Have you ever received a bouquet of flowers as a gift? Think back to that moment. Imagine that bunch of flowers, perhaps exquisitely arranged by a professional florist… try to remember how gorgeous it looked, how lovely it smelled, how much you admired it. People who saw it probably went ‘awww’, or ‘wow’ at the stunning blooms. It made your lips curve into a smile.

Or maybe you can remember a time when you picked a bunch of flowers from a garden and put them in a vase on your table. You looked at the flowers, admiring their beauty, pleased at how they spruced up the room.

Fast forward a couple of weeks later, what happened? What did the flowers look and smell like? How did you feel about them? Chances are, they didn’t exactly appeal to your senses anymore. The loveliness of the flowers had likely become a distant memory.

I was reading 2 Timothy 3 in the NLT recently, and verse 5 struck me, “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” Or as the NRSV puts it, “holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them!”

As I reflected on this  verse, I recalled a phrase I’ve seen around, ‘cultural Christian’, which is when people adopt Christian practices and values, even when they don’t believe in God. I’ve generally heard it used by people who live in traditionally Christian countries.

On the face of it, it may seem good to have a society that tries to do the right thing, that wants to be good and moral. However, the challenge with a society that tries to be moral without God is that it is akin to cut flowers. Without roots in God, not only will its comeliness lack staying power, it will also lack the beauty of grace. This is because the beauty of God’s amazing grace is instead substituted with a not-so-amazing, unrealistic expectation of faultlessness from people, an inhumane requirement from mere humans.

What then tends to happen is that people then make themselves the legislature, executive and judiciary, the judge, jury, the whole courtroom. They try to take God’s place as judge and as the one who decides what is good and what is evil, the age old problem from the time of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3). Alas, no one is as wise, merciful, patient or knowledgeable as God, and so we make very poor substitute legislatives, judges, courtrooms.

When this happens, we inevitably start to have societal issues such as cancel culture (the culture of ostracising, shunning, boycotting an individual because they have acted or spoken in a manner that is deemed unacceptable by the cancellers), jungle/street justice, and personal issues of bitterness, resentment, and indignation that threatens to eat us up. We start to have people who believe that anyone who does not agree with them is sub-human, lacking a moral compass, just plain evil and so should be silenced completely and banished to obscurity.

Unfortunately, the vase of self-righteousness which holds these cut flowers may be great at displaying morality for a time, but it cannot sustain perfect morality. When we try to hold ourselves to the same perfect standard we expect from others, if we are honest, we will realise that we fall so desperately short. And with that realisation comes the setting in of guilt, shame, disappointment in ourselves.

John 8:1-11 gives us one such account of people who were self-righteous enough to believe that they had the right to throw stones at a woman caught in the act of adultery, until Jesus made the now famous statement, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her” (verse 7). And just like that, realisation of their sinfulness hit them like a stone.

It then begs the question, was their concern really justice, or was it just a desire to punish, a sickening desire to snuff out a life, maybe even a way to pay the woman back for some past offence? She was wrong, yes, there is no argument against that. Isn’t it interesting though how Jesus’ immediate focus wasn’t her sin, but rather a way to invite mercy and grace into the situation?

We also need to ask ourselves, when we engage in, or agree with physical or ideological jungle justice, are we any better? C. Adichie, in an essay, talked about people who “wrap mediocre malice in the false gauziness of ideological purity.” My first reaction reading that was ouch. But it is worth asking, are we one of such people? Maybe not mediocre malice, but ‘mediocre’ bitterness or resentment?

The Bible states in Romans 3:23 (NLT) that “everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” 1 John 1:8 (ESV) cautions, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Even if we are less than honest, and believe ourselves to be perfect, to maintain that belief, we may find ourselves striving to do more and more and more to either project a certain image to the world, or to prove ourselves as beings moral and worthy enough to mete justice. But somewhere underneath, the fear of slipping one day will lurk, and from time to time, it will steal chunks of our peace of mind. That fear is not unfounded though. Seeing as we are imperfect beings, there is an almost guaranteed chance of that slip happening. It may not even be something we will do in the future, but something we may have done in the past, when we were young and foolish, that comes to light. And so, when the inevitable moral failure occurs or is laid bare, disappointment follows, accompanied by a heavy burden of guilt and shame.

