In his letter to the ethnically diverse church at Corinth, Paul addresses the controversy about Jesus’ resurrection and stresses that Jesus’ death and resurrection are factual. The truth is that Jesus died for our sins. In the act of accepting the punishment of death by crucifixion, Jesus adheres to the universally accepted principles of the rule of law and justice.
Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines justice as … “the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments.” There is a price that has to be paid when damage is done, and when a wrong is committed.
Jesus, through his crucifixion, accepted to pay the price defined by the law, as compensation for the damage of the sins of all humanity.
But Jesus’ death goes beyond the principles of law and justice.
Throughout His life, Jesus based every teaching on the guiding principle of love, which goes well above and beyond the principles of law and justice. The best definition of love is that love always leads us to act in ways that are for the highest good, for ourselves and for other people.
We cannot speak about love without speaking about justice.
As we commemorate Jesus’ death, let us remember that justice was served on our behalf by the Innocent Jesus, whose grace and mercy we have received with forgiveness.
Understanding this, we examine our actions and motivations and ask for forgiveness for our sins and the sins of the world.
We who have received grace and mercy, must now extend grace and mercy to those who have offended us and who are contributing to the prevalence of the sins of injustice in the world.
We who have been justified through Jesus’ crucifixion, must now pray for love and justice to prevail in the world, through the empowering courage of the Holy Spirit to act through service to the oppressed, the marginalized and the downtrodden.
If not us, who will?
Christ in you, the hope of glory. That’s why glory matters.
Glory Matters 