At Bethlehem College we study “Great Books” (i.e., excellent works of literature, history, philosophy, and theology) in light of the Greatest Book (i.e., the Bible). An example of how we do this can be seen in exploring the question: Are justice and mercy compatible? The Bible is our authority and most trusted guide for answering such questions, but J. R. R. Tolkien’s wonderful trilogy Lord of the Rings (LOTR) also offers some helpful insight.
What is justice and what is mercy? Justice, as one moral theologian puts it, “is the virtue that inclines us to good relationships with others.”[1] Succinctly put, justice is giving each person his due. Justice can be understood positively, such as giving a fitting reward to one who merits it. But we usually think of justice in its more negative sense, as when a criminal deserves punishment. And mercy can be defined as “relenting pity demonstrated when one could harm or rightly punish another.”[2] As such, mercy seems like a suspension of justice, and thus at odds with it. But interestingly in LOTR, Tolkien sometimes presents mercy as harmoniously working with justice, not against it.
The clearest example of this is seen in the mercy shown to Gollum by Bilbo. The event in question takes place in Tolkien’s first book, The Hobbit. But the moral assessment of Bilbo’s merciful action is famously discussed in a memorable scene at the Mines of Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring movie, but actually takes place earlier in the first LOTR book. Frodo, in fear, exclaims that Gollum deserves death. To which Gandalf famously replies:
“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends. I have not much hope that Gollum can be cured before he dies, but there is a chance of it. And he is bound up with the fate of the Ring. My heart tells me that he has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before the end; and when that comes, the pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many – yours not least.”[3]
Note that Gandalf is sympathetic with Frodo’s assessment of justice for Gollum, but not with his quick attitude toward that judgment being delivered. Gandalf wisely reflects that Bilbo’s mercy may, in the end, serve justice. And we who know how the trilogy ends (in both books and movies) know that indeed, if Bilbo had not been merciful to Gollum, then the Ring of Power may not have ended up destroyed. For Frodo ultimately fails in his mission to destroy the one Ring by succumbing to its power. But Gollum pops up to steal back the Ring and then falls into the Crack of Doom, consequently destroying the Ring. If Bilbo had not shown mercy to Gollum, which implies Gollum would not have later been there to attack Frodo and retake the Ring, then the Ring would more than likely have fallen back into the hands of the evil Sauron. So Tolkien portrays Bilbo’s act of mercy as actually contributing to justice. Thus, justice and mercy, claims Tolkien, are not necessarily at odds with each other. And for Christians, this insight is unsurprising.
Turning from Tolkien, we see that the Bible heralds Christ as the grand exemplar for how justice and mercy are put into perfect harmony. As the Bible testifies, we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and thus we all clearly deserve God’s righteous justice. But Christ offered himself on the cross receiving the justice of God we deserved. So now, by faith in Christ, we may receive mercy by means of Christ’s work at the cross, showing God to be both “just and the justifier”(Rom 3:23–26). Thus receiving his mercy, justice is not suspended—not at all—but has fully met by Christ. In fact, as one commentator has put it, “In Christ, justice is no longer a threat, but a refuge. All the sovereign power that would have ruined us now promises to protect us.”[4]
In a small way, Tolkien illustrates how justice and mercy are compatible. Bilbo’s mercy towards Gollum becomes a lynchpin by which justice is ultimately accomplished. The mercy of Bilbo indeed ends up ruling the fate of many. But in Christ, justice and mercy are truly and harmoniously brought together! And thus the mercy and justice of Christ indeed rule the fate of us all! (Phil 2:10–11)
James McGlothlin, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of College Programs & Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology
Prayer Requests:
- Praise the Lord for his justice and mercy.
- Pray for our students and faculty as finals approach.
- Pray for the full funding of the Serious Joy Scholarships yet needed by June 30.
[1] William C. Mattison, Introducing Moral Theology: True Happiness and the Virtues (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2008), 135.
[2] Christopher Dowdy, “Mercy,” in Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics, ed. Joel B. Green (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 521.
[3] J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1966), 58.
[4] Marshal Segal, “Our Gentle and Terrifying God: How Justice Holds Out Mercy”. Accessed on May 1, 2025.