Our Sins are Forgiven!

Luke 7:36-50

36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."

40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

So he said, "Teacher, say it."

41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"

43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."

And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."

48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

50 Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

Sins forgiven!  Jesus allowed a sinful woman, likely a prostitute, to wash His feet while He sat in the house of a Pharisee.  The religious leader had invited Jesus into his house but seemingly must have invited the woman also since they were not outside in public.  In spite of this, the Pharisee had evil and judgmental thoughts about how this Rabbi Jesus could allow such a woman to even touch Him, let alone serve by washing His feet as was customary, yet using her own tears which the religious condemned as unclean because of her sinful life and therefore wholly unacceptable and inappropriate.  She proceeded further to add expensive perfume to the Lords feet and even dried them with her own hair; how did He dare!  A prophet or rabbi would never do such a thing thought the self righteous man.  Jesus turned to speak with His disciple Simon with a short story parable about two men who owed different amounts of money.  Neither had money to repay their debts and both were forgiven them by the one who could collect on the loan by debtors prison or other means.  Jesus put a question to Simon in front of the condemning Pharisee about which man would be more thankful.  Obviously the answer was the one who knew he owed more.  This speaks to our salvation as a forgiveness of our debt of our very lives owed to our Master in heaven for our sin and how one who is more aware of the penalty forgiven because he owed far more would be more thankful to the released of an eternal debt which is death (Romans 6:23).  This one would express and fell greater love for the Master because he was forgiven more and therefore was far more aware of the grace shown him than the one whose debt appeared more insignificant to that man.  In reality, of course, we know in God’s forgiveness of sin that even the smallest debt is enough to enter the spiritual debtors prison of hell as much as the one who was a greater sinner in outward visible ways.  Yet the aware of that forgiveness is often more powerfully felt by the one with a more sordid past and godly repentance with true remorse than the one who thought himself not so bad in his living well by human standards.  The amount of appreciation for the love of the Master is what changes due to the awareness of the sin and the release of its sentence.  Jesus then turned to the situation at hand, the woman who was being judged but had such appreciation for the love of the Lord who forgave her then.  Her many sins were cleansed as much as the feet of the Lord she loved and appreciated so much.  Jesus then said, “Your sins are forgiven.” and, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”  The religious crowd still sat in ignorance of judgment as they questioned the authority of Jesus Christ to forgive sins instead of marveling at the grace on display in a sinner’s life.  May we never judge ourselves to be more worthy of forgiveness than ones we consider to be worse sinners and unworthy of this amazing grace or question the love of God in Christ to forgive us all equally by His atoning work on the cross!  Those who have been forgiven so much sin realize the grace more acutely and love Him ever more as they serve and follow as well.  Such faith in Him and appreciation for His mercy are fuel for righteous living to follow the Master well.  May we all then come to that same love and thankfulness no matter how sordid or seemingly less eventful our past before our forgiveness and new life in Christ.  Our sins are forgiven!  Amen!