Overcoming Injustice
Overcoming Injustice
This is part four in a series of posts looking at how Jesus overcame a variety of obstacles in his life. One kind of obstacle was injustice. Today I will look how to overcome injustice.
Injustice is a part of life. In an earlier post, I mentioned the injustice of betrayal. We trust people with our money, and our future, and our hearts and sometimes they let us down. Worse than than, they might even turn against us. That’s painful. Or maybe the injustice doesn't come from another person. Maybe it’s your health, or your finances, or your career. Maybe one of these let you down.
No matter what the injustice, you might be in a dark place today. So how do you handle the pain of injustice? I'll be referencing the drama that unfolded in chapter 26 of Matthew 26 in the New Testament.
Enduring Injustice
What impresses me about Jesus is how he talked about his injustice. He knew that his path in life would cause him to suffer and die. Matthew tells us:
...Jesus... said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Matthew 26:1,2
That’s all he said. He didn’t add anything about how wrong it was. He didn’t whine or complain and there was no rant against his persecutors or any attempt to elicit pity from his followers. Jesus owned his pain and chose to walk the path set before him.
As you keep reading the story, you learn about Judas betraying Jesus. You can read it in Matthew 26:20-23. But again, Jesus simply stated the truth without making any derogatory comments. No accusations or incrimination or condemnations. He didn’t call out Judas in front of everyone and shame him or humiliate him. That would have been so tempting. Jesus just said to Judas, go do what you must do.
Jesus told the other disciples that they would all abandon him. But even with the revelation of their eminent abandonment, there were no sermonettes about how disappointed he was with them. There were no lectures on their unfaithfulness and no frustrated words saying, “HOW COULD YOU… after all that I’ve done for you?” Nope. Nothing like that.
The Age of Outrage
As I observe the world today, I think we are living in the age of outrage. It seems that almost everyone is upset about something or someone and they feel compelled to let others know about it. People jump on Facebook or Twitter in hopes of taking down their foes with tirades of disgust. But Jesus never did that because he trusted that God would defend him.
Then Jesus took his disciples out to the Garden of Gethsemane where he prayed this prayer:
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
Jesus Trusted God With His Injustice
Jesus showed his humanity here. He wasn’t above the pain that he knew was about to be his. But he didn’t complain to God about it. He didn’t get mad at God. He didn’t ask, “Why me?” or tell God how unfair it was. As painful as his life was, Jesus showed that he was totally surrendered to God’s will. He was willing to do whatever it took to do the right thing to honor God.
In all of these encounters, the common theme is trust. Jesus could face the worst possible scenario and not freak out or meltdown because he trusted the love of his Father. He trusted that God would make good of his pain. That’s the message of resurrection, isn't it? God can make good of your pain.
Doing the Right Thing
This is the place where we often break down spiritually. We look for the easy way out… some kind of shortcut… to spare us from any more pain. We cease to be concerned about doing the right thing or honoring God. We just want out. We want the nightmare to end.
We might offer up a brief prayer to God… basically, God, get me out of this mess. And when nothing changes immediately, we hit the eject button.
Doing the right thing isn’t our priority because doing the right thing might mean confronting someone and having a hard conversation. Or doing the right thing might mean losing a lot of money, or selling something that you really want to keep. Doing the right thing might mean forgiving someone and passing on a chance to offer some payback. And we just don’t think we are up for it. We fear that “doing the right thing” will only lead to more loss and pain. But it all boils down to whether or not we trust God. Do we believe that God rewards those who do the right thing?
Jesus Did the Right Thing
For Jesus, doing the right thing meant being nailed to a cross so all humanity could be restored to God. He was able to sacrifice his happiness in order to honor God and help people. He trusted that God would reward him for it.When Judas betrayed Jesus in Matthew 26:49-51, Jesus referred to Judas as his friend. He didn’t resist arrest. And we start to see why Jesus was so cool when he said this:
“Put your sword back in its place,” ...“for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? Matthew 26:52,53
Jesus was totally comfortable in the situation because he knew that God was in control. He knew that submitting to the arrest would put him on the cross, but he trusted that God would deliver him.
I wonder… if you are facing some kind of pain today… are you confident that God will deliver you? Jesus’ story is here to encourage us that we can trust God with our pain. Delivering you doesn’t mean that he’s going to solve all your problems. But Jesus wants you to know that God can use your pain for good.
Silent in the Face of Injustice
Finally, when Jesus was falsely accused, he said nothing:
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent. Matthew 26:59-63
Silent. When I was a much younger believer this really bothered me. I wanted Jesus to protest. I wanted him to list all the reasons why what they were doing was unfair. It seemed like such a sellout to say nothing. Insert outrage here.
But this is where we can really learn from Jesus. You know, expressing your outrage might give you a degree of satisfaction in the moment but it’s most often at the expense of someone else. And it shows a total lack of trust in God. But I don’t smell any hint of that in Jesus. His accusers were outraged with him, but Jesus refused to lower himself and engage in their petty drama. He operated out of a different play book. He didn’t need to answer their questions.
Overcoming Injustice
If you are serious about overcoming injustice, it's important that you learn how to put your trust in God. Rather than complaining about what happened or blaming people who caused it, ask God what he wants to show you about YOURSELF first. What comes to the surface because of your pain? What kind of attitudes? Resentment? Bitterness? Revenge? Then invite God to deal with these areas.
Second, ask God what he wants to show you about HIMSELF. Ask God to use the pain in your life to make you more like Jesus… to create in you a heart of humility and submission to his will. And third, ask God want he might want you do about the injustice.
Confronting Injustice
Now, if you have some valid concerns about some injustice that you believe needs to be voiced, that’s fair. Sometimes injustice needs to be confronted. Jesus confronted the religious hypocrites of his day. But take your concerns to someone who can do something about them. Go to the source. Your offender. If that’s not safe then go to a counselor or a trusted friend to vent and get perspective and direction. You might even need to call the police or see a lawyer. But don’t spew your outrage to anyone who will listen. That’s not helpful. That's not the right thing, nor does it honor God.
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