"And we indeed have been condemned justly; for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds."
Luke 23:41.
"The young demand justice. The old will settle for mercy." Someone coined that saying in the
sixties. Of course, everyone wants justice, wants a fair shake. But there are premises in that
demand-- that the demanders are innocent, are being gypped out of their due reward, a reward
that's good.
The old will settle for mercy. The more experience we have, the more we know how flimsy
those premises are. No one of us is all that innocent.
In Arthur Miller's play "After the Fall," we see a group of characters typical of our society. All
are demanding justice in their own lives. Yet no one is innocent. They all live "after the fall,"
the fall into sin. In the difficulties they face they are getting what they deserve. But it is not very
pleasant.
The believing criminal in our text does not demand justice. Instead he acknowledges that it is
already happening to him. But then he has the chutzpah to ask for mercy from the Man in the
Middle. Apparently he knows something, trusts something, that the other criminal doesn't. He
clearly trusts that mercy is happening on the middle cross. So he goes for it. "Jesus, remember
me--dirty hands and all." He'll settle for that. So can we.
Prayer: Strengthen our hold on your mercy, O Lord, to take our due rewards in faith. When
justice awards us good things, ignite our thankful response. When its rewards bring pain,
empower us to take them too in faith. Banish our pretended innocence. Keep us settling for
mercy--with you and with each other. Amen.
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