I'd like to meet:
From early childhood we were taught how to live, survive, succeed in the world (of ungrace). "You get what you pay for." "The early bird gets the worm." "eye for an eye" "No pain, no gain" "No mercy" etc. etc. etc. We know these rules well because we live by them. We work for what we earn; We like to win; We insist on our rights. We want people to get what they deserve.
But Jesus's parables about grace teach a radically different concept. In Matthew 18, no one could accumulate a debt as huge as the servant did in verses 23 & 24. This underscores the point; The debt is unforgivable. Nevertheless, the master let the servant off scott-free.
The more I reflect on Jesus's parables proclaiming grace, the more tempted I am to apply the word atrocious to describe the mathematics of the gospel. I believe Jesus gave us these stories to call us to step completely outside our tit for tat world of ungrace and enter into God's realm of infinite grace.
If I (we) care to listen, I (we) hear a loud whisper from the gospel that I (we) did not get what we deserved. We deserved punishment and not forgiveness. I deserved wrath and got love. I deserved debtor's prison and instead got a clean credit history. I deserved stern lectures and crawl on your knees repentance... instead, I got a banquet spread for me.
The master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt. Mat. 18:27
Our sin is great, God's grace is greater.
