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“ Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. Whoever takes an animal’s life shall make it good, life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.”  Leviticus 24:17–20a

The Law and Justice

The fuel source of God’s law is justice.Without justice the law cannot function. 

Case in point, consider the son of Shelomith, a young man who, in Leviticus 24:10–23, cursed the God of heaven while fighting in the camp (Leviticus 24:10–16). The man cursed his God, and thus tested God’s law. We don’t know exactly what happened, however, we know his behavior was astonishing. The man was arrested. He had cursed his God.

What should be done to such a blasphemer? “Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death” (Leviticus 24:15–16).

Why? The fuel source of God’s law is justice. Without justice the law cannot function. 

It shocks us to think that the death penalty would be held out for Shelomith’s son’s behavior. However, the alternative reality is much more terrifying. Consider a God who gives a law, a law that is not undergirded by justice. What if God’s standard was based upon His whims. What if God could not be nailed down on His standards. Or, what if God could be bribed? If anything but justice was beneath God’s law, it would not be holy and righteous and good (Romans 7:12). It would be terrifying. 

The Law and Mercy

But, is justice the only force empowering God’s law? Is there another fuel that helps the law function? Certainly. Mercy. Mercy gives life to the law. Mercy is at the heart of the sacrificial system (Leviticus 1–7). Mercy is a place to worship God. Mercy is a priest to stand before God on your behalf. Mercy is even seen in death penalties that prevent all the people from falling into sin.

The fuel source of the law is mercy. Without mercy no one can obey God.

The law requires justice to run; the law requires mercy to obey. We need justice; we need mercy.

Jesus and Justice and Mercy

How does the arrival of Jesus into the world alter the necessity of justice and mercy? It doesn’t. We need justice and we need mercy.

Now, you might protest because you know that Jesus used Leviticus 24:20 to compel us to be merciful. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38–39). Many have read Jesus' words and concluded that the justice of the law was replaced by mercy. The Law was for justice; Jesus offers mercy. However, that is not exactly true. 

Notice what Jesus is actually doing with the law. First, rather than undermining the law, Jesus is elevating the law. He calls people to take the hard road toward their enemies. Retribution is easy. Turning the cheek is hard. Second, Jesus is not undermining justice but delaying it. In fact nowhere is it implied that justice is forfeit for the sake of mercy. Rather, mercy is extended to delay justice. We leave* justice to the wrath of God (Romans 12:19). So, while the fruit of Jesus’ words is a call for more mercy, the point of Jesus' words is to call people to take the hard road in obedience to Him.

Nowhere is our need for justice and mercy visible than in the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross is where justice and mercy embrace. We see justice in a perfect Son dying for sins. He is counted with the transgressors. He receives justice. We see mercy in a perfect Son dying for me. He is wounded for my transgressions and crushed for my iniquities. 

We need justice; we need mercy. We need a God who guarantees that all my failures will be atoned for, never to be mentioned again. Without justice, you can have no peace in the cross. We need a God who guarantees that all my failures were taken care of elsewhere. Without mercy, you can have no confidence in the cross. 

We need justice; we need mercy. Both are seen in the law; both are perfected in the cross.