Grace always, always provokes those who think they’re good, those who think they’re better, those with a high anthropology. Jesus loving and embracing the falsely accused, the victim, and the one who is not guilty . . . that’s not scandalous. In fact, that’s expected. What is scandalous is that Jesus loved the criminal caught in the act, the assailant with blood on his hands, the one who reeks of guilt—filthy rich Zacchaeus, the woman caught in an adulterous embrace, even the Roman soldiers blithely tossing dice in the shadow of his dying body. The good news of God’s love and forgiveness is
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