First Justice, Then Peace
John Dominick Crossan (God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now) argues that both Jesus and Paul shared a criticism of the civilization of their day (Rome) as imperial, unjust, and violent. Rome's mantra was "first victory, then peace." But Paul and Jesus Crossan argues, never accepted this-for Jesus and Paul, "first justice, then peace."
As you look around the world to the dozens of military conflicts, do you suppose that in the Twenty-first Century we can impose 'peace' through military victory, or that peace can exist without social justice? Peace is fleeting -- when one regime overthrows another, who suffers? The people - the people always suffer until, as the Prophet Amos roared "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." (5.24)
Caesar's peace leads to inevitable conflict; the peace that Jesus offered 'surpasses all understanding.'
May the peace of Christ be with you, |
Alzheimer's Disease ~ How Can I Prevent It, Tuesday, March 24 from 4-5 p.m., in the Sanctuary.