Blog Title: Rise Up the Jesus Way: Justice

There’s a deep stirring in the hearts of believers today — a desire to live out a faith that’s authentic, countercultural, and grounded in truth. In a world where justice is often synonymous with cancel culture, courtroom verdicts, or political protests, what does it really mean to seek justice the Jesus way?

Let’s go back to the mountainside in Matthew 5, where Jesus gathered His disciples for one of the most radical sermons ever preached — the Sermon on the Mount. Before He launched into what we now call the Beatitudes, Scripture tells us that “Jesus saw the crowds, went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them.”

This is more than a teaching moment — it’s a discipleship moment. Jesus isn’t addressing the crowds; He’s addressing the ones willing to walk closely with Him. The ones covered in the dust of their Rabbi’s feet. And what He says next flips everything on its head:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled… Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:6,10)

Justice = Righteousness

The Hebrew word Jesus’ listeners would have understood is ṣedeq (צֶדֶק) — translated both as justice and righteousness. In Greek, it’s dikaiosune — again, the same word is used for both ideas.

So when Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” His original hearers — steeped in the Law from the age of five — would have immediately thought about the Law of Moses. About the call to live rightly, to act justly, to honour God through obedience. They would have heard "justice," not just in terms of legal equity, but of right living before God.

Yet Jesus wasn’t calling them to earn their righteousness through 613 Levitical laws. He wasn't abolishing the law — He came to fulfil it. He was saying, in essence: I am the fulfilment of justice. I am the pathway to righteousness.

A Counter-Cultural Call

We often say the Church is called to be counter-cultural, but what does that actually mean?

Culture says:

• Fight back.
• Do to others before they do to you.
• Make your own truth.
• Win at all costs.

Jesus says:

• Turn the other cheek.
• Go the extra mile.
• Love your enemies.
• Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

Jesus’s justice is not about revenge. It’s not about retribution. It’s not even about defending your own rights — it’s about reflecting the righteousness of God through your relationships, your responses, and your inner life.

Four Ways Jesus Redefines Justice

1. Counter-Cultural Justice
   The world runs on outrage and division. But Jesus calls His disciples to live peaceably, to forgive, to serve, and to bless those who persecute them. This kind of justice refuses to mirror the hostility of the world — instead, it brings healing into it.
2. Counter-Traditional Justice
   Jesus said, “You’ve heard it said, ‘Do not murder,’ but I tell you, anyone who is angry with his brother has already committed murder in his heart.” He raises the standard — not to shame us, but to show us that true righteousness begins inwardly, not externally.
3. Counter-Intuitive Justice
   When wronged, our instinct is to retaliate. But Jesus says: don’t resist the evil person. Give more than they ask.Walk farther than you were required to. Justice in God’s Kingdom doesn’t look like payback — it looks like radical generosity and mercy.
4. Counter-Revolutionary Justice
   Israel expected a Messiah who would overthrow Rome. Jesus came with gentleness, not an army. He came on a donkey, not a war horse. His revolution wasn’t political — it was spiritual. His justice wasn’t about conquering others, but conquering sin and death.

The Fulfilment of the Law

Jesus didn’t discard the Law. He didn’t say it was obsolete. He said He came to fulfil it — to meet every requirement we never could. Of the 613 Levitical laws, 365 were negative (thou shalt not), and 248 were positive (thou shalt). But Jesus accomplished every one on our behalf.

In doing so, He opened a narrow gate — a pathway not of rule-keeping, but of relationship. He said, “Enter through the narrow gate… only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13–14). That narrow path is Jesus Himself. And now, through faith, we are made righteous.

Broken but Beautiful

The Japanese art of Kintsugi repairs broken pottery with gold, making it more beautiful in its restoration than in its original form. That’s what Jesus does with us. We’re all broken. We’ve all failed to live justly or righteously. But through Him, we are being restored, repaired, and made radiant.

That’s the Jesus Way. That’s the justice of the Kingdom.

Not rules, but relationship.
Not revenge, but mercy.
Not pride, but humility.
Not lawlessness, but love.

Five Questions for Reflection

1. What does “hungering and thirsting for righteousness” look like in your everyday life?
2. In what areas have you been tempted to seek justice the world’s way instead of Jesus’s way?
3. Are there broken places in your life where God’s justice is restoring what’s been lost or damaged?
4. How can you live more counter-culturally in your relationships and responses this week?
5. Who around you needs to see the justice and mercy of God through your actions today?

Let’s rise up — not in outrage, not in self-righteousness, but in faith, humility, and the justice of Jesus.

Because when we walk the Jesus Way, we don’t just follow a better path — we become the signposts to it.