“…The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
Read: Matthew 18:21-35
Now, thinking back a little further:
Genesis 4 The story of Cain
Driven into exile after killing his brother, Cain accepted the grace of God over the justice of men. And God protected him. But did Cain ever value this grace over the justice he was due?
The Book of Exodus The story of Moses
Moses was also a murderer. And he escaped into exile from his own people (who would have turned him in). But did he ever value the grace of God over the justice he was due?
Then there’s the story of the unmerciful servant who, having received the grace of his master, applied the justice he was due upon others.
Justice is simply the balancing of the books in a marketplace world. It’s the eye-for-an-eye compensation, and getting change at the grocery store. If I hurt you, you hurt me (lawsuits and prison sentences). And if I kill, then I must die. But grace assumes value only in God. So it freely gives, turns the other cheek and spares.
We don’t know what happened with Cain, but by the grace of God, Moses returned to his people and faced the justice of men head on. But the unmerciful servant valued his justice over the grace of God and was thrown into prison until he paid the last cent.
My justice or God’s grace. It’s a ruthless choice.
But the judgment of God is this: If we insist on justice, he will hold us to it.