Justice, in the sense of legal system of justice which is intended to maintain social order, has been summarized with respect to bodily harm in the simple maxim: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” With respect to property, the perpetrator of the crime is expected to make restitution for whatever damage they have caused. For instance, if you kill someone’s ox, you must buy them a new one. This is the lowest sense of justice. Historically, the practice of the virtue of justice in a person’s life has been stated this way: “render to each his due.” This becomes increasingly complex as our world grows more complex. In Jesus’ day, when you bought produce, you likely purchased it from the person who grew it and his reputation for how he treats his laborers was probably known. Today when engage in any sort of trade or commerce, the distance between producer and consumer can insulate us from feeling responsible for the treatment of those who produce the things we consume. Here’s a good rule of thumb: If you would not buy an from a seller standing in front of wherever the thing is produced because of the way the workers are treated, for instance, or the way they are dumping their crud into the environment, then you should not buy that thing. For instance, if you are buying a shirt that is made in India, but you would not buy a shirt from a retailer if you could look into a window and see that the people making your shirt are chained to their sewing machines, then you should not buy that shirt no matter who sells it where because the distance does not undo the injustice. For the Christian, justice takes on a higher meaning. According to St. Augustine, justice must be understood in light of the biblical precept, “Let no one owe anything except to love one another.” (Romans 13:8) Jesus’ life modeled both truth and love. In giving his life for us, justice was maintained but mercy was offered. By dying for us, Jesus modeled the higher justice to which God calls us: The Christian does not simply seek equity in life, but restoration of harmony, of shalom. Because the Christian recognizes that all we own nothing and are simply stewards who have been given all in Christ, repayment can be absorbed by the victim when true repentance occurs in the perpetrator. But the example of Jesus calls us even one step further. Because he actively intervened on our behalf at great cost to himself, his call on Christians is be active in intervening where injustice occurs in the world. James reminds us, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:28) God’s commands have always been rooted in love. As Augustine reminds us, love is the root of our seeking justice in every sphere of our lives and drives us to be a redemptive force in this world of injustice. All of our religious observances are meaningless if they are simply ways for us to feel God. The religious structures of our lives are given to us to keep us on the track of loving others. “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” Isaiah 58:6–7 (ESV)