Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever (Galatians 1:3-5).
Dearly beloved in Christ,
It is with a heart full of gratitude and unity in our shared faith that I address you today, not as strangers, but as fellow pilgrims on the road to the Kingdom of God. We stand together under the banner of the Cross, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and called to bear witness to His light in a world shadowed by sin and strife. Today, I write to you on a matter that beats at the heart of our Savior’s mission: the inseparable bond between Jesus and justice.
The Foundation: Jesus, the Righteous One
Justice is not a mere human construct, nor a fleeting ideal of earthly courts. It is the very character of God revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ. The prophet Isaiah foretold of Him: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased… He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles” (Matthew 12:18, citing Isaiah 42:1). In His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus embodied the justice of God—perfect, merciful, and redemptive.
Consider the scene in Nazareth, where our Lord stood in the synagogue and declared His mission: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). Here, Jesus announces a justice that transcends legal codes—a justice that restores, heals, and liberates. It is a justice rooted in the heart of God, who “loves righteousness and justice” (Psalm 33:5), and who sent His Son to reconcile a broken world to Himself.
Justice in the Life of Jesus
The Gospels bear witness to how Jesus lived this justice among us. He did not turn away from the outcast or the sinner; rather, He sought them out. To the woman caught in adultery, He offered neither condemnation nor license, but a call to transformation: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11). To Zacchaeus, the tax collector despised for his greed, He extended grace that bore fruit in restitution and generosity (Luke 19:8-9). In every encounter, Jesus revealed that true justice is not vengeance, but the restoration of right relationship—with God and with one another.
Yet, let us not imagine that Jesus’ justice was soft or permissive. He confronted the powerful who abused their authority, declaring, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). His cleansing of the temple (John 2:13-17) was a bold act of righteous indignation against those who turned God’s house into a den of exploitation. Jesus’ justice demands accountability, but always with the aim of redemption, not destruction.
The Cross: The Triumph of Divine Justice
At the heart of our faith stands the Cross, where the justice of God and the mercy of God meet in perfect harmony. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The penalty for humanity’s rebellion—death—was borne by the sinless Son of God. Here, justice was satisfied, not by our merits, but by His sacrifice. The Protestant reformers, whom many of you hold dear, rightly emphasized this truth: we are justified by faith alone in Christ alone, through grace alone.
Yet the Cross is not the end of justice—it is its beginning. Christ’s victory over sin and death inaugurates a new creation where justice reigns. As the Apostle Paul writes, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). This kingdom is not a distant hope, but a present reality breaking into our world, calling us to live as its citizens even now.
Our Call: To Do Justice in His Name
Dear friends, if Jesus is the embodiment of justice, then we, His disciples, are summoned to reflect that justice in our lives. The prophet Micah’s charge echoes through the ages: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). This is no optional pursuit—it is the fruit of our union with Christ.
What does it mean to “do justice” in the way of Jesus? It begins in the heart, where we root out prejudice, pride, and self-righteousness, allowing the Holy Spirit to conform us to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29). It extends to our actions: to care for the widow and the orphan (James 1:27), to speak for the voiceless, to labor for the dignity of every person made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). It calls us to confront systems of oppression—not with hatred, but with the transformative love of the Gospel.
Let us be clear: this is not a justice of our own making, nor a quest for worldly power. The kingdoms of this world will pass away, but the Kingdom of God endures. Our pursuit of justice must flow from our submission to Christ, lest we fall into the trap of self-justification. As you, our Protestant brethren, have so faithfully taught, we are saved not by works, but by faith—yet that faith, if genuine, “is working through love” (Galatians 5:6) and bears the fruit of righteousness.
Unity in the Cause of Justice
Though history has divided us into Catholic and Protestant streams, the cause of justice unites us in Christ. Together, we can proclaim liberty to the captives—whether bound by poverty, addiction, or injustice. Together, we can bear witness to a justice that does not curse the darkness, but lights a lamp. Together, we can stand as one body, reflecting the One who is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
I urge you, then, to join hands with all who call upon the name of Jesus. Let us pray for wisdom to discern what is just, courage to act, and humility to rely on God’s strength. Let us study the Scriptures, where the Spirit reveals the mind of Christ. And let us look to the day when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14), when justice and peace will kiss (Psalm 85:10).
A Final Exhortation
Beloved, the world watches us. In an age of division, let us show them Christ’s justice—firm yet compassionate, holy yet merciful. May our lives testify to the One who said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). And may we run with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), until He returns to judge the living and the dead in perfect justice.
Until that day, “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.