Embracing God’s Mercy
Divine Justice on Trial
Our brains are naturally calibrated to identify what we believe to be unfair treatment and injustice.
As a child, I shouted, “No fair!” if I thought my younger brother received a larger slice of pie, or a larger scoop of ice cream. As children we notice when our peers are given extra privileges. The same dynamic is present in adults. This is the spark that ignites angry protests. People marching alongside others who share their disappointment and anger gives them a sense of power. But when we feel alone in our unmet expectations, feeling helpless can lead to depression, and even wanting to die.
Objecting to Perceived Injustice
Jesus’ conclusion of the parable of the prodigal son zooms in on the older brother’s reaction to his father’s celebration of his younger son’s return home. Jesus describes the older brother as expecting recognition and appreciation for his steadfast loyalty. Instead, after the younger sibling squandered his inheritance on a reckless lifestyle, he received a welcome-home party. The older brother objects, believing the father is unjust. He might have shouted, “No fair!”
Frustration with injustice is also a theme in the biblical account of the prophet Jonah. Jonah was disappointed when God chose mercy over destruction for Nineveh. Jonah's reaction to Nineveh's repentance offers profound lessons on dealing with the strong emotions we can feel due to unmet expectations and perceived injustice.
Jonah received God’s call to go to Nineveh with a judgment message and warning of their imminent destruction. Instead of accepting the call, Jonah ran from God. God pursued and persuaded Jonah that accepting His call was better than a life of running from God.
The Bible records Jonah’s repentance and resolution to accept God’s call. Jonah then carried out God’s mission to Nineveh. He succeeded, but not in the way he expected. Instead of being destroyed, the Ninevites repented of their wicked ways. God reversed His decision to allow Nineveh’s destruction.
Jonah had anticipated Nineveh's obliteration as divine retribution for their wickedness, but instead, God showed mercy. When Nineveh repented, Jonah was displeased. This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the LORD about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people,” (Jonah 4:1-2 NLT)
Jonah responded to this turn of events with anger and self-pity, culminating in a wish for death. “Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen,” (Jonah 4:3 NLT). Jonah may have been thinking, “No fair!”
Different Scales of Justice
Human judgment often miscalculates what is fair and just because we don’t have the right standard of measurement. Our scale of justice is different than God’s. Therefore, it’s not unusual for us to put God’s justice on trial by questioning God’s decisions and actions. God sees the end from the beginning, and in this context, God is the only One with the right standard of justice.
Jesus gave this warning: “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you,” (Matthew 7:2 NKJV).
Jonah’s experience and Jesus’ warning provide important perspective. Jonah pitied the plant more than he pitied the Ninevites. Without the Divine perspective given by the Holy Spirit, our judgment on whether a person, or a community, deserves mercy always uses an unreliable standard. If we use human standards when we judge others, that’s how God will judge us.
In my experience, humans often show less mercy than God, especially some who call themselves Christians. They show more compassion for plants and animals than they do people. We need to take Jesus’ words personally: “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye,” (Matthew 7:5 NKJV).
Righteous Judgment
Jonah lacked faith. The Bible reveals examples of God’s fairness and justice in the past. On this basis we can trust that God is doing what is fair and just today and will do what is fair and just in the future. Faith is believing that God is just and righteous in His judgments.
Empowered by the Spirit, the Bible also produces in us the mind of Christ, developing in us the ability to see people as God sees them. While we may question God now, we can trust God will give us answers. The Bible tells us God will demonstrate His integrity by allowing the saved to audit His records and validate His judgement before He executes His final judgment of the wicked (see 1 Corinthians 6:2). The saints will rightly declare, “God is fair!”
God's ways are not our ways, as beautifully stated in Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." In accepting this truth, our disappointment, despair, anger and depression can be replaced by joy, hope and peace. We can trust that God’s mercy is just. This is the result of believing that God has a greater plan, and by turning our thoughts away from our unmet expectations and toward God’s promises. “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it,” (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)