Injustice seems rampant today. We hunger for wrongs to be righted, yet showing mercy appears weak and lets the offender off the hook. So how do we reconcile Jesus’ teaching for us to want justice, but also freely give mercy? In this video, we see how Jesus flips the script by redefining our understanding of justice and mercy, what it would look like for us to live as people of justice and mercy, and how living out Jesus’ radical, countercultural teachings leads us towards lives of peace, contentment, and purpose that we’ve been craving.
[Matthew 5:6-7]
“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
“Blesses” means to favor with contentment, satisfaction, joy, fulfillment.
So, what does it mean to “hunger and thirst for justice”?
In reality, to seek Justice/Righteousness is to fill the hole back in. It is a restoration of the way things ought to be.
[Isaiah 1:17]
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
[Micah 6:8]
“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.”
[Jeremiah 22:3]
“This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor, the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”
[1 John 3:7]
“Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.”
[Colossians 3:12-13]
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
[1 Peter 1:15-16]
“But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.””
[Ephesians 5:1]
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you, because you are his dear children.”
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Application Questions
Injustice seems rampant today. We hunger for wrongs to be righted, yet showing mercy appears weak and lets the offender off the hook. So how do we reconcile Jesus’ teaching for us to want justice, but also freely give mercy? In this video, we see how Jesus flips the script by redefining our understanding of justice and mercy, what it would look like for us to live as people of justice and mercy, and how living out Jesus’ radical, countercultural teachings leads us towards lives of peace, contentment, and purpose that we’ve been craving.