Justice, it seems, isn’t about punishment or vengeance or getting even. It’s about restoration, wholeness, setting things right.
I am neither liberal nor conservative. Most people call me liberal, but that is not my orientation. My life direction concerns peace and justice. These attributes go along with each other.
Rich Dixon, who wrote those sentences on his blog about “Rich’s Ride” with a focus on justice for those caught up in sex trade and forced labor, resonates.
There are people who use justice, as in getting justice, meaning achieving vengeance. As in “getting even.”
I like Rich’s thought that it’s not about getting even or protecting my “rights.” Justice concerns setting things right. Returning to the way we should be. The way God created us all to be.
This sounds like how Jesus always raised the bar on people’s understanding of the Law. Committing adultery might be bad, but lusting after another person while committed to another is also bad. It’s a higher bar. Obeying all the commandments might be good, but selling all you own and following Jesus is a higher bar.
Getting our own justice might be one thing, but working for justice for the other is a higher bar. And Jesus always wanted us to strive for the higher bar.
Pray for peace; work for justice—for all.
Faith Venture 
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