Welcome to the professional website and personal weblog of Jeremy Del Rio. Whether you're a client, friend, or curious onlooker, please don't stay a spectator. Engage the conversation. Your contributions matter here.
« I know, I know | Home | The Rest of the Story »
Jesus Justice: So Easy a Five-Year-Old Can Do It
By Jeremy | May 24, 2007
Part 3 of 5
[Part 2] [Part 1]
[This is reprinted from the May-June issue of the Journal of Student Ministries.]The concept of Shalom expresses this best. In his book Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, British theologian N.T. Wright describes biblical justice as “putting the world to rights.†It’s the fulfillment, as Paul wrote, of all creation’s waiting “in eager expectation†to be “liberated from its bondage to decay†(Romans 8:19-23), or what the Old Testament calls Shalom. More than the absence of strife, Shalom is the kind of peace that holds the far reaches of the universe together. It’s what the Prince of peace came to reestablish by overcoming the devastating consequences of sin: the interdependency of healthy communities; the functioning of our physiology; the manifold mysteries of a mother’s love; the splendor of the cosmos; and the microscopic intricacy of subatomic matter. Dr. Tim Keller, founder and senior pastor of Manhattan’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, describes Shalom as the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in a state of universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight. It’s an intricately woven garment that diminishes when things unravel physically, psychologically, and economically. Social unraveling comes when people who “have†hold on to their blessing rather than thrusting it out and interweaving it with those who “have not.†The condition of sin robs us of Shalom, which Kingdom justice restores. The catch is that justice isn’t forced upon us. It comes as we change our priorities and hunger and thirst after it with a poverty of spirit that allows us to mourn its absence. Kids know this well. Cries of fairness ring out on playgrounds every day. Prayers to heal broken relationships echo in homes every night. But somehow as we age, the belief that things can fundamentally change tends to diminish. At the very least, lifetimes of hurt and disappointment jade us. Sometimes they make us cynical. And we forget that justice is possible. Perhaps that’s why Jesus said we must first become like children before we can enter his Kingdom. [Part 4 coming Saturday]
Topics: article, jesus justice, journal of student ministries, judah, justice | No Comments »
Comments are closed.