How many of us have had conversations about justice for someone who committed a crime?
I’m sure that there was mention of “he got what he deserved,” or “she didn’t MEAN to shoot him! Why should she be punished”?
We all seem to default to some need to exact a fair retribution for any type of wrongdoing.
When I was a kid in school I was told to get good grades or I could expect to be grounded. When I was was disrespectful to adults, well, “just don’t do it.”
On a larger scale, the criminal justice system in the U.S. is built upon the bedrock of “do the crime; do the time.” All of this seems completely correct. Tit for tat; turn about is fair play; you slap me, I’ll punch you.
That’s the way it should be. Right?
After all, doesn’t the Bible prescribe this? An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.
We could probably spend a lot of time discussing the exegesis of the texts that mention those. But, that’s not the purpose of this post.
Nor, is the purpose to critique the U.S. criminal justice system.
I have the privilege of leading Bible studies at the church I attend. I try not to make them like the typical studies that are held in many churches. I don’t tell people what to think or believe. I certainly don’t tell them how they should live their lives in some “godly” manner. Hell, I don’t even know how to do that myself!
I try to let the text speak for itself. Exegesis means to “read or lead out.” So, what I try to do is let the text “lead” me toward any meaning or interpretation. Of course, total objectivity is impossible. But, it’s important to try to be as objective as possible so as not to imprint my own world view or interpretation on the text.
In our study group this is important because some of the texts deal with negative ideas. Every time we read something about God’s wrath or some kind of holy retribution many in our group are taken aback. They wonder how God, as revealed in Jesus, could ever do anything like that. After all, aren’t the Gospels pretty clear in revealing God’s unlimited love for the world? However, our experiences in life don’t back up that gilded image of Christ the lamb-carrier. Rather, we see everyday how wrong is punished. When we question that, we are invariably told “Well, the Bible tells us to.” So, if God practices retributive justice, so should we.
But, is that an accurate understanding of God?
Notice that I didn’t write “understanding of how God works.” No, the question of justice and love cut to the very heart of Who God Is. God’s very character is seen in how God acts. By the way, that’s how it works with people, too. Like James wrote, “Y’all can tell me about your faith all day long. I’ll show you my faith by what I do” (James 2:18 my paraphrase).
So, we tend to view God by what we see, or read, God doing. And, Lawd A’Mighty! There are a lot of examples of God’s wrath wreaking havoc among humanity. I’m not going to list them here. Just consider all of the folks alive at Noah’s time before and after the flood. Not a great ending for all but, what, eight people and a menagerie of critters.
In our journey through the Book to the Hebrews, we have read about the people who left Egypt with Moses. They came to the very border of God’s promised land. Then, they forgot all of the things that they had witnessed. The plagues in Egypt; the Red Sea parting; the fire and cloud on Mount Sinai; God’s provision of bread and drink in the desert…all forgotten. God told them that because of the lack of trust they would all perish in the desert. Well, all except two. We read about how “vengeance is mine” and “it’s a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.” These texts met with diverted looks and head shaking. Again, how could a loving God do such things?
I admit that much of what we read in the Bible is troublesome. If I know that such violence and anger is wrong, how could God not? If God’s moral compass seems more skewed than mine, why should I follow God at all?
There are a couple things to consider. The first one I’m not going to dwell on now. That’s a topic for another post. But, it goes like this.
The Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Both in their creation and their canonization. However, they are all wholly human documents. Written by specific people for a specific reason, intended for reading by other specific people. That’s not to belittle God’s inspiration. That’s just the way it is. As such, they will contain all of the humanness and worldview of those writing. The End.
The other consideration for these raw stories’ inclusion in Holy Writ is one not usually thought of by many, (most?), believers. That is because of the rhetorical impact of the stories. In the above examples from Hebrews, the writer wanted to make a point. He used the story of the Israelites’ failed entrance into the Promised Land to implore his readers to “Not. Be. Like. Those. People.” I would suggest that the original story may have had that idea behind it. The point is to remain faithful and trust God and you will reach the reward. Don’t be like those who don’t trust. The effect is motivation to stay the course. The same thought is behind the other statements. They are not statements that describe God as angry and wrathful. The statements were made in the context of people acting faithlessly in the face of God’s promises. Don’t be like them!
That begs the question, “well, what about ‘those people’?” Isn’t God still portrayed as the big bully who gets his boxers in a bunch when people don’t do exactly what God says? Not really. Does any hypothetical example require a physically real expression? Of course not! Nor do the writers of the Scriptures need to be reporting about actual behaviors of so-called sinners and apostates in order to draw conclusions from what may be their actions.
This rhetorical tool may be found in many other portions of the Bible. The writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, tell of dreadful possibilities and outcomes in an attempt to persuade their hearers to take a preferred path in their lives. Do this! Don’t be like those people who didn’t.
I know that there are lots and lots of folks who will take issue with these thought. That’s ok. I don’t need to be right. But, I do need to be consistent in my claim that Jesus Christ is the only true representation of Deity. Through what I read in the Gospels about Jesus, I think that my position is a solid one.