Easter Shows Us God is Fully Merciful & Just

April 2, 2026

State Representative Bryan Shupe

l was blessed to have the opportunity to give the Holy Week proclamation on the house floor of the general assembly last week.

Throughout Scripture, we see that Jesus often used parables because some truths are so powerful that they are difficult for us to fully grasp. Concepts like God’s mercy and God’s justice stretch beyond human understanding. Parables help bring us closer. They give us a picture.

Now, what I’m about to share is not in the Bible, but it helps us understand.

There is a story of a king who made a law across his kingdom: no one shall steal, and the punishment would be death. The law was clear. It was just. And it applied to everyone.

One day, someone was caught stealing. But when they were brought forward, it was the king’s own daughter.

The entire kingdom watched. Would the king uphold the law, or would he show mercy?

If he ignored the law, he would no longer be just.If he enforced it, he would lose his daughter.

On the day of the punishment, the daughter was brought out. The executioner stood ready.

At the last moment, the king said, stop.

The crowd thought mercy had won.

But instead, the king stepped down from his throne, walked into the field, laid himself on top of his daughter, and gave the order.

The punishment was carried out.

The king was flogged in her place. And he died.

In that moment, justice was not ignored. The law was upheld.And mercy was not withheld. The daughter was spared.

That is the tension we all understand. We want justice when wrong is done, but we hope for mercy when we fall short.

And that is exactly what we see in Holy Week.

At the crucifixion, God does not overlook sin. The cross is not a symbol of ignoring wrongdoing. It is the payment for it. Justice is real, and it is costly. Jesus takes that cost upon Himself, stepping into our place just like the king in the story.

But if the story ended there, it would only be about sacrifice.

The resurrection changes everything.

Three days later, the tomb is empty. Jesus rises. And that moment tells us that the payment was accepted, that sin and death do not have the final word, and that mercy is not temporary. It is victorious.

The cross shows us that God is just. The empty tomb shows us that God is merciful.

And together, they show us that both can exist fully, at the same time.

Holy Week reminds us that justice and mercy are not in conflict. They are fulfilled together, and because of that, there is hope beyond the consequences we deserve.