What Would Superman Do?

                I think all of us have tasted injustice at some point. It seems that everywhere I look in our Western culture I see people crying out for justice. There has been a recent string of popular super hero movies that hold a heavy emphasis on justice. There are several TV series that show people seeking after justice by breaking the law (Leverage, Arrow). Music often emphasizes overcoming the injustice of society in order to rise to the top of the social latter. The public is in an uproar because professional athletes are not receiving punishment for their crimes. Furthermore, our courts are flooded with individuals trying to receive justice for something that has happened to them.  It is natural to want to see good deeds rewarded and bad deeds punished.

                At the end of Matthew 18, Jesus gives us a very powerful parable involving injustice. He explains that there was a slave that owed his master a whole lot of money. His master said it was time for the slave to pay up and the slave begged the master not to make him pay. He did not have the money and begged the master for more time. The master felt bad for the slave so he forgave his debt and sent him on his way. The forgiven slave then goes to collect some money owed him from another slave. The amount of money the forgiven slave is owed is much less than he owed his master. The fellow slave could not pay him the money and begged for more time. The forgiven slave did not forgive the debt as his master had forgiven him, he did not even give the slave more time. Instead, the forgiven slave had his fellow slave thrown into jail until he could pay his debt. When the master found out that this had happened, he had the forgiven slave handed over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay the full amount that he had previously been forgiven for. Jesus then says that the Father will do the same thing to us if we do not forgive one another.

                It is not wrong to wish for justice, but it is wrong to assume that we are in charge of delivering it. If I stop to remember how much God has forgiven me, I cannot hold someone else responsible for what they have done to me. I often wish for justice until I read this parable and remember what justice I deserve. Who have I not forgiven lately? Who do I hold responsible for something small in comparison to what I owe the Lord that He has forgiven me?

                God, I am so glad that I am not responsible for handing out justice. Please reveal to me any unforgiveness in my heart and give me the strength to forgive. Help me to trust You to carry out justice and know that I am pardoned only by Your mercy. Thank You for Your mercy. Amen.