Justice and mercy can seem like opposing ideas. Justice requires the recompense for wrongs done, the wrongdoer to “pay the price” or make restitution in some way. Mercy on the other hand, is almost the antithesis of justice. It is the withholding of the deserved punishment for a crime or offense.  Paradoxically, we all want mercy for ourselves and to see justice in the world. But what if justice begins well before the criminal system? What if mercy is more than just withholding punishment? By understanding these ideas from God’s view, we begin to see that justice has failed if it relies on the courts, and mercy is thin if it requires a wrong to be excused.