The Cross Reframes Justice

Good morning! This morning we are going to continue our conversation about the cross as we lead up to Easter. Last week, Justin took a look at how the cross reframes our idea of love, and how through the cross, Jesus shows us what love really looks like: It initiates, it does not control, it’s sacrificial, and moves toward enemies.

And today we are going to look at justice, and how the injustice of the cross teaches us what justice really means.

But first, just like Justin asked about love last week- we must ask:

What is justice?

And unfortunately, this one does not have a fun song and SNL clip to go with it. But really, what is justice? We have the Justice System- whose three pillars are: maintaining public safety, delivering justice, and upholding the rule of law. We have the Justice Department- whose mission is to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights. We have Justices, who are people who judge cases and deliver consequences. And then there’s Social Justice- the idea that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. You could have two people come to a table saying “I believe in justice” and have them mean two completely different things.

And it’s kind of funny that in a language like English, with its 600,000+ unique words- we have one word for it. Ancient Hebrew has fewer than 9000 words, and they have two words for “justice”. Ancient Greek has roughly 60,000 words- and eleven different words for “justice.” No wonder we struggle!

But for the purpose of today, I want to first look at the two main things we mean when we talk about justice. And it matters, because when we look at the cross, we’re forced to ask: what kind of justice is God actually practicing?

Punitive justice vs. Restorative justice

Punitive justice is meant to punish wrongdoers for a crime they have committed, and it’s goal is deterrence- “I don’t want to steal because I don’t want to go to jail. I don’t want to speed because I don’t want to pay a fine. I don’t want to murder, because I don’t want to be executed.” That’s punitive justice- the punishment is designed to be harsh in order to deter would-be criminals from committing crimes.

Restorative justice is meant to repair the harm caused by the crime. If a person vandalizes a park, then they clean it up and make it better. If a person steals, then they must return the money to the victim. People are incarcerated for their crimes receive therapy, training, and education so that they have other resources to lean on when they enter society again.

And a quick google search will show you that the debate over the proper one is the subject of many papers, articles, and legislative discussions. But the question boils down to this: Should crimes be punished, or should criminals be rehabilitated? And honestly, that’s a pretty modern conversation. The ancient Romans were not having that conversation back in the first century.

The Roman empire had one of the most sophisticated legal systems in the ancient world, and it served as a foundation for modern legal systems in the Western world, including here in the United States. It’s why our legal terms are in Latin. The Roman legal system was methodical, organized, and systematically enforced on all under Roman jurisdiction. And crucifixion was the logical conclusion of a system meticulously designed to enforce punitive justice.

Crucifixion was designed to be the most brutal form of punitive justice ever created. Even Romans were hesitant to talk about it. Roman philosopher Cicero called it, “the cruelest and most terrible punishment.” But don’t think that the Romans were just going around crucifying people willy-nilly. They weren’t.

If you were a Roman citizen or a member of the upper classes- crucifixion did not apply to you. It was reserved for slaves, lower class people, rebellious soldiers, and traitors to the empire. It was also used to reinforce the social order and strength of the empire to subdue conquered nations, stop rebellions, and control dissent among soldiers. Crucifixion was intended to be the worst thing you could possibly imagine, and the threat of it was meant to keep the system— and the empire functioning as designed.

Now, I want to look at how this applies to Jesus’ crucifixion. And I’m going to ask you to do something that may be uncomfortable- I want you to remove your Christian lenses, and sit in the seat of Pilate. You are a governor placed in a podunk outpost of the Roman Empire, in an area known for rebellion and unrest. The occupants of your jurisdiction will not adhere to the Roman language, customs, or religion. You are constantly locked in a power struggle with the Jewish religious leaders for the peoples’ allegiance.

It’s early morning, the weekend of the Jewish Passover. The town is crawling with people, law enforcement is stretched to capacity, and the Jewish leaders bring you Jesus of Nazareth. A famous (or infamous) teacher that everyone knows, but no one can define. And here is what they say to you:

New International Version (2011) Chapter 23

And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.”

Now, if you are Pilate, this just set off alarm bells for you. They are accusing this man of being a threat to the social order, subverting Rome, encouraging rebellion, and setting himself up as a rival monarch. And remember- to Pilate- Jesus is a low-class, non-citizen who is not afforded any of the protections under the empire.

The system of punitive justice was clear- if guilty, this man must be crucified.

But then things get complicated.

Pilate questions Jesus, and finds that the accusations spoken against him were not worthy of capital punishment. He tries to pull a “sorry, not my jurisdiction” move and sends him on to Herod, who promptly sends him right back. A riot is building at this point. He is losing control of the crowd. He tries to give them an out by letting them choose a prisoner to release- they choose Barabbas. He tries appeasing them by having Jesus flogged- it’s not good enough.

