If we imagine a similar situation. Let’s say a person named John rapes someone. Instead of him, a person named Alex says: “I will suffer for this”, and agrees to being tortured. So, what is different for Jesus? Just like Jesus, Alex could say that the ugliness of torture is the consequence of sin. People could interpret it like a deterrent (I don’t want to experience that). They might see it as rehabilitating (this is how terrible sin is, and I don’t want any part of it). They might even see it as restorative (I can relate to the pain of Alex, and through him the pain of John’s victim). This seems very general. There is, of course, a difference in magnitude between Alex and Jesus, since Jesus is the son of God and the offenses on his account are several. However, that you can find some restorative, rehabilitating or deterring aspects in relation to retributive justice, doesn’t mean that it is not essentially retributive justice. And this sounds like retributive justice. John’s victim suffered, so John should suffer (Alex does it instead). Victims suffered, so the offenders should suffer (Jesus does it instead).
Sort of…
Say John rapes someone knowing his whole life he was taught that the wages of sin is death. Some people are deterred from rape because of that. But John isn’t and he is caught. The judge sentences him to death. John is grief stricken and sad. Maybe not because of his victim’s pain, but his own fear for himself and his fate. Now, imagine if the Judge’s son says, “I will die in your place.” He turns himself in and says he will bear the guilt and claim the guilt for the act and the punishment. John would be a fool not to be grateful. And that gratitude itself would make many men think about their lives and if they want to be a horrible person. Maybe seeing the Judge’s Son die for him makes John change. No, the victim’s physical integrity isn’t restored. Someone paid for that sin, but not the guilty person. Complete justice wouldn’t come about until he was so moved by the sacrifice on his behalf and his own escape of a horrible fate to make up to the victim, pay her, fast, do penance, and apologize to her. Suffering isn’t an end in and of itself. Otherwise it’s a waste. It’s needless and stupid. Only when suffering is the beginning of the ability to see others with compassion, or the tool to express sorrow for our own sins, or we offer our sufferings in union with Christ’s that it has any meaning at all. Or when it arouses in others compassion and love and the desire to alleviate it.
You’re asking some big questions and treading around the edges of the mystery of the human person and his participation in the story of Salvation, Persuader.
We have a prayer that kind of talks about our view of justice and sin. It’s the Act of Contrition. I’ll give you the old form.
Think of the words.
Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You.
I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishment,
but most of all because they offend you, My God,
Who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve with the help of Your grace
to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.
See, God’s punishment will be just. And so we should avoid sin because of that. But that is imperfect contrition. Perfect contrition is seeing His love for us in the Crucifix and not wanting to offend God who deserves all our love. When our attitude goes from fearing punitive justice to wanting not to offend God’s love, that restores us to union with God. And we avoid sin in the future with the help of His grace he poured out with His blood from the cross, to sin no more.
Just like with people we live with. You don’t treat them well so they won’t punch you in the face. You treat them well because you love them. But babies are little savages and have to be taught first with “punitive justice” that they don’t bite and hit. (Pat little hand hard. NO!) Eventually they grow a conscience and don’t bite and hit because they don’t want to hurt their sibling or friend. There are levels of justice… some higher than others as you have probably gathered. Calvary satisfies all of them, and depending where we are in our path to God, we start on one or other rung of that ladder and unite ourselves to that perfect act of Divine justice.
Think of it as a debt. I steal a king’s money. 4 billion euros. Then I try to repay it with old Confederate money from my country. Which is worthless to the king. I could shovel buckets of such money at the king and it wouldn’t satisfy the debt I owe you. Now, say the king sets up a printing press and made his own currency. Then paid himself from that. THAT money is worthy to him. I stand there and watch him print money to satisfy my debt. That doesnt’ deobligate ME from now having to put in time and hours to work away all that money. The king has his money, but my participation in restoring my right relationship with the king is not finished. Now, he could make me work for a 4 billion Euro debt at 1 Euro an hour. I could never really repay that debt, could I? But he has his money. And he is infinitely compassionate. So he says, Look, you’re now my employee and I’m your boss. I’ll hire you for 1 billion Euros a year and you only have to work 4 years. Then you can consider the debt paid. If you had to travel and beg all over Europe for the money you’d never do it on your own. But he is king and has the printing press. So HE does most of the work. You do participate in it. But without HIS assistance and printing press you could never do it alone. And you are grateful for his compassion and mercy and you vow not to ever test it again. His kindness has made you loyal. And more merciful to others because you were shown mercy. That’s kind of a metaphor that might make it clearer.
