NO BIBLE NO BREAKFAST DAILY BIBLE REFLECTIONS AND MORE

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE (ISAIAH 61:1-3)

The Prophet Isiah brings a message of hope and restoration to Israel. God will raise a Messiah or an anointed person to change the fortunes and destiny of His people.

REFLECTION

Restorative justice is a process and a system that brings victims and prisoners together for the purpose of reconciliation of the parties, healing of the victims, rehabilitation and reintegration of the prisoner into society. This was the case after the civil war and genocide in Rwanda in 1994. The ethnic conflict was such that one tribe attempted to annihilate members of the other tribe through any means possible. Neighbours who belonged to one tribe attacked their fellow neighbours of the opposing tribe with whom they had lived in peace until the genocide. Many of the perpetrators were arrested, and it was hard for the victims to forgive and for Rwanda to move on as a nation. It took restorative justice to bring Rwanda back to its feet. Restorative justice encouraged prisoners to confess and ask for forgiveness from victims they raped and maimed. Some of these victims lost their loved ones and benefactors through the brutal acts of the prisoners.

Although the message of Isaiah in Isaiah 61:1-2 was for the exiles in Babylon, it also mirrored the work of Christ in the world. Jesus, our Messiah, came to bring good news to the victims who have been made poor and rendered broken-hearted and made captives through injustice. “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,” (Isaiah 61:1-2) Many are those who have been rendered poor, broken hearted and captives due to the wickedness and inhumane treatment meted out to them by the very people who ought to have protected them. Our prisons are filled with prisoners who have done unthinkable acts against vulnerable children, women and their fellow men. What hope of restoration do these victims have? How can they heal from the trauma they have suffered? This is why Jesus has appointed and commissioned the church to extend the ministry of reconciliation and healing to such victims. By so doing, we shall be fulfilling Jesus’s mission when he referred to the same passage of Isaiah in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” We must be intentional about this ministry since our churches and societies are filled with victims of the unjust and cruel actions of people who possess power. Some of the perpetrators of injustice are people in privileged positions who have developed the uncharitable trade of taking advantage of the vulnerable.

As Jesus came to heal and restore victims of an unjust world, the salvation of prisoners is also important to Him. Many churches do not have a specialised prison ministry to help rehabilitate prisoners and engage in restorative justice. Isaiah tells us that the Messiah’s mission is to open the prisons for those who are bound to be released. (Isaiah 61:1) It should be noted that prisoners who have repented and are willing to be restored will experience forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration. However, the wicked and unrepentant will not benefit from the year of the Lord’s favour but will surely experience the day of vengeance of our God. (Isaiah 61:2)

Dear friend, we may be victims of injustice or prisoners or captives of sin, but the most important thing is that we accept Jesus as our Lord and saviour, and surely He will restore us. Let us forgive anyone who has treated us unfairly, even as we ask for forgiveness and seek reconciliation with those we have treated unfairly through you actions and inactions. Shalom

*QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION*

1. What can your church do to practically reach out to victims of crime?

2. Does our church have a prison ministry? Can we count the number of prisoners we have won for Christ as a church?

3. What can you do on a personal level to help victims and to reach out to prisoners?

PRAYER

LOVING GOD, FORGIVE ME FOR IGNORING THE SUFFERING OF THOSE I HAVE MADE VICTIMS THROUGH MY ACTIONS, FREE ME FROM THE PRISON OF SIN SO THAT I MAY SEEK FORGIVENESS, RECONCILIATION AND RESTORATION. AMEN