Justice (15) - Justice takes Time

Justice is usually slow. Investigating the issues to determine if one of God’s laws has been broken must be done carefully. Even if it is known who has perpetrated the injustice, they may not be easy to find. Bringing the unjust person to justice takes time, whereas the needs of the victim are immediate. The Christian approach is to show mercy immediately, and sort out the justice afterwards.

A good example is found in the story of the Good Samaritan. The injured man was a victim of evil actions. The thieves had stolen everything he had in his possession. They had assaulted him and possible had attempted to murder him. Justice would require the thieves to pay back what was stolen and compensate him for his injuries.

The Good Samaritan did not attempt to get justice by going to the nearest Roman military post and persuading them to catch the thieves and return the stolen money. Even if this were successful, the injured man would most likely be dead, before justice was done. Justice always takes time, and real needs usually usually do not have time.

Mercy takes immediate action. The Good Samaritan bound up the injured mans wounds and took him to an Inn and paid for his care. Justice needs time, but mercy takes action.