Gems for the Journey: Justice or Injustice
BY VERONICA MARTIN THOMAS (M.Div’07)
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24( NRSV).
Amos became the first in a brilliant succession of prophets whose words, now preserved in written form, have left their indelible stamp on later thought about God and human history. Amos pronounced indictment of Israel itself for sin and injustice. The Lord delights not in abundance of festivities and sacrifices but in justice and righteousness. In our text we see the heart of Amos’ preaching is justice and righteousness. Like Amos, justice and righteousness were also the heart of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s preaching. Dr. King recognized that improper faith always results in improper justice. Proper faith, which is faith in Christ and what he has done for us at the cross, always results in righteousness.
The Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963, is one of the rare times Dr. King answered his critics. The letter responded to several criticisms made by the “A Call for Unity” local white clergymen who wrote to the Birmingham News condemning Dr. King and his movement. They agreed that social injustice existed but argued that the battle fighting against racial segregation should be solely in the courts, not the streets. Dr. King felt the need to address their concerns of “outsiders coming in”. He boldly explained, “I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with a narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” Dr. King was not just a man but a man of God who understood what his calling was and accepted it with Godly courage and integrity.
In his letter, Dr. King also addressed his initial disappointment in being labeled as an extremist. He noted that this belief was short lived, however, as he accepted it as a positive description of himself. He found himself in good company with a list of extremists. A few of those he named include: Jesus, the Son of the living God, who was a living and dying example of unselfish love; Amos who proclaimed that the people of God were to do justice and live a righteous life; President Abraham Lincoln who declared “this nation cannot survive half slave and half free.”
I encourage each of you to read Dr. King’s entire Letter from Birmingham Jail.
I ask today the same question that Dr. King directed to the local white clergymen, “What kind of extremists will we be?” Will we be Christlike in practicing unconditional love and justice for all? Let us, as born-again believers, trust God to be our strength in our time of need. We can be extremists for the cause of Christ, by believing, speaking, and standing on the word of God and God will fulfill it.
The only way that we can live the life of Christ is through the power of the Holy Spirit who gives us the strength to live a Godly life. Let us be determined people of God to do what God asks of us: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” Let us respond to the word of God. Amen. So be it.
