Learning to practice both justice and mercy
06/30/2017
Matthew 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the mountain, great
crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
"Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean." He stretched out his
hand, touched him, and said, "I will do it. Be made clean." His
leprosy was cleansed immediately. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you
tell no one, but go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses
prescribed; that will be proof for them."
Are you familiar with the Latin phrase, “quid pro quo”?
Literally, it means “this for that” or “an equal exchange.” When I go to
someone’s home for supper, I always offer to bless their home in exchange for
supper, an example of “quid pro quo.” It seems deeply right to us that things
not be handed out for free, but that fairness and justice should prevail.
That’s why nobody liked Popeye’s friend Wimpy, who always walked around
soliciting people saying, “I’ll gladly pay you back Tuesday for a hamburger
today.” But everyone knew that Tuesday would never come for Wimpy. Inside we say,
“That’s not fair!” because there is no free lunch. That’s the law of justice.
But besides justice there is also mercy; a higher law.
Shakespeare’s play called “The Merchant of Venice” is a study in the
interaction of justice and mercy. Antonio, a merchant in Venice, borrows a
large sum of money from Shylock, a Jewish money-lender. When Antonio defaults
on the loan, Shylock takes him to court and demands his “pound of flesh,” which
was the collateral Antonio promised to pay should he default. But Portia, an
attorney, comes to Antonio’s aid and argues for mercy. She says in a
soul-stirring soliloquy: “The quality of mercy is not strained; / It droppeth
as the gentle rain from heaven / Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; /
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” In other words, she asks
Shylock to be the bigger person and let the debt go. Justice blesses once, but
mercy blesses twice.
In the gospel, Jesus teaches a lesson on how to balance both
justice and mercy. A leper humbly asks for healing, saying, “Lord, if you wish,
you can make me clean.” Jesus seizes the opportunity to be merciful: “He
stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘I do will it, be made clean’.”
It’s almost like Wimpy asking for a hamburger and Jesus gives him the money
gladly; knowing he’ll never be repaid on Tuesday. But also knowing the Jews’
calculating cunning, like Shylock the Jew in “The Merchant of Venice,” Jesus
adds: “Go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses
prescribed; that will be proof for them.” You see, Jesus lived by the law of
mercy even though he lived among people who demanded justice, their pound of
flesh; a quid pro quo. That’s why Jesus was always “twice blest.”
My friends, which law do you tend to live under: that of
mercy or that of justice? Of course, I think we should live under both. That is, we should always seek to be fair and
just, or “give another his due,” as St. Thomas Aquinas defined justice. After
all, justice is a virtue and no one is excused from exercising it. However, we
should also look for moments to be merciful. If it’s possible to forgive a loan
you’ve given, don’t demand your pound of flesh; simply forgive it with a smile,
as Shylock should have done. When someone says something slanderous or
stinging, don’t hold a grudge until they apologize. Avoid the temptation to
skewer them on social media. Don’t wait
for the other person to take the first step of reconciliation. Be the bigger
person, and extend a little mercy rather than insist on the dictates of
justice. Why? Justice blesses once, but mercy blesses twice.
Portia added a little later in her speech: “Mercy is
enthroned in the hearts of kings / It is an attribute of God himself; / And
earthly power doth then show likest God’s / When mercy seasons justice.” In
other words, justice makes us more like man, but mercy makes us more like God.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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