By E. Monjok Agom
As Good Friday 2025 was solemnly marked on the 18th day of April, the trial and execution of Jesus Christ stand as history’s most profound paradox – simultaneously the vilest perversion of human justice and the most glorious fulfilment of divine justice. This seminal event presents Nigeria’s judiciary with both a mirror to examine its failings and a model for its redemption.
The Dual Nature of Christ’s Trial
Human Justice Crucified:
The proceedings against Jesus exemplify every corruption of legal systems:
- Procedural violations: Nighttime hearings contravened Jewish law requiring public trials (Sanhedrin 4:1)
- Prosecutorial malfeasance: Shifting charges from blasphemy to sedition exposed truth’s irrelevance to conviction
- Judicial cowardice: Pilate’s verdict (“I find no fault”) while ordering execution revealed spineless complicity
“They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.” (Psalm 94:21)
Divine Justice Fulfilled:
Yet this travesty achieved heaven’s perfect justice:
- The sinless Lamb bore humanity’s guilt
- The eternal Judge submitted to corrupt judgment
- The Lawgiver satisfied the Law’s demands
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)
Nigeria’s Judicial Examination
The Passion narrative indicts every legal actor:
To Prosecutors:
The High Priest’s tactics warn against:
- Prioritizing convictions over truth
- Political weaponization of charges
- Eternal consequences of malicious prosecution
To Judges:
Pilate’s example cautions against:
- Succumbing to political pressure
- Symbolic gestures replacing moral courage
- The permanent stain of unjust rulings
To Society:
The Jerusalem mob’s choice of Barabbas reveals:
- Our preference for violent criminals over peaceful truth-tellers
- The danger of manipulated public opinion
- Collective guilt through silent complicity
“Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent – the Lord detests them both.” (Proverbs 17:15)
The Easter Verdict on Justice Systems
The empty tomb proclaims three eternal truths:
- Earthly Injustice is Provisional
No corrupt verdict enjoys finality - Divine Justice is Inevitable
Truth ultimately triumphs over suppression - Judicial Redemption is Possible
Even the most broken systems can be reformed
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.” (Micah 6:8)
A Mandate for Nigeria’s Legal Reformation
This holy season demands soul-searching from all legal practitioners:
- Judges: Will history remember you as modern Pilates or as guardians of justice?
- Prosecutors: Will you pursue convictions or truth?
- Defenders: Will you champion unpopular causes as Joseph of Arimathea did?
- Officers: Will you protect citizens or enable oppression?
The cross stands as both:
- Eternal indictment of judicial corruption
- Divine promise of ultimate justice
Let Nigeria’s judiciary (in this context including the Bar), this Good Friday, resolve: Our courts shall become temples of justice rather than instruments of oppression. For as the Scriptures declare: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)
The challenge remains: Will Nigeria’s legal system reflect the corrupted justice that crucified Christ, or the perfect justice His resurrection inaugurated? The verdict rests in our hands.
E. Monjok Agom
18th April, 2025
(Good Friday)
The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.
