Exodus 32:7-11 and 13-14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-32

There is a logic to grace that is just confounding to the logic of justice. We have all come of age in a time where the logic of justice prevails. Logic of justice meaning; a logic of ‘tit for tat’. Like a logic being compared to an electric wire that simply lets energy flow through it and gives out exactly in kind – 220 volts for 220 volts. What tends to accompany the logic of justice is a lack of transformation. It’s not an attitude of forgiveness but an attitude of calculation. You have hurt me and so I hurt you.
I wish to contrast this logic of justice with the logic of grace. Meaning to say, even though you have hurt me in some way I am willing to take in hurt, hold it, transform it, and give out love. The logic of grace is not one of calculation but it’s one of gratuitous giving. Mind you, I am not bad mouthing justice. I like justice. Justice is a good thing. But in the Bible grace and mercy mocks justice and even goes beyond it. God is indeed a God of justice, but mercy and grace are even better than justice.
In the light of these discussions let’s have a look at our readings this Sunday. The 15th chapter of Luke opens with a clear division of ‘who is in’ and ‘who is out’. Luke says the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying this man welcomes sinners and eats with them.

What’s bugging the scribes and Pharisees is that this behaviour of Jesus seems unjust. After all, they are righteous. They are the ones who deserve the attention of the Great Rabbi. Those others, tax collectors and sinners, they are un-righteous. They don’t deserve this admiration by Jesus by eating and drinking with them. And so Jesus tells them a series of stories, all meant to show that the logic by which God operates is always a logic of gift and grace.

A shepherd has a hundred sheep and one wonders off and so he leaves the ninety-nine on the hill side unattended while going in search of the lost one! Now from a strict sense of justice there is plenty wrong with this shepherd. He abandons those who have been obedient, exposing them to danger and he gives extravagant attention to the one who has been disobedient and careless. The one who wanders off is a sinner and God goes in search of him. And to make matters worse, the shepherd comes back with this one, who strayed, on his shoulders with great sense of joy. What the shepherd is displaying here is God’s own logic of grace.

Then we have a story of a woman who loses a coin. The coin she loses is a very tiny denomination of money. Something like a penny. Upon losing that tiny coin she turns the entire house upside down sweeping the place diligently till she finds it. Don’t you see this act as something disproportionate? Imagine someone who spends the entire day sweeping and turning the place upside down, overturning the furniture to find a penny? Seems a bit disproportionate! And then she calls the whole neighbourhood in order to celebrate over finding one penny! Imagine you get an invitation like this from your neighbour and I reckon you will believe, she is out of her mind! She seems frankly as crazy as that shepherd who runs after the one and leaves the ninety-nine.

These stories act as a kind of a set-up for one of the greatest stories ever told the ‘Parable of the Prodigal Son’ and you see this parable making much the same point. What’s on display here is the language of justice ‘of who owes whom?’ and not a language of graciousness and forgiveness. The Father, who represents the way of God, refuses to operate on the logic of justice. I know you have insulted me and taken all my money but I will run down the hill and embrace you and celebrate. Let us be thankful, for we have a God who is indeed just but who is above all a God of love and grace.