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Sentenced to Death

But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.

With his power and public order threatened, Pilate overturns his initial verdict — and orders Jesus to be crucified.

The cross is a mirror to the truth of human (in)justice.

Brian Zahnd says:

“When we look at the cross, we see the truth that we are not a world of righteousness and justice; we are a world that kills the innocent for the sake of power.”

Jesus was accused and convicted on both religious and political grounds. He recieved multiple trials. He was executed in the prescribed manner for persons of his status and those who commit sedition- the crime he was convicted of. According to the Roman punitive legal system— justice was served.

And if you have the same knots in your stomach that I did when I did when I wrote those last two sentences, good. You’re supposed to. We are supposed to read the account of Jesus trials and crucifixion and go “but that isn’t right!!” That wasn’t justice! Jesus never should’ve been crucified! And I’m telling you, if you were one of the original hearers of the Gospel story, you would have been utterly scandalized. In 1 Corinthians 1: 23, Paul called the idea of a crucified Christ “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”

The cross shows us that human systems of justice fueled by a hunger for power, retribution, and vengeance are flawed and do nothing to stop the damage caused by sin on a spiritual level. God does not deal with our sin using our systems.

The truth we see reflected back to us through the cross is this: human justice and God’s justice are not the same thing.

Years ago, when explaining to one of my high school students some of the more complicated parts of being a bible teacher in a public school, he looked at me and said, “so your job is basically just tap dancing through minefields?” And I was like “yup, pretty much.” That statement has come back to me many times since, and whenever I’m about to hit a touchy subject, I mentally put on my tap shoes and my landmine helmet. So let’s suit up and dance.

How did the cross accomplish God’s justice?

What exactly happened, on a spiritual level, when Jesus died on the cross? Christians have been asking this question for 2000 years, and the discussion often gets heated- even today.

Some believe that Christ’s death was a ransom paid for our sin. Some believe it was a punishment Jesus endured on our behalf. Some take the approach that Christ’s death was a victory over sin and death itself. And I don’t want anyone to think I’m tap-dancing through this because I don’t want to talk about it, because it is an important conversation to have.

But there’s a reason why the Nicene creed only says, “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.” There has never, in the history of the church, been unanimous consent as to what exactly occured in the heavenly realms when Jesus took his final breath. I don’t know exactly what happened either. And that’s okay.

There are things about Jesus that are a mystery. And I don’t want us to ignore them because they’re hard. But I also don’t want us to get so bogged down in them that we neglect what we can know. And even though there are aspects to how God’s justice worked through the cross that will probably be a mystery to us until we ask God ourselves, the Bible is pretty clear about how Jesus took the human intentions behind the cross and punitive justice and turned them completely upside-down.

God’s justice draws in.

New International Version (2011) Chapter 12

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Crucifixion was meant to be repulsive. Not only in the horror of the violence being done, but the shame of being displayed in such a humiliating way. The Romans wanted passers by to turn their heads away, to avoid going near the condemned— and their crimes. But Jesus said that his cross was going to do the opposite. In fact, the word he used for “draw”- ἑλκύσω (helkysō) is more like “drag,” like dragging in a net, or dragging by the arm. But the way God drags us in is not through physical restraint , but through grace and love. It’s something we can resist, but once we’ve experienced it- we don’t want to. Brian Zahnd said “From the cross of Christ there is a tractor beam of steadfast love that pulls upon all people.”

What the Romans intended as a deterrent, God turned into an invitation. God’s grace is always there, pulling on us, bringing us to the cross to experience the truth of God’s love and respond to his invitation to take up our own crosses and follow him. To God, the cross isn’t about pushing sinners away—it’s about pulling them closer.

God’s justice reconciles

New International Version (2011) Chapter 5

For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

The Roman system (and modern systems) of punitive justice only focused on punishment. You do the crime, you do the time, so to speak. But that isn’t how God’s system of justice works. We don’t live in terror that God is going to punish us every time we mess up. Jesus’ death and resurrection undid the power that sin has over us, so that we are able to live in relationship to God and each other in a way that helps us to experience forgiveness and learn from our mistakes, and be reconciled to others as we were reconciled to God. Which means Christians cannot cling to vengeance because, as Brian Zahnd so beautifully puts it,

“On the cross we encounter a God who would rather die than kill his enemies.”

God’s justice heals.

