1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. I have recently watched Les Misérables, probably my favourite musical. This very moving story primarily follows the paths of two men, Jean Valjean is a thief converted to an honest life by the gracious forgiveness of a Bishop, the other man is Inspector Javert the upholder of Justice and the Law seeking Valjean's conviction for his crimes. The tension between the 2 characters runs throughout but there is no doubt that Valjean is the hero of the story. It is a great story because it describes the human dilemma so perfectly and how the individual can ultimately triumph through Love and Grace. Does the truth matter if we have Love? A great question for our times...
Justice is Love in action it is said. This is a very positive statement. Everyone wants to be loved. Read the newspaper columns to find how many people are seeking love but how few are seeking justice for someone else. If justice really is love in action, then there is very little true love in the world!
For us to have justice in our society, we have to know truth since truth is required for justice. Today people question whether absolute truth exists. If truth can slide up or down the scale depending on how tolerant we need to be then the tension between love and justice falls away. Can love accept any fault by being tolerant of people's weakness and darkness? Most people would rightly question that logic, particularly when they have been a victim of human nature. If we negate truth, injustices will happen because of people's tolerance. This is part of the purpose of the justice system. The Justice System is arguably there for love's sake. It exists for our protection and as a preventative to further injustices by setting boundaries. Because of the law people think twice before doing something classified by the law as wrong.
Parents have to juggle love, justice and truth every day in raising their children. One of the problems a parent faces is when to apply justice. Too early and the child may never learn to try things because every mistake is punished. Too late and the child may never learn respect for others because no mistake is punished. The greatest difficulty in love is telling someone a hard truth and then backing up the words with action. If we don't speak up, how can we say we care? If we don't take action, we are merely smooth-talkers.
Love is the most powerful force in the World yet it can't be measured or predicted with accuracy. Love is both rational and irrational at the same time. The height depth width and breadth of love cannot be measured but we don't doubt it's reality. I can see no purpose to love and justice evolving when the rules are survival of the fittest. Although you might understand a parent giving their life for their child, how do you explain someone dying for a stranger? We have compassion not just on the stranger but also the poor, the suffering and the weak. Where did that come from? If we are made in the image of God, then it makes sense to me, otherwise it does not.
Most people accept that we must love others and that we should treat others as we want to be treated. That's easy with our friends and colleagues but very few would apply this to their enemies which is what Jesus taught. The fact that Jesus forgave his enemies while dying unjustly on the Cross shows extreme love and justice can co-exist. Elsewhere in the Bible it says that God will remember our sins no more.
Where did the concepts of Absolute Love and Justice come from and why do we yearn after them so badly? I say they are evidence we are made in the image of God.
