed by Him as heirs of eternal life in heaven.

If Your beloved son, O God,                                   But now I find sweet peace and rest;

Had not to earth descended                                   Despair no more reigns o’er me.

And in our mortal flesh and blood                         No more am I by sin oppressed,

Had not sin’s power ended,                                    For Christ has borne sin for me.

Then this poor, wretched soul of mine                  Upon the cross for me He died

In hell eternally would pine                                     That, reconciled, I might abide

Because of my transgression.                                With You, my God, forever. ⁽²⁾

          In the name of Jesus, our Suffering Savior.  AMEN.

(1)        As cited by Christopher Mitchell in Our Suffering Savior (2^nd edition), St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2003, 97.

(2)        If Your Beloved Son, O God (568), Lutheran Service Book, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006.  Text and Tune public domain; Setting: ©  1976 Concordia Publishing House.