New International Version (2011) Chapter 53

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

Of all the things the Roman justice intended for the cross- healing was not one of them. But when Jesus was nailed to the cross, his wounds fully on display, it wasn’t just the wounds from the Romans people saw. The wounds on Jesus’ body were the product a fallen world that produced people who were capable of inflicting those wounds on another human. It was a system of “might makes right”, “it’s only yours if you can defend it”, “if I want to hurt you, I can” that started all the way back in Genesis when Cain murdered his brother Abel. And like Abel’s blood cried out for God’s justice- Jesus’ blood cries out and says, “it is finished!” God’s justice isn’t about wounding through violence, but bringing peace and healing to all of those who have felt the wounds of sin. The cross is a loud and clear message to every wounded person that God does not ignore your suffering— God enters it.

God’s justice gives life

Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles of Jesus make their case over and over for who Jesus is, what Jesus did, and what it means for us. In Acts 13, Paul delivers a speech to a synagogue in Antioch where he says:

New International Version (2011) Chapter 13

Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead,

New International Version (2011) Chapter 13

38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin,

The cross was an instrument of death, of total erasure. Most of those crucified did not get a tomb. They were never remembered. The ones Rome crucified were the ones they wanted annihilated. But that’s not what happened with Jesus. Jesus got a tomb…. and he walked out of it. And through his resurrection, the restorative justice of God was made complete. God took death and turned it into eternal life, repairing the broken relationship between God and humanity, and set free a people bound by the curse of sin. Rome and the religious leaders tried to erase Jesus through his death— and through his resurrection God established a kingdom that will never pass away.

And this is such good news! But here’s the thing- God doesn’t want us to hear the good news parts and just sit with those warm fuzzies. The good news of the cross isn’t meant to comfort us into complacency. It’s meant to transform us— to teach us to see justice through the lens of Jesus, especially when it affects people made in the image of God… because Jesus died for them too.

How do we pursue godly justice?

One of the Greek words for justice that shows up most often in the Bible is δικαιοσύνη — dikaiosynē. And interestingly, it’s the same word that’s also translated “righteousness.”

Sometimes when we talk about justice, it can feel overwhelming. We think about all the injustice in the world and it feels like there’s so little we can do about it.

But when Scripture talks about righteousness, it brings justice a little closer to home—to our neighborhoods, to our towns, to the way we live with the people God has placed in our lives.

Be a tractor beam, not an electric fence

Just as the cross drew people in— we should too.

Sometimes I think the light we shine isn’t so much “come closer and see what God has done” and more “don’t come any closer or you’re gonna get zapped.” That’s not Jesus justice- that’s human justice. Rather the light Jesus shines through us should be reflected right back to the cross. “ You want to see why I shine like this? Take a look at my savior. Because that light is for you too.”

Seek reconciliation, not revenge

What is our posture toward people who have wronged us? Do we hope that whatever they did comes back and bites them? Do we seek vengeance? Once again- we are called to a different way of justice. We do the hard work, we try to repair the relationship, and if reconciliation is not possible or safe between ourselves and the person who hurt us, then we forgive and pray for them to be reconciled to God. Either way, revenge is not in our playbook.

Choose words that heal, not wound

I often think about the fact that when Jesus was on the cross, he actually wasn’t that high up. He heard every insult, every curse, every bit of vitriol thrown in his direction. And I think it was intentional that the Gospel writers included that detail—because the pain inflicted on Jesus went beyond the physical to the very words spoken to him as he suffered.

The New Testament writer James calls the tongue a fire that can corrupt your whole body and set the course of your life on fire. It is so easy to lash out and wound others with our words. And sometimes the hardest thing in the world is to pause for the five seconds it takes to ask: Are my words healing, or wounding?

If we want to live out God’s justice, our words cannot be used as weapons.

Champion life, not violence.

Another thing I think about when I reflect on the crucifixion is the crowd caught up in the frenzy, cheering for Jesus’ death. And I think about the times in my own past when I have cheered on acts of violence toward people I considered my enemy.

I do not deny that we live in a fallen world where people choose to resolve conflict with violence. But for those who seek to live out God’s justice, violence must be met with grief—never joy.

Instead, our enthusiasm and support should be directed toward those who advance the cause of life: feeding the hungry, caring for the poor and vulnerable, visiting the prisoner, and working for peace in the midst of conflict.

Jesus took the hideous cruelty of the cross and reframed it into something beautiful.

What humans intended to repulse, God used to draw people in. What humans intended for punishment, God used for reconciliation. What humans intended to inflict immeasurable pain, God used to bring healing to the world. What humans intended to bring death, God used to give us eternal life.

And when Jesus asks each of his followers to take up their cross, we have to ask ourselves: Which cross are we carrying? The cross of the Romans… or the cross of Christ?