Isaiah 53:4, 5

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Matthew 11:28, 29

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Romans 8:26, 27

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Romans 8:38, 39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 2:9

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Reflection

As we have seen in previous lessons, God is just, and God is love. Justice and love therefore cannot be essentially opposed or completely distinct. While they have different emphases, they are united in God’s nature and character. Each aims for right, caring relationships that reflect and foster well-being in people. Because Jesus is the divine Word made flesh, justice and love are united in him. Jesus brings justice and love together concretely, personally, and redemptively.

In this sinful, fallen world, we commit wrongdoing and evil. We also suffer wrongdoing and evil. None of us evades the culpability of being the perpetrator of sin, and none of us escapes the devastation of being the victim of sin.

Jesus – by his incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection – truly and fully identifies with both perpetrator and victim. On the cross, Jesus bears our responsibility as perpetrator as well as our trauma as victim. On the cross, Jesus saves both perpetrator and victim. In the resurrection both are given true life.

In this lesson we will focus on justice and love for those who are hurting, for victims. How, then, do God’s justice and love “meet and agree” for victims of wrongdoing and crime? How do we, as those who have been hurt, participate in Jesus’ redemptive efforts on our behalf?

Jesus shares and therefore knows the effects of suffering and victimization on us. These include hurt, loss, fear, anger, despair, disorientation, distrust, and the like. Even when there is damage or loss of material goods and property, of life and limb, the emotional and spiritual effects often go deep and last a very long time.

Jesus bore this suffering on the cross. Consider his terrible cry,“My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). He bore suffering for us, on our behalf, to carry us through to new life. The risen Jesus is present with us in our hearts and souls even as we experience the painful effects of the wrongs done to us.

What resources do we have for knowing the caring and restoring presence of Jesus in our lives when we suffer? We have Scripture, prayer, the Holy Spirit, worship, fellowship, and assistance from others (charity in the fullest sense, not just in the monetary sense).

We are reminded of God’s steadfast love when we read and meditate on the psalms.
In prayer, Jesus hears, acknowledges, and vindicates our hurt, loss, confusion, fear, anger, and grief. The Holy Spirit within us communicates our deepest selves to God and God to us even when we cannot articulate what we think and feel. Worship draws us out of ourselves as God comes to us and we come before him to know, enjoy, and glorify him anew. Fellowship with others saves us from increasing isolation and connects us with vitalities in their lives. Charity from others offers material, emotional, and spiritual support. Through such resources, hope, joy, trust, and purpose can reemerge for those who have been traumatized.

These help us move from suffering to new life. The old self can die and a new self be raised. The resurrection of Jesus assures us that the forces of pain and evil do not triumph. Suffering and victimization are not final. Restoration – new life – follows hurt, loss, and even death.

Because of this we can be reconciled to and reconnected with God and others. In God’s power and grace, this can occur even with the one who offended and caused the trauma. This is likely to involve a long and difficult process, with a number of steps and fitful progress. Forgiveness of the offender will be a key in the process. Forgiveness is challenging and emotionally costly. Yet Jesus told us to forgive as God has forgiven us, and Jesus himself forgave those who abused and killed him.

At the same time, in this life we cannot expect the hurt to be taken away as if it had never occurred, or as if it will not have any lasting effects. After the original sin that fractured and marred creation and ourselves, there was no going back before it. The story of God’s salvation in Scripture leads to a new heaven and earth, but this is not a return to Eden as if sin and the fall never happened. It is the Lamb who was slain who rules in the new heaven and earth.

This is one thing we take particularly from the cross-shaped nature of God’s salvation, of God’s justice and love for we who hurt. Suffering is an inescapable part of this life, this side of the grave. It is also an inescapable part of God’s salvation. The cross nails this truth down.

Yet suffering and death do not triumph. The story of God’s justice and love is the story of God bringing good out of evil, joy out of mourning, hope out of grief and despair, and life out of death.

Used by permission - www.restorativejustice.org - a ministry of Prison Fellowship International


Last modified: Tuesday, August 14, 2018, 11:20 AM