Read Matthew 3:13-17. “If you want something done properly, do it yourself”. Have you ever said that, or heard it said? It’s often said in frustration when someone hasn’t done something in the way you would have done it.
What’s amazing about God’s work in the world is that he doesn’t take this attitude. He leaves his followers to learn how to do things the way he wants them to be done.
Matthew tells us that Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan by John to “carry out all that God requires”. A better translation of this might be to “fulfil all justice”, a justice that comes from the heart of God. It is clear from the outset of Jesus’ ministry that he is on the side of the weak, the helpless, the people at the margins of his society. Fulfilling all justice, then, is doing things the way God wants them to be done.
Our call is the same as Jesus’ call. God tells us we need to have the same attitude of humility and submission to the will of God as Jesus did. He wants us to have the same desire for justice that comes from the heart of God. And he promises us that if we call on the power of the Holy Spirit, then we can have the strength and the determination to see it through, just as Jesus did.
THINK IT OVER
Think about the following:
• What could you do this week to bring justice for the weak, helpless and marginalised in our society?
