Jesus and Justice (Part 2)
INTERVIEW
In Jesus and Justice: Part 1, Rev Dr Lim Kar Yong describes what justice is as defined by God through the Bible and shown in the life of Jesus.
tcvx: What is the relationship between holiness, Christlikeness and justice?
Rev Dr Kar Yong: Perhaps I could refer to my favourite scripture passage that talks about justice: Amos 5:21-24. In this passage, worship is closely connected with justice and righteousness. God will not delight in our worship of him if our worship is disconnected from justice. Therefore, a worshiping community is only acceptable to God if we are doing acts of justice in the world. For me, acting for justice shows what we love and worship about God, who himself is a God of justice. By turning a blind eye to the injustices in our world, we are also distancing ourselves from the true nature of God, and subsequently, we embrace a distorted view of the gospel.
tcvx: In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus declares His mission on earth. Is he referring to a literal captive, a literal blind? Or is it, as some may put it, of a “spiritual” dimension only. How can we understand this passage in a fuller sense, and does it imply anything to how we live our lives and follow Christ?
Rev Dr Kar Yong: I would like to see this passage from both perspectives – literal and spiritual. Yes it is true that Jesus comes to save us from the bondage of sin, and make us free. At the same time, Jesus also comes to announce the year of the Lord’s favour – that God has heard the cries of those who suffered injustice. He has come to act and God continues to expect us as a community of faith to continue that acts of justice in our community. As such, I think we should do both – we need to proclaim the gospel of salvation to those who have yet to hear it. At the same time, our eyes must always be on the look out for those who are in need, our ears attentive to their cries, and our hands and feet ready to move and reach out to them.
ON JUSTICE AND THE BODY OF CHRIST
tcvx: What is our role as the body of Christ in bringing justice in our spheres?
Rev Dr Kar Yong: We often think of doing justice as a “big” thing, such as fighting against corruption or human trafficking. Some of us may be daunted just to think about it. I would like to suggest that we could begin in small little steps in our sphere of influence. For example, let’s talk about our workplace. Is there anything we could do? I recall years ago, we used to employ a number of cleaners as part of our property management services. While all the office staff had a pantry where we could have our hot drinks and heat up our food, the cleaners did not have that luxury. It was decided that they deserved a small common room with lockers that they could keep their personal belongings and a pantry where they could have a better environment for coffee breaks. To me, this was justice in action.
tcvx: You also mention in your book that we need to move away from an individualised faith, to one that moves as a community. Would you say that in an Asian setting that is more communal, this is easier for us to galvanise?
Rev Dr Kar Yong: I think one of the obstacles is that in our pulpit, we tend to focus on the individual rather than the communal aspect. A typical sermon would end with appropriate application for ME as an individual and not for US as a church. We tend to focus on the micro level, focusing on our individual needs and concerns rather than seeing the scriptures speaking to us on the macro level as a community. We need to bear in mind that the New Testament is not written to individuals but communities or churches! Perhaps one way to move forward is for pastors/preachers to be conscious about preaching to the community and not merely individuals.
tcvx: Christianity has often been defined by our Western counterparts, what are the strengths of the Asian church that we can tap and build on?
Rev Dr Kar Yong: The Asian church has come a long way. I think we do have credible scholars/leaders and institutions with excellent resources. But at times, we still tend to look to the West. Look at the seminars and conference we have in our churches today – many of the speakers are still from the West. Where are the local speakers? Do we not have competent speakers? I honestly think we do, and I do strongly believe that some of our local teachers and speakers are on par, if not better, then our Western counterparts. I think it’s time we give our own people a hearing and it’s time we learn from one another.
On the other hand, I also hope that there could be close cooperation and sharing of resources among the various churches and institutions. Some of the projects may be too big for smaller churches to handle, but that does not mean a few small churches could not come together and work for the common good. If we could do that, I think we could be better credible witnesses of the gospel.
Reference
Kar Yong, L. Jesus the Storyteller: Hearing the Parables Afresh Today. STM & Genesis Books, 2015.
