JUSTIFY-RATIONALIZE. . .

Although folks often use these words interchangeably they do not mean the same thing.  Justify = to show (an act, claim, statement, etc.) to be right/correct.  Rationalize = to invent plausible reason for one’s acts or opinions.  This morning I am going to focus in a bit on Justify.

In printer’s language, to justify means to set type in such a way that all full lines are equal length and flush both left and right; in other words to put the printed lines in the right relationship with the page they are printed on and with each other (as I am now striving to do as I put finger to key and type these words).

In some religious traditions the sense of this word, justify, is close to the printer’s sense.  Being Justified means being brought into right relation – with self and with a higher power (both are necessary).  As a ‘Person of the Book’ I seek to understand Paul (the person and his writings) and his being justified by God.

Paul notes that being justified simply means having peace with God; I like this idea.  Part of me resonates with Paul, in great part, because of his ‘conversion story.’

For some time Paul had been striving to become a Super-Pharisee by cutting down and mopping up those pesky Christians.  So, one day, Paul was on his way to Damascus to mop up some Christians when suddenly he was, literally, knocked from his horse (how often have folks my age heard our parents tell us, ‘If you are going to continue to be full of pride then some day you will be knocked off of your high horse!’).  As Paul was rubbing his backside he heard the voice of Jesus-the-Christ.  Until that moment Jesus’ resurrection had been considered by many, including Paul, to be a nasty rumor started by those pesky Christians.

Now, what the ‘voice’ said was not what Paul expected to hear (Note: ‘the voice’ sounds like the name for a T.V. program; but I digress).  Let us recall, that for some time Paul, in his zeal, had been doing nasty things to these Christians and now he realized that ‘by God these folks are for real and so was this Jesus-the-Christ guy!’  YIKES!!! ’Now I’m in for it; I will now get mine!’

But the ‘voice’ did not say, ‘Now, Paul, you are going to get yours!’  The ‘voice’ said, ‘I want you on my side!’  What???  Paul never got over this experience; this radical invitation.  God invited Paul into ‘justification’ – into peace with God.

Now, as far as Paul was concerned, he was the last man on earth that God would have called to ‘be on God’s side.’  God had revealed to Paul that God was a God who was willing to do business with you even though you were in the process of going about mopping up Christians.  Paul also discovered that all of the points he was striving to make as a Super-Pharisee had been, in the end, pointless.

God wants to make things right with you – to justify you – not because of who you are but because of who God is.  Paul is the great model of this for me.  Simply put, all the ‘voice’ seemed to want Paul to do was believe that the ‘voice’ meant what the ‘voice’ said and to do as the ‘voice’ asked.  Paul committed to doing both.  In carrying out his commitment, Paul was justified with/by God.

To say that Paul was stunned is, to say the least, an understatement.  Paul was staggered by the idea that no matter who you are or what you’ve done, God wants you on God’s side.  There is nothing you have to do or be.  It’s, as they say, ‘on the house.’  God ‘justifies’ you; God ‘lines you up.’

Each day, God reminds us of God’s ‘justification.’  How?  Each day the sun shines warmly on the wicked and on the good.  God loves us all.  Of course, today’s ‘Super-Pharisees’ continue to be greatly troubled by God’s love for all of us; they have yet to experience their ride to Damascus.  But God is a patient-loving God so all is not lost, even for today’s Super-Pharisees.