And just like that, the cut flowers that were initially selected to sit in a beautiful vase, on display and admired by all, end up becoming sad-looking, shrivelled stalks of wilted glory. Admiration turns to aversion. Nobody is ‘awww-ing’ or wowing over those flowers anymore. So they get ditched. Just like the one who cancels gets ditched by their admirers, the canceller becoming the cancelled, the ostraciser becoming the ostracised. One by one, the social media followers and fans unfollow and ‘unfan’.

Why? Because true mercy and grace were completely absent from the picture, thanks to the absence of true roots.

In some instances, we may agree that we are not perfect. But what we do is rank our sins, telling ourselves that our sin is not as bad as the other person’s sin we are criticising. However, anything that separates us from God will always lead to unpleasant consequences. Moreover, ranking sins that way may be based on quite a myopic view of sin, as we cannot possibly know the ripple effect of our so-called small sins. As I write this, I am reminded of a story in 1 Kings 13, about an old prophet who told what one might have initially assumed to be a ‘white lie’ to a younger prophet. That white lie eventually led to the younger prophet’s death. The younger prophet was attacked and killed by a wild animal, a ripple effect of a seemingly harmless lie. While the consequences for our sins may not always be so immediate, they are still there, and we may never know just how far-reaching they may be.

I recently read a tragic story of a young man who committed suicide. He had done something which he termed “unintentional but unforgivable”, and had been ostracised by his friendship group as a result. Sadly, it appears he saw no way out, no way past a culture of ‘justice’ without grace. How heartbreaking, that a lack of grace made him think forgiveness was not an option.

Does this mean we let those who commit wrongs and crimes go scot-free? Not exactly. We have a justice system in place. It may not be perfect, but it is there to ensure that justice follows a certain process, a process which is hopefully fair and objective, amongst other things.

That said, sometimes we feel like we can’t trust the justice system. As such, even when those who commit criminal acts are punished, we may not feel like justice has been done. We may want their punishment to be more severe. Or it may be that it is not quite a criminal act, but we want the person in question to be penalised for whatever they have done that has hurt us. And make no mistake, the Bible urges us to fight for justice for the oppressed (Hosea 12:6, Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8).

However, the question we need to ask ourselves in our pursuit for justice is, “What is our motive? What is it that we desire for this person who has wronged us? Is it that they get their just desserts? Is it that they suffer as they made you or your loved one suffer? Or, is it redemption and rehabilitation?

Now there may be people who have committed such horrific crimes that we struggle to see any possible path to redemption and rehabilitation. And if you have been a victim of such, I cannot even imagine how difficult that must be. I would reiterate that there is nothing wrong in seeking justice, as long as it is done with the right motive. Having the right motive is important not necessarily just for the perpetrators but the victims as well. Beyond that, I also know that in such cases, we need to have hope in a far better justice system than the world can ever provide. Moreover, sometimes no sentence or punishment can ever make up for, or even attempt to heal the loss and pain we may have suffered.

What then is the solution? The acknowledgement that, quite simply put, we need God. I cannot offer a better solution than that because there is no better solution. We need a full understanding of the fact that God is perfect and we are not, that He is omniscient and we are not, that He has perfect and complete knowledge and we do not, that He is far more qualified to judge than we can ever hope to be. Without this, it will be nigh impossible to let go of the desire to pay back.

The Bible has quite a bit to say about revenge and God’s justice. Romans 12:19 (NLT), which exhorts us thus, “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.” Nahum 1:3a (KJV) says, “The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked”. Psalm 89:14 (GWT) states, “Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne. Mercy and truth stand in front of you.” Isaiah 30:18 (NIV) states, “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” 2 Peter 3:9 (CEV) says, “The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.”

