Justice

Thank you for reading this sermon from Christ Fellowship. I hope and pray that this sermon will be a blessing of grace and truth to you. With that said, let me encourage you not to use this sermon as a replacement for your local church. Christ Jesus did not establish his Church simply for us to consume content. Instead, He calls us to be part of a real, covenant family. 

Years ago, there was an episode of Judge Judy. A young lady claimed that the defendant stole money from her purse. She begins to list all the items that were in her purse at the time, including a bluetooth earpiece.

At that point, the defendant speaks up and says, “There was no earpiece in the purse, your honor.” The Judge laughed, along with the entire courtroom, and she immediately awarded the plaintiff $500.

Most of the time, justice is not that simple. It’s complicated and court cases can take months or years to resolve.

But in the 1st century, every court case was settled quickly like the TV shows. Both parties came ready with arguments and witnesses. The judge heard both sides and then gave a verdict. This was true in both civil and criminal cases. If someone wronged you, then you had to bring the charges. There was no prosecutor.

There was a legal term in Greek for what happened when the judge sided with you – it was called justification. If you win the case, then you were considered “justified”. This word is borrowed by Jesus and the Apostles to explain our relationship with God as Christians.

This Sunday and next Sunday, we will look at two related parables dealing with the concept of justice and justification. Let’s begin in Luke 18 verse 1.

1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Luke gives us the application of the parable before he tells it. Jesus wants us to do two things. Keep praying and don’t give up hope. Keep praying and don’t give up hope.

2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.

This is our first character. The judge. He doesn’t care about God, and he doesn’t care about other people.

What are the two greatest commandments? Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself… this is a character with the power to change people’s lives for better or for worse. But he only cares about himself.

3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’

The second character is a widow. Being a widow in the 1st century Roman empire was extremely difficult. There was economic hardship, but there were other social challenges. A widow was often dependent on male relatives and charity for support. She had limited legal rights, especially with property and inheritance.

All of this helps explain why justice was a difficult proposition for her, especially with a judge like this one. He has no heart, and yet, she keeps taking the same case before him.

4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,

5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”

He gets sick of hearing about it, so he finally gives her what she wants! She pesters him into submission!

6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.

7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

This is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If even a selfish, heartless judge can provide justice, how much more likely is it that a good and righteous Judge will give justice to his elect?

The word “elect” is important. It’s the plural form of the word “eklektos” and it means chosen people. If you read the entire Gospel of Luke in one sitting, you would find this word in only one other place.

In Luke 23, as Jesus is being crucified, the religious leaders mocked Jesus by calling him the “eklektos”… the chosen one.

That is not a coincidence. It hints at the mysterious union between Jesus and God’s people. The irony behind their mockery is that Jesus was, in fact, God’s Chosen One. And justice was accomplished for God’s people through the cross. That is where Jesus took on the sins of His people.

The Holy Spirit then unites us to Christ and His righteousness, declaring us “justified”. The cross was God responding to the cries of His people. It’s how God accomplished justice for His people. Now look at verse 8.

8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

That’s the end of our text for today and before we talk about that last question, I need to explain a translation problem. Everything in the Bible is not equally clear and this is one of those unclear moments.

Our translation says, “Will he delay long over them?” and then Jesus answers the question saying he will give justice “speedily”. But it can also be translated in this way:

“Will he not bring justice even though he delays long over them?” and then Jesus answers, “He will bring it suddenly.”

Do you see the difference? I think Jesus is being intentionally vague. God will bring justice. It may be soon. It may be delayed. But it will come. The timing is a matter of faith. And so, Jesus ends with the question, when he comes will he find faith?

Remember, Luke already told us the purpose of this parable. What does Jesus want his disciples to do? What does this kind of faith look like?

It looks like someone who keeps praying and doesn’t give up hope! Until justice comes. Until Jesus returns.

It looks like the persistence of the widow, who against all odds, kept taking up her case… Why?

Because it’s the kind of faith that trusts in a God who cares about justice even when no one else in the world does.

This parable follows the end of chapter 17, where Jesus teaches his disciples to expect suffering in the kingdom of God. The world is against us. Like the judge in the parable, the world neither honors God nor cares about His people.

What is the result of such hostility? It’s that God’s people will begin crying out to Him for justice! Jesus is preparing His disciples for life in a world that hates God and hates God’s people.

He knows it will be difficult. He knows it will be difficult to pray. He knows we will struggle with hopelessness. He knows that we won’t feel seen or heard. He knows it will feel pointless and that we will grow weary.

And I think it is worth noting that God can and often does use the broken systems and institutions of this world to bring justice. The judge does the right thing in this situation, even though he does it with the wrong motivation. It’s not a result of his character, but the widow’s persistence.

Likewise, God can use people in authority to bring temporary relief. God is not allowing the world to be as bad as it could be. Romans 13 teaches that the governments of this world have been instituted by God for our good. And for that reason, Christians care about public policy. We care about justice, even when we don’t see it from the world.

The ship of this world may be sinking, but we still care about our neighbors. We care about hurting people. We want to see God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

I love that I get to pastor a church full of people who care about their neighbors and don’t need credit or praise for it. But I want to shine a spotlight on some of the ways this church cares about the kingdom of God.

We have families who foster and adopt children. We have people serving with and giving to local non-profits. We have people using their skills to repair homes and vehicles. We have someone in this church leading a regular Bible study in Desoto County Jail. Someone in this church gave a kidney to a stranger!

When we send out a request for meals, you fill up the schedule. You’ve given away countless things you could have sold, including vehicles. You ask how you can pray for each other, and you do it.

All of that is part of what the Bible means by the word “justice”. And you know what else I love about our church? We are not divided by politics. And I hope we never will be. Most of you will vote Tuesday if you haven’t already, but you won’t do it because you believe the government is going to solve all our nation’s problems.

You’ll vote knowing that even the godless, corrupt governments of this world have their use. God is sovereign over every one of them, and they will rise or fall at His will. You’ll vote knowing that our ultimate hope is not in human systems of justice.

Our ultimate hope is in the God who created us. In Psalm 68, God calls Himself the Father of the fatherless and the Defender of widows. He will not leave or forsake His people. He will raise the poor from the dust, because the kingdom of God belongs to them.

He may delay for His own purposes. He may send us into the wilderness. He sent Jesus to the cross and no servant is greater than his master.

And what does Jesus teach us here? Keep praying and don’t lose heart! Today, tomorrow, Tuesday, and until Jesus returns.