【双语灵修】没有公义就没有和平 No Justice, No Peace

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“‘神的选民昼夜呼吁他，… 岂不终久给他们伸冤吗？’” - 路 18:7

“没有公义就没有和平。”在反种族歧视的抗议运动中，你或许已经听过这个口号了。

在1968年一月，小马丁. 路德. 金这样说：“没有和平就没有公义，没有公义就没有和平 …。”金博士是在抗议越战和关心民权运动的背景之下说了这句话。

在今天这段经文中，耶稣讲了一个比喻，是关于一个寡妇不断向不给她伸冤的一个官恳求的事。她并没有放弃，她用和平的方式坚持抵制不公平的待遇。她带着一个简单的请求不断回来找这个官：“我有一个对头，求你给我伸冤。”那官后来终于让步了，他不情愿地说：“我就给她伸了冤吧 …。”

耶稣用这个比喻来显明神在某方面的重要属性，神的属性和一个不公平、不诚实的官完全相反。神垂听和回应我们的祷告，衪应许为我们伸张正义（尽管可能不是即刻实现），又把衪的平安赐给我们。

祷告

父啊，感谢你垂听我们的祷告，赐给我们你的平安。我们在这世界寻求平安和公义时，求你引导我们倚靠你、从容地、和平地、坚定地把公义带到不公义之地。奉耶稣名祈求，阿们。

路加福音 18:1-8

1耶稣设一个比喻，是要人常常祷告，不可灰心。
2说：“某城里有一个官，不惧怕神，也不尊重世人。
3那城里有个寡妇，常到他那里，说：‘我有一个对头，求你给我申冤。’
4他多日不准，后来心里说：‘我虽不惧怕神，也不尊重世人，
5只因这寡妇烦扰我，我就给她申冤吧，免得她常来缠磨我。’”
6主说：“你们听这不义之官所说的话。
7神的选民昼夜呼吁他，他纵然为他们忍了多时，岂不终久给他们申冤吗？
8我告诉你们：要快快地给他们申冤了。然而，人子来的时候，遇得见世上有信德吗？”

No Justice, No Peace

"Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?" - Luke 18:7

“No justice, no peace.” You may have heard this slogan in the context of antiracism protests.

In January 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “There can be no justice without peace, and there can be no peace without justice. . . .” King spoke these words in connection with a protest about the Vietnam War and concerns about civil rights.

In our Bible reading for today Jesus tells a parable about a widow who keeps pleading to a judge because he will not give her justice. The widow doesn’t give up. She resists the judge’s unfair treatment by way of peaceful persistence. She keeps coming to him with the simple plea: “Grant me justice against my adversary.” And eventually the judge caves in. Reluctantly he says, “I will see that she gets justice. . . .”

Jesus uses this story to reveal something important about God. God is the complete opposite of an unjust, dishonest judge. God hears and responds to our prayers, promises to bring about justice (though it may not be right away), and gives us his peace.

Prayer

Father, thank you for hearing our prayers and giving us your peace. As we seek peace and justice in this world, guide us to rely on you, acting with grace and peaceful persistence to help bring right where there is wrong. In Jesus, Amen.