A woman once remarked to a famous novelist, “God has no reason to forgive me.” She was right; except that He loved her, and love is the reason beyond reason, the immorality of grace which is the highest form of morality. And scripture carries on every page this sweet unreasonableness. Says the returning prodigal, “I am no more worthy to be called your son.” Of course! Yet the father calls for the best robe, and shoes, and the ring of sonship. One disciple complained to our Lord of the extravagance of a woman who anointed His feet with perfume. The action was wasteful. The perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. No doubt! Except that in the economy of heaven extravagance is a necessity and reason is sometimes a barrier to grace. The “nicely calculated less or more” reveals a mercenary spirit that does not understand Christ.
And that’s the gospel. Equal pay for unequal work. (What trade union would endure it?) Negotiate, not from strength but from weakness. Strike a hard bargain and end up with only what you bargained for, when what He wanted to give you was “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and flowing over.” Demand what you deserve, and you may never discover how much you missed. Claim your rights and you may never learn how wrong you were. Insist on justice and you will never know the mercy that was offered you. Win at all costs and you may never understand that loser takes all. Seize what is yours and you will never possess what is His. For God’s only reason for loving us is that He loves us. And what a divine reason that is!

R. Maurice Boyd, Corridors of Light (1991)