Happy Saturday, friends!
How is it possible that it’s already the last Saturday of June?
“Tempus fugit” (the Latin words on my grandfather clock)—Time flies.
Speaking of time flying, last month was the 45th anniversary of an event in my life that seemed momentous at the time, but is now just a pleasant memory.
My doubles partner, Oscar Villarreal, and I won a state tennis championship.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re looking at the photo and thinking that I haven’t changed a bit.
Though my knees and other points of arthritic interest have far removed me from my tennis playing days, I still carry some life lessons from the experience.
I’ll only mention one today:
The lines matter.
The lines define the playable area of the tennis court.
The person who strikes the ball the hardest, or grunts the loudest, or plays with the most excitement doesn’t automatically win.
Winning happens within the lines.
This morning’s verse that captured my attention was Isaiah 28:17.
“I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness.”
I started looking for a “plumb line” image and ran across the tennis line image instead.
That’s where my pondering took a turn to a different metaphor.
The Old Testament words for “justice” (mishpat) and “righteousness” (tsedaqah) are very closely connected. So much so that English translations often translate both of them as “justice.”
There is, however, a difference—a complementary distinction.
I just started reading Skye Jethani’s most recent (and final) book in the “What If Jesus Was Serious” series: “What If Jesus Was Serious About Justice?”
He says that tsedaqah
“is a deeply relational and community-focused word that refers to the proper ordering of relationships. In the Hebrew tradition, a righteous or just person fulfills all of their relational obligations. Therefore, justice is not merely avoiding evil but faithfully living in relational harmony with God, others, and oneself.”
Mishpat
“is used when relational obligations are broken and harmony must be restored. Timothy Keller says mishpat means ‘giving people what they are due, whether punishment or protection or care,’ so that each person and the entire community can flourish once again.”
When we read the Bible and try to apply it to our lives, we don’t get to redefine the words to suit our current preferences.
Justice and righteousness mean what they mean, and in both the Old and New Testaments they are highly relational and communal and are intended for maintaining and/or restoring the flourishing community.
Returning to the tennis metaphor, when we fail to consider how our actions affect the community—when we fail to acknowledge our relational obligations TO the community—we are trying to play outside the lines.
And everybody loses.
God has given us a lot of freedom (a big tennis court) to play within the lines of righteousness and justice.
And unlike the literal sport of tennis, we can play in such a way that the whole community wins.
Even if we don’t personally win by getting our way.
QUESTION: How are you seeking righteousness and justice within your community?
Be amazing today, my friend.
