“Justice delayed is justice denied,” is an expression I often hear. It can sound tunnel-visioned, oblivious to what are in some cases competing claims or the need for a process of culture change. Or maybe it’s always true, and those less hurried are simply benefiting from the status quo. “It ain’t that simple,” they say. And yet, when you’re the one waiting for justice, it ain’t that complicated.
After telling how the judge is eventually worn down by the widow’s persistence, Jesus says: “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.”
What do you think when you read those words? I confess my reaction is, “Quickly? Not delayed? How many have cried out to God day and night, century after century, and still the powerful dominate the weak, and the rich hoard resources that keep others poor, and the corrupt steal justice from the powerless..." What are we to do with these words of Jesus?
One response is to trust, and wait. Chalk it up to the eternal mysteries and keep our focus on all the times we see do justice break through, not just on the times we don’t. That’s important, to keep our focus on where God is.
We might go deeper, though, to try to understand better what Jesus was saying. What if we flip it? What if the God figure in the parable isn’t the judge, but the widow?
How does it change our interpretation if we see God as that helpless widow? We might say that, in giving us free will, God has restrained his own power, and relies on us to choose justice over self-gratification. In the Bible, we see God time and again asking his chosen ones to turn back to him, to righteousness and truth and integrity and justice. And time and again in those stories humankind refuses.
What if God, persistent as that widow, is asking us to bring justice into being? What if, rather than waiting for justice to come from “on high,” we answer the call to be justice-makers, participating with God in restoring all things and all people to wholeness? We might feel helpless in the face of great injustices – but we aren’t called to work alone. Enough people working together can overcome any injustice.
As a maker of justice, where would you start? Or continue... Somewhere in your life or community, among friends or acquaintances? With a national or global issue? There's no shortage of need.
And what do you see as obstacles to bringing forth justice in that situation? Who do you need as allies, reinforcements? Who are your adversaries – and how might you pray for them?
The great hymn “A place at the table” proclaims, “And God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy, compassion and peace.” If you feel overwhelmed, remember this: God has entrusted us with the ministry of peace and justice, and God has equipped us with gifts, colleagues – and the power of the Holy Spirit. With the power that made the universe working in us – we can make some justice.
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