(in)justice.

“Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!� - Amos 5:24

I heard an Indian guy speak at a church in Phnom Penh, and he told the story about a fisherman on a river in India who had a small rowboat that he used to catch fish for a living. One day he looked out across the river and saw a man being swept along with the current of the river. Recognizing that the man would likely drown, the fisherman paddled his boat out to the man and fortunately reached him in time to save his life. The man he saved turned out to be a very wealthy man from the area, who extended his heartfelt thanks, and offered his help whenever the fisherman needed it.

Not too long after this, the fisherman saw another man about to drown in the river, and he paddled out to him but was too late to save him. Grieved by this, he went to the wealthy man he had rescued, told him what had happened with the man drowning and explained that he thought he’d be able to save more lives if he had a faster boat with a motor. The wealthy man gave him the money without hesitation, and told him to buy a faster boat.

Life in this town went on as usual but eventually, after rescuing others from drowning, the fisherman thought to himself that it would be great if they could have a small rescue clinic set up beside the river, staffed with medical personnel who could administer CPR, since this was something he could not personally do.

He went back to the wealthy man, as well as to others he had rescued, and everyone generously contributed to this very worthy cause until eventually there was an NGO set up on the side of the river in order to rescue those in danger of drowning in the river. On the day of the grand opening for the brand new facility, a top government official was to give an address and cut the red ribbon, but he was running late (as is customary in most parts of the world).

Not many heard it, but just then, with everyone gathered around in eager anticipation, a little girl turned to her father and whispered, “Daddy, why do people keep falling into the river?�

The rivers of injustice have been flowing for a very long time, and their currents are very strong. But seeking justice is not just a matter of saving those caught in the very strong currents of the rivers of poverty and oppression. It also involves asking the hard questions, like why so many people keep falling into the river in the first place.

The mission of the Church has a lot to do with rescuing those who are being swept away and drowning, regardless of the river, and also with thinking imaginatively as children of the Creator of the universe about what we can do to prevent people from getting caught in these rivers in the first place.

Oftentimes the cause of justice feels a lot like swimming against an impossibly strong current, and this can be extremely discouraging. It can shipwreck your efforts. When the Church stands up for justice and what is right in God’s eyes against the forces of injustice in this world, there will be fierce opposition. This opposition will generally be demonstrated in physically tangibly ways, but we can be sure that the struggle is spiritual to the core - which means that a spiritual response is needed. And opposition is no excuse to shrug off our responsibility to seek justice. Justice must be sought whether doing so is convenient or not, and usually, it is nowhere near convenient, which is why justice is so desperately needed.

So when we consider the strong rivers of injustice and oppression, rooted in hatred and selfishness and even indifference, we are not merely swimming against the current and rescue those who have fallen in, and we’re not even primarily focused on keeping people from getting caught in the river, though all of this is a good place to start.

What we seek, as followers of Christ, is nothing short of a miracle. It is our desire that a new river would flow where the old has flowed all these years - not a river of injustice that degrades and kills, but a river that restores dignity and life. We are hoping and praying and working with God for an entirely new river to flow to every corner of the globe: the life-giving river that never runs dry, that springs up supernaturally in all of us who drink deep of Christ, and flows to others, from communities to continents, and saturates those on the fringes, those who are oppressed and ignored and hated.

The prophets of the Old Testament are strong advocates for justice, and they are, if you recall, speaking straight from the heart of God. Then with the coming of Christ the Messiah in the New Testament, the case for justice is only made stronger and clearer: grace redefines justice. It is no longer just the keeping of a sort of moral contract, but it is now the sacrificial outpouring of oneself on behalf of the poor and oppressed in the way of Jesus, recognizing that every single one of us who has ever lived has been created in the image of God and for this reason, and this reason alone, all of us have worth.

So may our hearts resonate with Amos, and with God himself: Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! And pray that we’d all get swept away in this river that brings life to dead places.