Perfect Justice

Working in international criminal law has given me perspective about the crucial importance of justice for wrongdoing. When one considers heinous crimes of genocide, where multitudes are killed because of their affiliation to a particular ethnic group, or crimes against humanity, where innocent civilians are killed/tortured/raped, it is irrefutable that an individual who has committed such actions, or ordered them, should be held to account. In fact, these actions are such an outrage against humanity itself, that the international community has an interest in trying these cases where a domestic court fails to.

Let’s scale it back a notch. Consider a murder. The killing of another individual. We agree that domestic courts rightly have jurisdiction over such actions. Indeed, we would view it as an injustice if they do not hold such a perpetrator to account.

Let’s reduce it once more. Let’s say that a family friend has lied to your mother. Despite their lack of financial advisory credentials, they’ve advised her to make a certain investment (which they are unconnected to), promising that it will yield generous returns, while knowing that this is not the case. She believes this person, invests her life savings and pensions. But it’s a bad move. The investment value plummets and she looses all of her money. Her future savings, her past earnings, gone. She is now in poverty and all of her family are also indirectly affected. The ‘family friend’ simply lied to your mother but this lie has had huge reprocusions. 

Let’s scale it down again and engage in some introspection. What about you and me? What about all the times that we lied? All the times that we slung mud at someone else’s character through gossip. All the times we promoted our own selfish interests to the detriment of other human beings. Do we too deserve justice or should we get away with these things scot-free? On deeper inspection, where does one really draw the line?  

What if there was a perfectly just Judge. A Judge who never made a wrong decision, who knew every law like the back of his hand and who never fell prey to biases. A Judge who didn’t need to rely on the evidence presented by a fallible prosecutor. Because actually he knows everything that has ever happened in the world already. Every character, every motive, every influence and every circumstance. Let’s suppose that you are standing before this Judge, on trial for your life.

What if there was a Defence Counsel. A Counsel who doesn’t plead your innocence. In fact, He’s admitting to the judge that you’re guilty. Not only that, but he’s telling the judge everything you ever did. This seems like a hopeless case. You’re imperfect. In fact, you are guilty. But there’s a twist in the plot. The Defence Counsel has agreed to take the punishment that you deserve; the death sentence. And you get to go scot-free. There’s only one condition. That you acknowledge your wrong doing. That you accept his substitutionary death. That you believe in Him.

Sometimes, the first step is admitting that we all long for justice in life. That it will never be truly and perfectly dealt out by human hands. But that it is perfectly possible through a just and loving God.