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Compassionate justice

“Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours! But how terrible for you who are rich now; you have had your easy life!” - Luke 6:20, 24

The Lukan version of the beatitudes (Lk.6:20-26) pictures a value system prevailing in Jesus’ time and in today is society characterized by the human craving for money, food, pleasure, and prestige. It is this kind of value system that breeds widespread injustice and creates enemies among the people.

Such value system is also shown in other stories in the Lukan Gospel, like the Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk.16:19-31), the Rich Young Ruler (Lk.18:18-30), and Zaccheaus (Lk.19:1-9).

Jesus has just chosen his twelve disciples (Lk.6:12-16). And so, there is a need for them to be taught, forewarned and be reminded about the values of God’s Kingdom vis-à-vis the values of this world.

Christ’s disciples are regarded to be prophets. But there are two kinds of prophets: true and false prophets. The disciples become false prophets if they would take upon themselves the values of this world that breed injustice, and take money, food, pleasure, and prestige as their ultimate goals in their life and ministry. The four “woes” will be for them (vs.24-26).

“Woes” are not really curses, but statement of fact or truth learned from experiences. They indicate that the way of false prophets is a sad one in spite of appearances, and that it will shut one out forever from life in God’s Kingdom.

On the other hand, true prophets are those who embrace not the values of this world but the values of God’s Kingdom, and take its establishment as their ultimate goal in life. This, of course, would lead them to poverty, hunger, sorrow, and rejection, as experienced by the true prophets in the past (vs.20-23). However, Jesus regarded them as “blessed” (happy) like the wise men in the Old Testament (cf. Ps.1:1;73), and he knows from experience that this is the best and most effective way of building God’s Kingdom.

Opposed to the values of this world ( like the craving for money, food, pleasure, and prestige) that breed injustice and create enemies, Jesus has taught his disciples the Kingdom value of loving one’s enemies and of having that kind of mercy or compassion on which genuine justice is based (vs.27-36).

God’s Kingdom is a kingdom of justice. It is a kind of justice that transcends the law of retribution - it does not condemn, but forgives and saves or liberates (cf. Lk.6:37; 19:1-10; Jn.8:1-11). It is a kind of justice founded on compassion. Perhaps, this is the kind of justice needed in today’s world of injustice and violence. #

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