Responding to Injustice
Someone cuts you off in traffic, what do you feel? Anger.
Some drunk driver hits your friend’s car and runs off, what do you feel? Anger. Maybe righteous anger, but what makes anger righteous?
Righteousness is a Bible word that means acting in accordance with the divine will of God in a just, equitable, manner towards your fellow humans- treating each person you meet as an image-bearer of God, created with equal value and worth because they were also made in the image of God.
Justified anger, or righteous anger, is when it is felt because of or towards an injustice or unjust situation.
Did you know Jesus was angry? In Mark chapter 3, Jesus was at the synagogue on the Sabbath and the Jewish religious leaders were watching him to see if he would do anything they could use against him, and there was a man with a crippled hand there. Jesus told the crippled man to come to him and Jesus asked the people there if it was within the religious laws to do good or evil on the sabbath, “to save a life or to kill?” They said nothing.
Then in verse 5, “After looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness and arrogance of their hearts, He told the man, “Hold out your hand.” And he held it out, and his hand was [completely] restored.” They cared more about looking for something to use against Jesus than the well being of that man, their fellow man, their fellow image-bearer.
Jesus was angry at the injustice in the hearts of the leaders. When we are angered at injustice, know that our God cares deeply about justice.“God is a righteous judge, and a God who is indignant every day.” – Psalms 7:11.
Indignation is defined as “anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean.” He is a God angered by injustice.
When we are upset at injustice, we know it's because something happened that should not happen. When people flout moral right we know it's corrupt, harmful, dangerous, wrong - evil. Many seek to snuff out injustice, to give a voice to those who've been wronged, and that's commendable.
“The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.” ― Corrie Ten Boom
Personally, I don't people are innately good but capable of evil - I think people are innately bad but capable of doing much good.
On our own, it is impossible to create a world free from injustice. People are inherently flawed, and even when we do our best we ourselves fall short of perfection. Being perfect is impossible and the attempt to be can be exhausting.
We May Get Tired, but God Will End Injustice.
The Bible talks about how, even from Genesis and The Fall, God had a plan to rescue us and destroy evil. The whole Bible being one story of a just and merciful God loving His creatures and redeeming all things is eye opening.
"Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: "Look! God's dwelling is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. And He will WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things passed away."" Revelation 21:3-4 CSB/LSB
What an encouragement to know God already has a plan to rescue creation. We can continue to fight injustice, it's near to God's heart, but we don't need to be discouraged when it doesn't disappear in our lifetime.
“Blessed [spiritually calm with life-joy in God’s favor] are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they will [express His character and] be called the sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 AMP