“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14, ESV

 

Grace Is the Key

You can’t understand God or Christianity without a clear grasp of grace. The Bible says that when Jesus came to us, He came full of grace and truth. From His fullness, we all have received grace layered upon grace. So, what is grace?

The word describes the fluid motions of a ballerina. A grace period can be an extension of time to repay a loan. Grace is a short prayer said before a meal. Grace is a girl’s name. Grace can be used in so many ways because there is so much grace around us. God infused creation with His grace. Every day we take a breath, eat a meal, enjoy a sunset or hug a loved one, this is all grace. Grace is described as “unmerited favour” and since we arrive in this world having done nothing to deserve it, all of life is grace. Still, we cannot understand grace simply by measuring its abundance. We need to recognize what grace does. Jesus told many stories to describe the function of grace. My favourite is the one that creates the most shock.

 

“Call Human Resources!”

In Matthew 20, Jesus told a story of a landowner who had work to be done, but no workers. He went to the marketplace early in the morning to hire men wanting employment. They agreed upon a fair wage, and they headed to the vineyard. More workers were needed, so the landowner returned to the marketplace 3 hours later to hire more. He assured them that he would pay them what is right. This process was repeated at noon and then 3 in the afternoon. At five in the evening, with work yet to be done, the owner hires those still standing as unemployed. With only one hour of daylight remaining, these were also assured that they would be paid fairly.

As the sun set, it was time to pay the workers. Those who were hired at 5 in the afternoon and worked only one hour received a full day’s wage! Those who started work at 6 in the morning got excited. If only one hour of work got a full day’s pay, then they expected to be reimbursed like a lottery win! Their eyes got big as the landowner came to pay them. He put a single day’s wage into their outstretched hands – just what he promised them. They were angry and offended. They grumbled that those who worked for an hour got paid the same as those who worked all day! It wasn’t fair!  The owner of the vineyard answered that they got exactly what they were promised. If he chose to give more to others, why were they upset by his generosity? And that is what the kingdom of heaven is like. That is what grace is like.

 

Graced Sinners

Grace is the freedom of God to be generous without considering what is deserved. Grace is not obligatory, but the free flow of God’s love. And that flow is infinite. Grace runs counter to our default system of reward or punishment. To get good you must be good. Do wrong and pay the price. Work hard and get your reward. By this metric, those who worked all day have a right to cry, “Unfair!” But grace is not about being fair, and we all ought to be glad it isn’t.

I don’t want to stand before God and demand what is fair or just. If God were to give me what I have coming, I stand condemned. I have heard God’s Law and broken it. I have received His love and spurned it. His Voice has been clear, and I’ve ignored it. His grace has been granted, and I have abused it. The wonder of God is that even grace abused finds more grace. Where sin is, grace flows. That’s not to suggest that we don’t reap consequences for abusing grace or taking it for granted. Neither does grace suggest that God is less than absolute holiness. Yet, the Gospel makes a full-throated proclamation; Jesus has paid for our sins, imputed His righteousness to us and replaced guilt with grace! Those who understand grace respond with loving obedience and praise. Still, as hard as it is to understand the power of grace we receive, the real test of our understanding about grace is how we extend it to others.

 

Grace Is Unfair

The workers hired last and who were paid the most proportionately did not grumble. They danced home to supper. The ones who worked through the heat of the day and saw others paid the same for less labour cried, “Foul!” They got what they were promised but felt they deserved more by comparison. They were happy with their wage arrangements until they saw undeserved workers get more. Like us, they were happy with grace they were given but struggled to offer it to others.

As graced believers, we are to offer loving grace to those around us. The homeless at the door of the church. The immigrants trying to get settled in a new land. The man sitting in the back pew who left his wife. The co-worker promoted by taking credit from others. The drunk driver. The angry neighbour. The rebellious teen. Those who worship with you, but don’t look like you. In theory, we nod our heads saying that extending grace is right. But it is harder to do in practice. A default voice suggests that people should pay for their mistakes. We don’t want to reward bad behaviour. Being good towards those who are bad just isn’t fair. Having tasted God’s grace, we revert to reward and punishment towards others.

 

Lent Leads to Grace

Lent is near its end. Days of confession, repentance and humility point us to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Lent concludes with a celebration of mercy and life. Lent leads us to God’s great grace. Here’s my point. Until grace confuses us, becomes hard to offer, looks like a free pass, or we cry out, “That’s not fair!” – we don’t understand grace. If we don’t understand grace, we don’t understand God.