Justice and evangelism:
What does the Bible say?
There is much in the Old Testament about the importance of obeying the law (given by God), and the consequences of not doing so. In the New Testament there are passages that instruct slaves to obey their earthly masters (Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22), and that say we should submit to human authorities (Romans 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13) and pray for them (1 Timothy 2:1–3). However, running alongside this is a recognition that kings and rulers do not always act with justice. Scripture is woven through with calls to advocate for justice (Proverbs 31:8–9; Isaiah 1:17, 58:1). Many heroes of the faith are those who have engaged in civil disobedience at considerable risk to themselves:
- Hebrew midwives defy Pharaoh’s order to kill baby boys (Exodus 1)
- Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to bow down to idols (Daniel 3)
- Daniel prays to God in direct defiance of the law (Daniel 6).
All four gospels describe Jesus overturning tables in the Temple. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is seen obstructing people’s path as they tried to go about their business (Mark 11:15–18), and in Matthew’s Gospel, he challenges and provokes those in leadership (Matthew 23). Throughout the book of Acts we hear the apostles and others continuing to speak about Jesus despite being arrested and imprisoned, and even when doing so will result in their death (Acts 5:29).
What does it mean to “strive for the kingdom” (Matthew 6:33), and be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13–16)? Where the values of the world are at odds with God’s kingdom, is this a call to protest?
The following three short reflections have been written specifically for this resource. You may want to use them as the basis for a preaching series if your whole church is exploring engaging with marches or demonstrations or they could be used as a small group/individual resource.
Politics – The Man with a Withered Hand
Read Mark 3:1–6.
This is not the only time Jesus heals on the Sabbath, and it highlights a consistent theme in his ministry: love, compassion and care for human beings must never be obstructed by religious law. Jesus heals out of deep love for people. In this instance, he is fully aware that the Pharisees are watching, ready to accuse him. Yet he chooses to heal anyway.
While love is clearly the driving force behind Jesus’ actions, he also understands the political implications of what he is doing. By healing on the Sabbath, he directly challenges the authority of those who uphold the law in ways that neglect human dignity. Jesus seeks to shift the focus - from rigid legalism to the value and wellbeing of the person.
In this and other Sabbath healings, Jesus models a form of faithful protest. He shows us that, sometimes, to bring healing and wholeness we must challenge those in power and their interpretation of the law.
As Christians, when laws or government actions harm or marginalise people, we are called to stand up and put human beings first. Whether through public protest, rooted in faith, or through seeking to shape politics from within structures rather than in opposition to them, our response becomes a visible witness to the world. It shows that our faith is not just personal and private but deeply concerned with justice and the wellbeing of our neighbours.
In this way, political action embodies evangelism - it proclaims to the world what faith truly looks like in practice.
Responding to the pain of your neighbour – The Good Samaritan
Read Luke 10:30–37.
Picture yourself lying by the roadside, drifting in and out of consciousness. You glimpse someone approaching - a traveller. In your pain, you can’t cry out, but you dare to hope. As the figure comes closer, you recognise him as a religious leader. Your hope grows. But then, heartbreakingly, he crosses to the other side of the road and walks away. Later, another religious man does the same. Your hope fades and you begin to believe you will die there, abandoned.
Then, unexpectedly, someone stops. He tends to your wounds. You realise he is not one of your people - in fact, he belongs to a group your community mistrusts. Yet he is the one who helps you.
As Christians, we often feel overwhelmed by the injustice and violence in the world. We ask, “What can we do?” Perhaps the priest and the Levite asked the same. When we speak out for justice, for peace, we are refusing to ignore suffering of our neighbour.
When we see our neighbour is in pain or suffering, how do we respond? Do we, like the Samaritan, respond with compassion? Do we show we care?
People sometimes ask, “Why doesn’t the Church care?” Responding visibly to the injustices we see in the world around us shows that we do. Whether through protest, politics, social action – our response to the pain of our neighbour is one of love - not just in word, but in deed.
In this way, our justice-seeking embodies evangelism. Through selfless action, we proclaim to the world what faith truly means.
Persistence – The Friend at Midnight
Read Luke 11:5–8.
As Christians, we are called to live as children of God - and part of that calling is to seek justice. But we must also recognise that justice often takes time. We need to learn from the story we hear in Luke 11, to have persistence like the friend asking for bread and not to give up when change doesn’t come after the first march or petition.
Seeking justice is tireless work. It doesn’t always bring immediate results. Yet a Church that persists in its pursuit of justice sends a powerful message to the world: we believe in a better future, and we are committed to working toward it - not for our own comfort, but so that all people may flourish.
A Christian campaigner once shared, “I was part of the anti-apartheid movement in the 1970s. We never believed we’d see the end of South African apartheid in our lifetimes. We campaigned because it was right, but we thought it would be our children or grandchildren who saw the change.”
This commitment - to God, to the world and to others - requires the persistence of the friend at midnight. It reflects a living faith that seeks the good of others, even if we never see the fruit of our efforts in our own lifetime. Through our persistence, we proclaim that faith is alive, that it seeks justice, and that it is truly good news for all.