What a God we serve – just, patient, righteous, compassionate, merciful, gracious, a warrior Father who fights for us before we even realise we are in a battle! If we have friends who are in a sense, living like cut flowers, I pray that we will have the courage to introduce them to this God of mercy and justice, and consequently a life with true roots.

What then happens when we have true roots? When we stop existing as cut flowers? We live with a humbling awareness of our need for grace and mercy, an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the grace and mercy we have received, and consequently a desire to extend that to others. And so, no matter what happens, as long as our roots are in Christ, we can stand firm, abiding, blooming, and fruitful in Christ (John 15:4-6). Sure, we may have our imperfections, we may even get a bit wilted, but as long as we remain attached to the vine, connected to the roots and good soil, then we know that there is always hope. As Job 14:7-9 (ESV), “For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grow old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant.”

In the meantime, while we wait for God’s justice, we have our part to play. We are all in need of ‘grace-healed eyes’ and mercy-healed hearts. However, the path to receiving eyes healed by grace and hearts healed by mercy is acknowledging and continuously reminding ourselves that we desperately need grace and mercy, God has generously offered us His grace and mercy, and so we ought to extend that grace to all.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) notes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Titus 2:11 (NLT) says, “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people”.

Romans 5:6-8 reminds us that “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

We weren’t perfect, sinless creatures when God extended His grace to us, far from it. To paraphrase C.S Lewis, we are able to forgive the inexcusable in others when it dawns on us that God has forgiven the inexcusable in us.

Luke 6:36-38 (ESV) exhorts us thus, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

In other words, the amount of mercy we show others is the amount of mercy we ourselves will be shown. Think about how you would want to be treated when you fail. Imagine your case being tried in a court of law, think about the kind of judge you wish would be presiding over your case. Would you want a harsh, strict judge or a merciful judge? Wouldn’t it be good if we could adopt the posture of the kind of judge we would desire when others wrong us?

We may understandably be angry when we feel justice meted is not harsh enough. But as James 1:19-20 (NLT) teaches, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”

If the pain of injustice has broken your heart and you are struggling to let go of the desire for vengeance, beloved, turn to God. Pursuing vengeance in any form is like picking at a wound that is trying to heal. It may give a temporary satisfaction, but it does no good in the long term. Mary Renault puts it this way, “To crave revenge is to fall down before one’s enemy and eat dust at his feet. What worse can we let him do to us?”

On the other hand, when you turn to God, when you let go and let God, He can be your healer and avenger. Psalm 34:18 (NLT) says “The LORD is close to the broken-hearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” “He (GOD) heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds” (Psalm 147:3, NLT) He will restore and heal (Jeremiah 30:17). And as Hebrews 10:30 (NIV) reminds us, “For we know Him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”” Remember that Jesus invites us to come to Him if we are burdened, and He will give us rest (Matthew 28:11-30).

I pray that as we reflect on this, we won’t succumb to the temptation of leaving God out of sorting out the wrongs we have suffered. Instead, may we invite Him into that space, and not just invite Him, but allow Him to take over. In Genesis 18:25, Abraham, knowing God’s character, says to God, “Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” This is a verse I try to hold on to when I am finding it hard to ‘let go and let God’. Because then I realise that as Christians, we are able to let go, because we have a truth to hold onto in its stead, that God is a “Mighty King, a lover of justice”, and He established fairness (Psalm 99:4, NLT).

Beloved, we cannot possibly love or desire justice more than God Himself. I encourage you trust in Him. He will act. At just the right time, His justice will shine forth. Fight for justice, yes, but with a sword of grace, a heart of mercy, and a desire for redemption above all. Let the justice systems of the earth do their thing. Even if they fail or disappoint, we can remain confident that the justice systems of Heaven will never fail or disappoint. May we lean on the wisdom, strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit in all. May we hold on to the truth that not only have we received far more grace and mercy than we could ever give, we will receive even more in return when we follow the path of grace and mercy. And may our God, our great Lover of Justice, the one who is rich in wisdom, mercy and grace, bless us as we choose to honour Him with our trust and dependence on Him. Amen and Amen.

Image source here.