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| Earl Gillespie |
Part #2
Text: Luke 7:36-50
Our thankfulness to Christ should be in direct proportion to our consciousness of the amount of sin forgiven and not the accumulation of earthly treasures. We should consider just how thankful we are, for the forgiveness we have received (or will receive). The suffering a and dying of Christ and its purpose, is what we should be thankful for.
Luke 7:44-46 Jesus then turned toward the woman and asked Simon if he saw her. And, of course, Simon saw her; he saw her as a contemptible sinner, as tainted and worthless. Yet Jesus was urging Simon to see her for who she really was: as a forgiven sinner and one overflowing with love and thanksgiving.
Jesus next presented Simon with a series of sharp contrasts in order to illustrate just how very much the woman had expressed her love and gratitude, in addition to showing how Simon had communicated no love, whatsoever. And while there is some debate as to whether Simon actually failed to do what was culturally demanded, clearly he received Jesus with an indifferent hospitality, at best. Simon was thoughtless, neglectful, even rude, to Jesus, his so-called “guest.” Effectively Jesus said to Simon, “At your invitation, I came to your house; and yet you did not welcome me with even minimal hospitality. You provided me with none of the basic amenities which invited guests customarily receive.” It would be like spending the night at someone's home and they’re failing to provide you with so much as soap and water to wash your hands — nor a towel with which to dry them.
But in contrast, the woman went far beyond the norms of hospitality; for truly she was extravagant in pouring out her love to the Lord. Whereas Simon failed to so much as even to provide water to wash Jesus’ feet (a common courtesy in the days of open sandals), the woman, in contrast, literally “rained” tears upon his feet and dried them with her hair. Whereas Simon failed to greet Jesus with so much as a customary kiss upon his cheek, the woman continued to kiss his feet, over and over. Whereas Simon failed to anoint Jesus’ head with even cheap olive oil, the woman continued to pour expensive perfume upon his feet. Though Simon was the one who invited Jesus to the meal, it was the woman who actually treated the Lord as a truly special and honored guest.
Verse 47 Notice that Jesus does not gloss over the woman’s many sins. Instead, he readily acknowledged that she had lived a desperately sinful life. And yet, he went on to boldly declare that her sins had “been forgiven.” Her sin-debt had been cancelled; she was now pure, clean, holy. Moreover as I said previously, her sins had been forgiven prior to her coming to the banquet. This can be seen in the Greek verb which Luke used here for receiving forgiveness (φέωvται); it is in the perfect tense—referring to something done in the past with continuing results. That is, the woman had been forgiven at some previous point in the past and she was continuing in that state of forgiveness. In addition, Jesus explains that the woman’s lavish expression of love arose as a result of her forgiveness. Truly, her great love and gratitude developed in response to having had her many sins remitted. She knew that she had been forgiven much; a debt which she could never repay had been cancelled. And in appreciation of the gracious forgiveness which she had received, her heart poured forth love in abundance. Just as in the parable, forgiveness of the debt came first, then love (or thankfulness) followed as a consequence. Evidence of her prior forgiveness is readily seen in her outpouring of love. Consider how the passage reads in The Message (paraphrase): “She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful.”
Next in contrast to the woman’s extravagant outpouring of gratitude (given in response her gracious forgiveness), Jesus goes on to say, “He who has been forgiven little loves little.” We thus begin to see a correlation between our love (or thankfulness) to God and our awareness of just how gracious God is, in forgiving us. Indeed, our thankfulness to Christ is in direct proportion to our consciousness of the amount of sin forgiven. That is, if we are vividly aware of our desperate bankruptcy before God, then we will (like the woman) pour forth exuberant gratitude for the forgiveness we have received. But on the other hand, if we (mistakenly) think that we are somehow only “little sinners” without all that much debt before God, then our thankfulness to him will only be minimal. Yet as in the parable, even if we have committed only a tenth as many sins as someone else, we are nevertheless still completely unable to repay our sin-debt to God. Whether our sins are many or whether they are (comparatively) few, any hope for our salvation is by God’s grace alone. And finally, if we (like self-righteous Simon) express no love (or thanksgiving) to God, then it surely points to the fact that we have received precisely that much forgiveness: none.
Now the people of Jesus’ day would have assumed that a Pharisee, like Simon, would have had the greatest love for God. That is, the Pharisees kept up their outward religious appearances. They looked “good” in the community. They were “honorable” citizens. They knew the law. And yet it was not the Pharisee, but the “woman who had lived a sinful life” who is noted for having great love. Indeed, this story reminds us that loving God does not mean “doing religious things” in order to earn our way to him. Instead we are called to accept the free gift of salvation in Christ, with corresponding gratitude. Whereas Simon was not even aware of his need for forgiveness, the woman would never forget her huge debt of sin which had been cancelled. The difference between the two was a consciousness of sin and the need for a Savior.
