Living in the Spirit

October 12, 2021

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:4-12

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
   he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
   Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
   The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
   and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
   and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
   and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
   and made intercession for the transgressors.  –Isaiah 53:10-12

I just saw a man interviewed on T.V. who has spent 42 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. There is no question in the current prosecuting attorney’s mind from the town he was tried. Clear evidence was presented. The man did not commit the crime. Yet the State Attorney General does not want to overturn the original verdict, for what reason I do not know, and thinks the prisoner should serve out his life without parole sentence. Being tough on crime gets votes. But, justice is the job of any judicial system, and keeping an innocent man in prison is not justice.

The person identified in the above scripture went far being setting a mistaken judgment right. Instead, he made people righteous who were guilty of transgressions. That is restorative justice, which offers people who committed crimes opportunities to turn their lives around and become members of society, making a positive contribution to their communities. Drug courts are an excellent example of restorative justice. Rather than sending someone convicted of drug possession, a restorative plan is developed, including treatment, getting and keeping a job, and not being charged again for similar actions. Once all the requirements are completed, participants return to society with righteousness restored.

A program for people who committed severe crimes sentenced to life without payroll allows them to train service dogs. They will never get out of prison, but they have been restored to righteousness. One observer noted that the dogs’ unconditional love was probably the only unconditional love some prisoners had ever received.

Prayer: Lord, make us all restorers of righteousness, whether in hands-on acts with others in need or through advocacy for restorative justice in all our court systems. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.