“When one man’s ox butts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share. Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.” Exodus 21.35, 36

This statute reflects the fourth facet of the Biblical teaching on justice, restorative justice. When injustice has occurred, whoever is responsible for it must be held responsible for setting things right again.

We’ve seen thus far that justice is a reflection of the character of God in human society. Justice is love in a variety of forms, beginning with obligatory justice, or, what we owe one another in terms of love simply because we are all beings made in the image of God. Beyond that the neighbor-love of justice requires certain careful forethought in certain actions, lest those actions upset the balance of justice and bring harm to our neighbor or his property. We call this facet of the jewel of justice preventive justice. In distributive justice neighbor-love leads us to share of our wealth and possessions with those in need, whether poor or clergy or heirs.

In restorative justice, the fourth facet of justice, actions are taken, under the direction of proper officials, to restore the balance of justice occasioned by some failure of neighbor-love.

T. M. Moore

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