Verse:48 For the first time Jesus directly addressed the woman and said that her sins “are forgiven.” Yet just as in the previous verse, the same word in the same perfect tense is used: again her sins had been forgiven and she was continuing in the state of forgiveness. Her sins, all of them, stood forgiven. What she already knew, Jesus thus reaffirmed, “Yes, it really is true, your debt of sin is cancelled.” And though the people of her town thought otherwise, Jesus authoritatively announced to all, within earshot, that she was truly free from sin. Perhaps he said this in the hope that they would no longer castigate this loving and tender daughter of God.
Now the people of Jesus’ day would have assumed that a Pharisee, like Simon, would have had the greatest love for God. That is, the Pharisees kept up their outward religious appearances. They looked “good” in the community. They were “honorable” citizens. They knew the law. And yet it was not the Pharisee, but the “woman who had lived a sinful life” who is noted for having great love. Indeed, this story reminds us that loving God does not mean “doing religious things” in order to earn our way to him. Instead we are called to accept the free gift of salvation in Christ, with corresponding gratitude. Whereas Simon was not even aware of his need for forgiveness, the woman would never forget her huge debt of sin which had been cancelled. The difference between the two was a consciousness of sin and the need for a Savior.
Verse:48 For the first time Jesus directly addressed the woman and said that her sins “are forgiven.” Yet just as in the previous verse, the same word in the same perfect tense is used: again her sins had been forgiven and she was continuing in the state of forgiveness. Her sins, all of them, stood forgiven. What she already knew, Jesus thus reaffirmed, “Yes, it really is true, your debt of sin is cancelled.” And though the people of her town thought otherwise, Jesus authoritatively announced to all, within earshot, that she was truly free from sin. Perhaps he said this in the hope that they would no longer castigate this loving and tender daughter of God.
Verse:49-50 The other guests, likely more Pharisees, were offended by Jesus’ words to the woman. So they began to murmur among themselves effectively saying, “Who does he think he is, acting as if he can forgive sins?” Just as in Luke 5:20-21, they correctly understood that only God can forgive sins; but they (sadly) failed to see that Jesus is God. Indeed they were apparently so caught up in trying to determine whether or not he was a prophet (v. 39), that they missed out on seeing him as the Savior. Jesus, however, seems to have ignored their muttering.
Instead with the great affection of a loving father speaking his daughter, he tells her, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” And yet again, it’s the Greek perfect tense. Her faith is what moved her to seek God’s forgiveness in the first place and her faith was continuing to keep her in a state of forgiveness. Jesus then blessed her to continue on in the peace and wholeness of God.
As the story ends, Simon is seen as the “sinner” and the woman as the righteous one. As Simon sensed no need for forgiveness, he received none. In contrast, the woman was utterly, desperately, totally conscious of her need for grace and so could not possibly thank Jesus enough for cancelling her debt of sin. So now, which character most clearly represents you?
For, you see, our thankfulness to Christ is in direct proportion to our consciousness of the amount of sin forgiven. So, how much do you love? Just how thankful are you (or will you be) for your sin-debt being cancelled? Not at all thankful, like Simon? I so hope that is not the case. (And I likewise hope that Simon saw the error of his self-righteous way and so turned to Jesus.) Or maybe you are a little thankful, somewhat thankful (v. 47). Comparatively speaking you have only committed just few sins, once in a while, now and again. Maybe you have come to believe that you were not really all that much in debt to God, after all? Again, I so hope that is not the case. And if it is, I hope that you will reflect again on the parable— because no matter how few our sins, we cannot repay the debt. Or maybe your heart (like hers) is welling up, in fact, absolutely overflowing with a veritable flood of thanksgiving and gratitude for your forgiveness. And I hope so this is the case. Yet each of us must ask, “How much do I LOVE?”
As the story ends, Simon is seen as the “sinner” and the woman as the righteous one. As Simon sensed no need for forgiveness, he received none. In contrast, the woman was utterly, desperately, totally conscious of her need for grace and so could not possibly thank Jesus enough for cancelling her debt of sin. So now, which character most clearly represents you?
For, you see, our thankfulness to Christ is in direct proportion to our consciousness of the amount of sin forgiven. So, how much do you love? Just how thankful are you (or will you be) for your sin-debt being cancelled? Not at all thankful, like Simon? I so hope that is not the case. (And I likewise hope that Simon saw the error of his self-righteous way and so turned to Jesus.) Or maybe you are a little thankful, somewhat thankful (v. 47). Comparatively speaking you have only committed just few sins, once in a while, now and again. Maybe you have come to believe that you were not really all that much in debt to God, after all? Again, I so hope that is not the case. And if it is, I hope that you will reflect again on the parable— because no matter how few our sins, we cannot repay the debt. Or maybe your heart (like hers) is welling up, in fact, absolutely overflowing with a veritable flood of thanksgiving and gratitude for your forgiveness. And I hope so this is the case. Yet each of us must ask, “How much do I LOVE?”
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