Yes Justice, Yes Peace by Michael & Doreen Mazzye
We crave justice—equity and fairness for all. And, we crave peace— the absence of hostility between all. Such an observation feels like the ultimate “duh” moment—a gross understatement given all the events we have witnessed over the last week as a nation. A disturbing video gone viral seemed to instantaneously downgrade a once dominant global pandemic into the periphery as a nation turned its eye toward the tragedies of social injustices and hostilities. Social Media was flooded with every emoji from every political angle. By the weekend, xenophobia overwhelmed coronaphobia as protests and riots erupted and curfews were in place leaving people lying in their beds with a combination of fear and heaviness of heart praying, “How long, O Lord?”
One central message of those who protested was written on signs and held high for all to see: “No Justice; No Peace.” Such a statement does at least three things. One, it points us all to the experience of real people. The brutal, unnecessary death of George Floyd reinforced the truth that in our day and time African-Americans experience racism driving the lament, “No Justice; No Peace”. Racial equity for many is absent. Hostility between many is rampant. Two, “No Justice; No Peace” connects two distinct but related things, justice and peace. One might say, in order to have peace in our world, there must be justice. There is simply no possibility for the world or anyone who lives in it to experience the refreshing joys of peace without the reality of justice. Justice is foundational to peace. Until we have true justice, our world will be plagued with division. Third, “No Justice; No Peace” attempts to motivate action…movement. The sign points those who read it down the path of justice to change the experience of those feeling and experiencing oppression.
But what’s our first step down that path? To be honest, this is where we scratch our heads. This is the moment we get nervous and hesitant…. feeling unsure. As a white man and woman, we feel empathy and anger over racism and injustice, but realize there is much we cannot truly understand. There are so many complexities to face in such a historic, long-standing struggle. We have desire to take steps, but our feet feel stuck. To take a step forward, we must examine the ultimate source of all the tragedy portrayed in the sign, “No Justice; No Peace.” We do not need a surface-level band-aid on a systemic issue. We long for real, lasting change. So, what’s the ultimate source of all this injustice and hostility in our world? Simply put, what’s wrong with the world? That’s the question this confused, nervous, and hesitant pastor and his wife asked while lying in bed late Saturday night.
The weight of the answer was heavier than the question and hit us like a ton of bricks: our sin is what’s wrong. Our sin is our main problem in every sphere of human existence. Understanding the nature and extent of our sin provides some level of clarity around these issues. The lack of justice and peace in our world is an issue deep within the human heart. The human heart is corrupt and as the “wellspring of life” overflows into our words, actions, and attitudes having potential to spread injustice and hostility. And, as systemically corrupt people living in a systemically corrupt society, no matter how hard we try, apart from empowerment by the One who is Incorruptible, our responses and efforts only deepen the divide. Why is that? The reason we fall short of progress in peace is because the divide transcends human relationships and is first and foremost a matter of our relationship with God. This is ultimately what is both wrong in our world and in our hearts: we are not “right” with each other because we are not “right” with God. Our sin separates us from God; it leaves us in a place where we lack peace with our God who made us. Peace with God is foundational to peace in human relationships and society. We need peace with God before we can have peace with each other in any and all human relationships, before we can make lasting progress to end racism in all of its expression. This truth must not be overlooked lest our feet remain stuck unable to take steps toward peace in our world.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the remedy for our unjust and hostile world! God, aware of our state and sympathetic to the real experiences of people hurt by injustice, was moved toward a just and justifying action as He sent His only Son into our world to save us from the deepest issue in the human heart and society, our sin. The apostle Paul highlights the fruit of such an action for those who trust in Christ’s work, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). What was wrong in us, God made right through the blood of His Son. Justice is served. Peace is given. Our feet feel ready to move ahead on solid ground because Christ’s sin-defeating, peace-creating work impacts our relationship with one another. Paul emphasizes this in Ephesians 2 where he writes, “He himself is our peace…”. It is Christ’s work that brings us peace in relationship with one another. He unites both Jew and Gentile through the work of the cross, removes all hostility, and creates “one new man between the two,” ushering in a new reality for a new people of God, the Church.
With a whole new reality in relationship with God and each other, the Church of Jesus Christ can hold up a new sign which celebrates this new reality, “Yes Justice, Yes Peace.” This sign can be held high with compassionate confidence sympathizing with those who are hurting. “Yes Justice, Yes Peace” is not intended to minimize the real experiences of people, but to provide sure hope for divine healing. This affirms the keen observation that justice and peace are inextricably linked. This seeks to motivate God’s people toward gospel action as citizens of the Kingdom of God in this world. Any level of indifference and/or inaction is inconsistent with the gospel, and steps must be taken by the Church of Jesus in this world toward the appropriation of blood-bought justice and peace. Yes, there is hard work to be done, but we are both empowered and called by Jesus to take steps. After all, as a people who enjoy peace with God together, we have been given a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5). It is now our joy and duty to preach and live out the gospel of Jesus—our only hope for justice, peace, and reconciliation in our world. May we give ourselves to this task courageously, humbly, and expectantly. May we graciously sympathize with those who hold high the words, “No Justice, No Peace.” Our posture in no way is calloused to those who are frustrated and hurt. Yet, because of Christ’s justifying work bringing peace, may we extend one hand in compassion and raise another in confidence holding up our gospel-rich sign which reads, “Yes Justice, Yes Peace.”