As someone born in the early seventies, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Norris (no first names needed) in their heyday.  They were post John Wayne heroes and they developed their own brand of Justice. Things still may not have been as inclusive in Hollywood then as they are today, but we understood who the good guys were and what they were fighting for.  As a kid watching these movies in the 80’s, I always felt as if of justice was served. But what is Justice?

Like many young American males, I enjoyed reading comic books.  I have always enjoyed Wolverine and loved the movie adaptation of Black Panther, but Captain America has remained my overall favorite comic book character.  Naturally when they began producing the Marvel and DC movies, I was excited. Like all moviegoers I have enjoyed some of them more than others, but I am a big fan of the genre in general.  I’ve never been a huge DC fan, but I do have an appreciation for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. The names of the main organizations for both franchises are interesting. You have The Avengers with Marvel and the Justice League with DC.  We read and watch believing our heroes are our protectors. Even when they had been forced to fight each other, as audience members we believe both sides are fighting for their own sense of what’s right. Is that Justice?  In the comic book world things are almost always killed or destroyed. Is that Justice?

I have no problem with things being avenged in a Hollywood setting. I am often on the edge of my seat when I witness “Justice” being served. This becomes an issue however if we fail to recognize this mindset and carry the same expectations over into the real world. This becomes more challenging when you realize that while equity and justice are related, they are not necessarily the same thing. Legal justice is not necessarily the best method to look towards for emotional equity.  Legal justice throughout history has been viewed as a means of making things right. “Making things right” is a subjective term, especially since historic judgement, much like comic book justice, is reactive and not proactive. So, what is Justice?

When I think of Justice, there were many years when I thought the story of Sampson from the bible was a great example of this concept.  Most people are familiar with Sampson, in particular his strength and how it was linked to his hair. His hair however was not his true source of strength but was a symbol of a covenant that was made. There were times when Sampson seemed as if he was going to live up to the covenant only to fall short time and again. We see a repeated pattern of Sampson doing the long term will of God but with extremely selfish motives. It is not my intention to engage into a deep dive into the book of Judges or the overall story of Simpson.  However, I want to mention his last words within the context of potential justice. (Judges 16:28 NASB bold and italics added) Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”

In the New Testament Sampson is called a Hero of Faith.  That statement is encouraging to me given the selfishness of his prayer.  Sampson received the strength he asked for (as a side note the strength he received is more of a reflection of who God is and honoring His own covenants in spite of who we are) but Sampson still used that strength for his own selfish purposes.  Selfish gain is not normally a prerequisite for justice, it is normally a prerequisite for vengeance.  This Biblical story has many of the same elements that the comic book world or Hollywood references contain which is why I believe it’s relevant. 

Are we viewing justice through a legal, fictional, or righteous judgment lens? While I’ve been asking the question “what is justice” maybe the better question is, “Do we really want justice?” 

The definition of justice is an interesting one and the most basic definition is “the quality of being just”. If you look at the history of how Justice has been served, it’s challenging to dismiss certain elements that have been attached to this concept we call Justice. One of those concepts is that the judgment of someone comes from someone else who has more authority. Historically that authority came from a higher ordained authority.  I’m trying my best to stay out of the weeds but while ancient civilizations may have gotten many things wrong scientifically, they had enough sense to know they couldn’t rely on their own human authority. They needed a higher authority, even if that meant setting themselves up as a Divine link to the higher authority.

I started writing thinking the question “What is Justice” was a simple question and one that is easily answered.  Part of the reason for this thought process was growing up in America. We are a country who prides itself on the rule of law and its legal justice system.  After talking with different people and doing some reading (and soul searching) I’ve come to realize this is an extremely complex question. I received varied responses, which were conditioned upon an incident that required justice. Torture, revenge, protests and giving them over to God were some of the responses. Revenge however was the more frequent one.

Another reason the question “what is justice” has become challenging to answer is we don’t always want to admit it is subjective. The practice of legal justice in a society like ours is naturally subjective.  We are conditioned to respond within a social construct that will not always allow us to admit how subjective are opinions truly are on certain issues. If we give a certain response on what we believe justice should look like are we going to be viewed as racist, anti-police, homophobic, too conservative, too liberal, or just radicals?

I don’t believe in revenge as a general principle, but my human condition understands it and given certain heinous circumstances would even desire it. However… That’s not Justice!  Revenge possibly becomes a factor because what we really desire and confuse it with is equity. After looking over multiple definitions of Justice this is my favorite, “Justice is rendering to everyone that which is due. It has been distinguished from equity in this respect, that while justice means merely doing what positive law demands, equity means doing of what is fair and right in every separate case.” (Easton Bible Dictionary)

Writing this has on certain levels brought up more questions than answers. A legal justice system is paramount because it prevents society from sliding into the Hollywood version of the Wild West. Harkening back to the Sampson story, even the bible speaks against the lack of regulation and admonishes against a time when everyone did was right in their own eyes. So, what is Justice?

I don’t know and at the same time I absolutely know when it doesn’t happen. The main thing I’ve learned from my attempt to tackle this subject is there is a tremendous amount of love and grace required if any real justice or equity are going to take place. I love the joke, “vengeance is mine saith the Lord, but sometimes I need to be about my father’s business”. While this statement may be funny, I think it illustrates the human condition.  Knowing that this statement may accurately reflect society, it brings me to a complicated but potentially overly simplistic conclusion.

What is Justice? It’s allowing the law to administer penalties that don’t allow for haphazard “loop-holes” or exceptions and on a human level and it’s living and acting within the realm of Love and Grace, no matter how Justice may present itself.