In Matt. 18 Jesus tells a parable of a debtor who owes a king millions of dollars. Because the debtor cannot pay, everything he owns is sold, including his family. The debtor begs for mercy. The king has pity on him and forgives the debt. The debtor leaves and meets a fellow servant who owes him a few dollars and demands payment. The servant begs for mercy, but the debtor offers none. When the king finds out, he sends the million-dollar-debtor to prison.
It is the “other” golden rule for life in the kingdom. Not only are we to do to others as we would have them do to us. We are to do to others as God has done to us. God’s treatment of us is to be our constant standard for how we treat others. The limitless, scandalous, undeserving, and overflowing grace and mercy and generosity which characterizes God’s treatment of us is to characterize our treatment of others.
