The bad maths of Jesus

The bad maths of Jesus

Bible: Matthew 18:23-35

Reading

The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go (V.27).

From childhood we are taught how to get by in school and the world in general: “You get what you pay for”; “The early bird gets the worm”; “No pain, no gain”. I know these rules well because I often live by them. I work hard to get my own way; I like to win; I know my rights; I don’t let people walk over me. I want people to get what they deserve. But Jesus’ stories about God’s generosity teach a totally different way. No one could ever have paid off the huge debt a servant had managed to get himself stuck with in Matthew 18 (MATTHEW 18:23-24). “Ten thousand bags of gold” was around 200,000 years’ wages today! And that’s the point of the story: the debt the servant owed was unforgivable. Even so, the master “took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go” (V.27). The more I think about this story, the more I want to use the word “ridiculous” to sum up Jesus’ maths! I think Jesus gave us these stories to make us realise our ‘get even’ ways don’t work. We need to step into God’s world of infinite love and forgiveness. That’s the only way to see things change. If I’m ready to listen, the gospel tells me that I did not get what I deserved. I deserved punishment from God for my own unforgivable debt, but I got forgiveness—like the servant—all the same. I deserved anger and got love. I deserved prison and got freedom. I deserved hell and instead have a place ready for me in heaven.

NO ONE GETS WHAT THEY DESERVE IN GOD’S FAMILY.

                                      Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries