Do I not have the right to do as I wish with what is mine? Or do you look on it with envy because I am good?”
In this saying the Lord concludes his answer, revealing the contrast between divine justice and a person’s inner condition. He reminds them of his absolute authority, as the master of the house who can dispose of his own property according to his will. This means that God’s grace is his own possession, and no one has the right to restrict it or dictate to whom it must be given. The following words, “Or do you envy because I am good?” emphasize the ethical side of the issue. Here envy symbolizes a heart that cannot rejoice in the blessing another has received. In other words, the problem is not in the Lord’s justice, but in the condition of the human heart. The one who fixes his attention on another’s grace loses the joy toward the gift he himself has received. This saying reveals that in the kingdom of God no one has the right to complain about his goodness, because God gives not according to worthiness defined by people, but according to his will and mercy. And as for what roots and depths of justice that mercy has, that is no longer a human concern. It is God’s work, whom we must trust and love without condition.