Restorative Justice: Saul's Encounter with the Risen Jesus

The restorative justice movement incorporates a growing body of academic theory and diversity of practice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by wrongdoing. A central feature of most practice is when victims, offenders and community members meet in a face-to-face encounter. This article explores Saul's encounter with the risen Jesus on the Damascus road in Acts chapter nine through the lens of restorative justice. By challenging the traditional emphasis on the horizontal relationship that interpret the encounter as Saul's conversion, and the New Perspective emphasis on vertical relationships which interpret the encounter as Saul's calling, the restorative justice lens extends and deepens the understanding of the encounter as 'reconciliation.' The key proposal is that God's restorative justice is enacted by the risen Jesus' simultaneous naming and forgiving of Saul's wrongdoing. The article concludes by revealing in Saul's encounter with the risen Jesus that justice is done and relationships restored.