The Bible talks about Justice. 預覽

So far in our reading, we’ve talked about the honor and dignity of being created in God’s image. We’ve talked about how humans abuse this honor by ruling over one another, and how these injustices can become embedded in a society. We’ve seen how God confronts injustice and calls His people to practice justice, especially for the disadvantaged in our world.

Until now, we’ve spent almost all our time in the Old Testament, setting a foundation for understanding the Bible’s idea of justice and equality. But these issues are present in the New Testament, and we find their full expression in the life of Jesus.

Colossians 1 calls Jesus the image of the invisible God. In other words, Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of the image of God that we have failed to be. Whatever it means to be truly human, we should look to Jesus as the one who sets the example and empowers us to do the same.

In Luke 4, Jesus has just begun His ministry when He comes to a synagogue and reads from Isaiah 61. This passage from Isaiah says that Jesus is appointed to share good news to the poor, give freedom to prisoners, sight to the blind, and set the oppressed free. And while it’s true that these words describe the spiritual state of all humanity apart from God, continue reading Luke and you’ll see that these are the exact people Jesus prioritized in His ministry.

Jesus saw His ministry on earth not only as bringing spiritual deliverance to all humanity, but also as a perfect example of justice for the marginalized of our world. Today, read the Scriptures and reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus. Tomorrow, we’ll focus on the event where all these themes culminate.