Isaiah 42:4 Justice

I was reading the lectionary texts for last week when I came across Isaiah 42:4,

He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

It has been some time since I studied Isaiah, but he wrote of the servant to come…the servant in this verse who is going to bring justice. It is without much debate among Christians that Isaiah is referring to the Messiah, who we know as Christ.

This begs the question, what kind of justice is he going to bring? Or better yet, what is justice in the eyes of Jesus?

These questions seem separate yet share a commonality. I think that the answers demonstrate an attitude of loving justice and showing mercy. Christ brought justice, by reconciling our relationship with the Creator. There could be no relationship with the disobedience in our hearts and we have proven time and again that we are not capable of overcoming it ourselves.

A study of Christ’s interaction with “sinners” shows not only what he saw as just, but also that he loved mercy. A prime example of course is the woman caught in adultery. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” To me this is a prime example of where mankind has gone so very wrong in trying to follow Christ. Rather than accept, love and try to bring justice to the world, they seek to have others conform to their view of what is right and wrong. That was not the call of Christ. The call of Christ was for justice…for mercy...for love.

I find this a particularly fitting discussion as I look at my calendar today. It’s is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday today. I have had this in the back of my mind all weekend, but since my company is working today, I did not think about the correlation until now. Part of me wishes that I could be with my church today as they march in the parade and part of me would rather leave this to those who were there during his time. While I certainly am grateful for what his life has accomplished for the greater good of our country, I was not there and suppose to some degree do not have as much to mourn and/or celebrate as those who were. Yet, I do feel the need to be there and to be a part of remembering this great leader for equality/justice even amidst the continued fight for such goes on today.