The Justice and Judgement of God
By Fr. John Abberton
Can there be a sane person in the world that does not have some idea of justice? So many people speak about their rights. Where does this notion come from? What makes me think I have “rights”? Not only do I have some rights, I am also entitled to justice. Not only do people have some understanding of justice in relation to others – an employer, one’s fellow citizens, but we all have some sense of justice when it comes to punishing criminals. There are still some people who believe in the death penalty. In the Western world, most people do not. Yet, everyone agrees that some punishment is necessary.
If we ask what punishment is for, we may want to say, first of all, it is for the sake of the criminal: his or her education and rehabilitation. We know that this is not enough. When we have finally banished all thoughts of vengeance; when we have conquered our anger and perhaps, even forgiven the criminal, there is still a need for punishment. Why? What is it that drives us to punish others and, in humility, accept punishment ourselves? Without knowing the answer people instinctively demand justice. Strangely, when it comes to God many have problems with divine justice and, especially, judgement. Many think that religion is sweeter; more palatable, without justice and judgement. God is all merciful, so how can He also be a judge? If God has forgiven us, if Jesus has died for us, what punishment can there be? Surely, if we are saved, we are saved, and there is no need of judgement. Doesn’t the Bible say something like that?
It could be said that there is no civilisation without justice. Yet, different cultural and religious groups will argue seriously amongst themselves about what constitutes true justice. Christians do not agree with vengeance. We should not punish another to satisfy our pride or in response to our hurt feelings. Yet, we know that crime should be punished. There is a principle that we all accept – without having to say it. We know that no society can continue to exist in peace unless there is some form of justice.
For us to survive in a world which is sometimes cruel and frightening we must have some safeguards, some moral parameters, and some laws. Laws that are broken need to be defended or they will become irrelevant. Public Punishment is a statement about the law and society. In being punished the criminal is almost like a servant. What he or she suffers as a result of disobeying the law reaffirms the moral values of society. It is, if the criminal does not always know it, a case of suffering for the people. It is not innocent suffering but, at least in principle, it is not selfish either. Criminals have often spoken of “paying my debt to society”. For every crime there must be some form of punishment.
Honouring Goodness (Glorifying God)
What happens when a criminal is punished is that the good that he or she has defied or thrust aside is raised up. The greater the good, we argue, the more severe should be the punishment. Behind the desire for revenge there is a refusal to allow the “good” that has been attacked (whether it be seen as our own ego or, more genuinely, such things as the right to private property) to be diminished. Vengeance is a primitive urge that has something to do with recognising the value of something or someone. If my brother is killed, vengeance means two things; firstly recognising the worth of my brother’s life and secondly, as an expression of this, and of my own loss, exacting the recompense of his killer’s life.
Vengeance is usually associated with high emotion yet it can be a very clinical and cold-blooded affair, almost seen as a sacred duty and one that is pursued almost like a religious ritual. At the heart of vengeance there is also a great evil, especially where violence is concerned. It leads to the most hideous corruption involving the exaltation of the ego and contempt for human life. In the end vengeance solves nothing. All too often one act of revenge leads to another because of a distorted sense of honour. In societies where dangerously eccentric views of family and personal “honour” are maintained there is no lasting peace, but a climate of fear and intimidation. Vengeance may begin with some kind of recognition of good but it ends in more tears, more blood and the destruction of peace.
Those who argue in favour of the death penalty are often offended when they are accused of wanting revenge. Part of their argument is precisely that when the crime has been so heinous (and they bring up the example of child rape and murder) a very serious punishment is demanded. The argument that legal execution can also be a deterrent is still proposed. It is not very convincing; some of the worst criminals in history have committed suicide. The theory that the punishment must fit the crime has some weight. Until recently the death penalty was an option allowed by Roman Catholic teaching (following St. Thomas Aquinas). The first edition of the New Catechism was criticised for allowing it. Pope John Paul II subsequently spoke out against the death penalty. It is not the answer. The goodness of life is not adequately defended or honoured by its deliberate destruction. Death is not the answer to death. Death is only conquered by life, just as sadness is only answered by joy and the ravages of war only healed in peace. Punishment produces no real fruits when it is so destructive and often cruel. Such retribution takes on the character of despair. Has the death penalty, anywhere, led to anything like a celebration of human life? The question looks strange, even tasteless. This is the ultimate argument against it. The good is not honoured; life is not celebrated.
What then of Hell? Isn’t Hell completely negative? What good is Hell?
To begin with, there is no one in Hell who doesn’t want to be. The choice is ours. At the very least Hell witnesses to the freedom granted to us by God – a freedom He will not remove or overrule. At the same time, we can say that those who are in Hell are there because of the holiness of God. This is like a very bright light which is warm and delightful for those who are “children of the light”, but is blinding and painful for those who have chosen to live in darkness. Those who die in the darkness of serious sin cannot endure the light of God’s holiness. In fact this light makes the darkness seem even deeper since evil cannot abide it, and even minor imperfections must be burned away. Those who fly from the light witness to its brightness: those who descend to Hell witness to the purity of those in Heaven. In this sense Hell witnesses to the justice and mercy of God.
What does it mean to be saved?
