Thoughts on Power, Violence and the Pursuit of Justice

When I think of the Church pursuing political power or advocating the use of violence in the name of justice, I reflect on the Servant of the Lord.

Isaiah 42:1-4 - “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
⁴     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

Let’s look at the characteristics of this servant who embodies these words.

This is not someone chosen for just a task or a job to do. God delights in this servant. God will put his Spirit on him. He will bring justice, not only to the people of Israel, but to the nations, all of those who live outside of Israel. This deliverance that the servant will bring is universal in scope. This is not mere vengeance of the Lord on those who have oppressed his people, it is an offer of freedom to all people.

When it says he will not cry out, the idea is that he will not attempt to dominate people or shout others down. He will not raise his voice suggests that he will not go around promoting himself. In a way you see a quiet, unaggressive, unthreatening ministry. To this servant nothing (or no one) is useless. A bruised reed is not useful for as a support or anything else. A smoldering wick is about to be extinguished, and the servant will not snuff it out. In our world, many of our great leaders are ones who bruise others and snuff out those who may be fading. But not this leader. He protects them and works for them. The way this servant was to accomplish his commission is surprising. He would not be a street preacher or political rebel seeking to arouse the people. He would exercise his power in such a way that he would not even damage that which appears to be useless and ready to be discarded.

He will be faithful to his commission, even though it sounds like he may be under great stress.

As we peak ahead at the next verse: read verse 5.

We see that God confirms the worldwide task of his servant and promises its success. It is the Lord God, the creator of and sustainer of all things. He has a purpose for all of the world. He longs to restore the goodness that it had at creation. Should a God who originates, maintains, controls and directs all things now forget his people or fail to keep his promises?

Whenever we look at someone who embodies faithful Israel, whenever we look for God to send someone to accomplish justice and deliverance, we need to look to Jesus. This is what the early church did. This is what the gospel writers did. This is how they understood the mission of Jesus.

This gives us a template for leadership. What do we as Americans value in our leaders? Vision? Yes. Integrity? Hopefully. But if we are honest, often we value pragmatic values like power, access to wealth, physical might or strength, craftiness, the skills of a great warrior. Many times, we value someone like Cyrus. Cyrus accomplished God’s mission for him through military conquest and imperial power. And as we have seen, Cyrus’ victory was temporary and limited. Instead, we follow a leader who accomplished his commission in obscurity and through patient obedience. He did not impose his will on others, but he endured unjust judgment, contempt, suffering and death without complaining. Jesus rejects the methods of conquest that so many of us desire. One of the temptations Jesus faced in his period of fasting in the wilderness was the offer of all of the kingdoms of the earth, if he would only offer allegiance to Satan.

This is so counter cultural. Our world values power, and self-gratification and position and success (as we define it). This is not the way of the Servant of the Lord.

We are to be conformed into the image of Jesus. Jesus took the form of a servant. That is our commission as well. We serve one another and we serve the world as servants of the Lord who pursue justice and reconciliation for all of the nations.