“God Loves Justice“, by Rev. Tom Duley

One of the more famous verses in Scripture is Micah 6:8. In part it says:

“what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

God speaking through the prophet Micah wants his people to know that justice, mercy and humility are required for those who are walking with God. God expects his people to work for justice which is defined as the fair and equal treatment of all people.

Jesus picks up on this insight into what God requires when he proclaims the character of his public ministry from the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19). Using words from the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 61:1-2a) Jesus declares that his ministry is a ministry of justice. We seldom think of this aspect of Jesus’ ministry but it is one of the main characteristics of how Jesus conducted himself in his earthly ministry. Because justice was crucial to Jesus and required by God through the words of the prophet it must also be important to those of us who follow Jesus. This morning we will consider the pursuit of justice and hear again God’s call to be a people who seek justice for all.

~Tom Duley

The Word

Luke 4:14-21

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

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