To be saved means to be set free, and being free means having a choice. The Lord Jesus overcame sin, death and Hell, but He did not wipe out free will. Serious sins can be forgiven in this life, if we sincerely repent, so that even if we make the wrong choices on this side of the grave we can begin again. It is true that all sins can be forgiven except the sin of refusal – the sin against the Holy Spirit which is persistent obstinacy in face of the Truth. It is the nature of this sin that it refuses the offer of forgiveness. We are free then, but freedom means responsibility and between one path and another, the choice is ours. This is what Christ has done, He has liberated us. However, we will not experience the true joy of freedom unless we make the correct choices. There is really only one path to ultimate freedom, and that is the path of true love. The other path leads to self-enslavement. The difference now, since the paschal triumph of Christ, is that we choose it ourselves; if we wish, but we are free to choose Heaven.
Choosing God, means accepting correction. God loves us as we are, but He doesn’t want us to stay as we are. God wants the best for us and that means encouraging us to grow, to change, to become holy. Always, He allows us the freedom to back out. If we say “Yes” to God, God will say “Yes” to our sanctity. As long as we do not turn our backs on Him in a serious and consistent way, He will make us into saints. The path to sainthood is not easy going. There are many hard knocks and lessons along the way. Mistakes are expected, but there is also penance, mortification, self-denial and much prayer. Suffering is unavoidable, and precious.
Chastisement reminds us that we are not yet perfect and that the happiness we have experienced so far is not enough. God has more wonderful things in store for us. As C.S. Lewis reminds us in “The Problem of Pain”, what we experience as punishment can often be interpreted as God allowing us to learn such lessons. If everything was always satisfactory and we were never troubled, never dissatisfied, we might be fooled into thinking that we had found a kind of Heaven. At the same time, since earthly pleasures and happiness are, of their nature, finite, limited and ultimately insufficient, we would become bored and then selfish and then bitter. We would make ourselves dissatisfied because our hearts would yearn for more. As St. Augustine wrote,
“O God, Thou hast made us for thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee”. If God allows pain, suffering, even tragedy, it is an aspect of His mercy. We need to consider this carefully. It can only be grasped in faith.
In Notebook 17 of “True Life in God”, in the message given on Oct 13, 1987, Jesus said;
“I get no pleasure in punishing you, I wish that my creation returns to Love, tremendous reparations have to be done, amend those that can amend for others, My creation has to change, daughter My creation has to learn and believe in my Spiritual Works, My creation will have to accept me as Omnipotent, My sacerdotal souls must understand how wrong they are denying My works of today”
The King of mercy is also the Judge.
Let us turn to the New Testament. In the Gospels it is clear that Jesus, the Son of Man, is both liberator and judge. His very presence leads some to cry out for help and causes others to feel insecure, threatened and angry.
Some are drawn to Him because they seek mercy; others follow Him in the shadows because He disturbs them, and they don’t like it. He is dangerous and must be removed. To some He is a healer, to others His very presence is like judgement. The evil spirits react without being told;
“What do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us – we know who you are…”
There are too many passages connected with mercy and justice for all to be mentioned here. Here are five which bring out the different aspects of judgement.
- Mark 3. 1 – 6. The Man with the Withered Hand.
In this story, Jesus heals on the Sabbath. The healing takes place in the synagogue. The man with the withered hand does not ask for help – at least, not openly. Jesus may be reading his heart. He calls the man forward and asks him to stand in the centre. He then asks the man to stretch out his hand. It is restored. This act of love and mercy is greeted with disapproval by the Lord’s opponents. He looks at them “angrily” (NRSV). “He was grieved at their hardness of heart”.
Here we see mercy and judgement. Those Pharisees and others who were ready to condemn Jesus for healing on the Sabbath plot against Him “immediately” – on the same day, in the same place. Their own attempted judgement of Jesus rebounds on them. He has done “good”: he has “saved life”. They plot to destroy life. Thinking they were protecting the Sabbath they have profaned it, and they have done this out of fear, pride and jealousy. The evil that was already in their hearts is now out in the open. The man with the withered hand was called out into the open. His healing has brought the Lord’s opponents out into the open. They have withered hearts and souls. The presence of Jesus in their midst has brought judgement.
- Mark 11. 12 – 14. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree.
This story is difficult to understand. Scripture scholars suggest it could be a symbolic act showing the Lord’s displeasure at the state of the Temple and religious leadership in Israel. Jesus is hungry and walks over to a fig tree that is “in leaf”. There is no fruit on the tree, “for it was not the season for figs”. Jesus then curses the tree. This seems unfair. Was the tree expected to produce figs out of season? If Jesus is really angry with someone else, why does He curse a fig tree that is out of season?
One way of understanding this story is as a warning of judgement. God’s judgement will come when we least expect it. Jesus spoke elsewhere about the “thief in the night”. He warned that the Son of Man would come when He is “least expected”. There is no season for fruits as far as Israel, the Church, humanity or each person are concerned. When Christ comes, He will expect us to be ready. If, in the end, we have no fruit there will never be any fruit. This is a “wake-up call”. The strength of the text is this; if the Lord can curse a fig-tree out of season what will happen to us if we do not produce “fruit”. For us, just as for Israel, there is no “season”.
- John 9. 1 – 41 The Healing of the Blind Man.
This wonderful story contains some very important teaching about mercy and judgement. First of all, in answer to His disciples’ question about the reason for the man’s blindness Jesus answers, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him”. Handicap, birth deformity etc have a purpose. God can and will work through these afflictions for the good of others; for the salvation of souls. For Christians, no one, however weak, afflicted, or deformed can be treated as “useless” or regarded as a burden on society. This is not irrelevant to our reflection on mercy. In these cases mercy comes through pain and shows itself in those who ask mercy from us. At the same time, such people bring judgement (as we shall see).