Who Will Love Jesus More? | Luke 7

Welcome to Real Life. Sometimes we forget. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.[1]

“Being lost is worth the being found.”

–Neil Diamond

Why is this woman in my house? She just showed up. Unwanted. Uninvited. But there she stood—directly behind Jesus.

My name is Simon. I am a Pharisee. I pride myself in keeping my hands clean. I invited Jesus to a dinner party in my home. I also extended an invitation to some of my colleagues, other Pharisees and religious leaders. The type of men I am proud to associate with. We were all curious about this Jesus of Nazareth.

I recognized the woman, of course. Everyone in town knows who she is and the kind of sinful life she leads. A woman of her reputation had never crossed my threshold. But before I could rise to throw her out, she began to weep. As she wept, she knelt and allowed her tears to wash the road dust from Jesus’ feet. Then, she let down her hair and used it to dry them. Afterwards, to my horror, she began kissing Jesus’ feet and anointing them with perfume. “What does she think she’s doing?” I asked myself. “And why is Jesus allowing this? If he were truly a prophet, he’d know what kind of woman she is. He would never allow her to touch him!”

“Simon,” Jesus said, interrupting my thoughts. “I have something to tell you. Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed five thousand dollars, the other five hundred. The lender forgave both debts. Which one will love him more?”

“I suppose the one with the bigger debt,” I answered.

“Correct,” Jesus replied. Then he turned and looked at the woman, but continued speaking to me. “When I entered your home, you provided no water to wash my feet. But she washed my feet with her tears. You failed to welcome me with a kiss. But she has not stopped kissing my feet. You poured no oil on my head. But she anointed me with perfume. Therefore, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. For you see, whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Finally, Jesus spoke directly to the woman.

“Your sins are forgiven.
Your faith has saved you,
Go in peace.”
(Luke 7:48, 50)

Long after everyone left, I lay in bed with Jesus’ question echoing in my mind. Which one will love him more? Most of my fellow Pharisees criticized and condemned Jesus Christ, but I went so far as to invite him into my home. Doesn’t that count for something? And yet, as host, I failed to show the rabbi even common courtesies. A proper host welcomes and honors his guest. The only one who truly welcomed and honored Jesus was this woman. She did not care who was present or what we thought. All her attention, all her devotion, all her love was lavished on Jesus the Nazarene.

This final thought, however, robs my sleep. We both owe a debt. We both have sinned. Although her debt is far greater than mine, clearly, this woman left my home in peace. She had no doubt. God has forgiven her. Has he forgiven me?
_____

Sometimes, in the faith community, we get it wrong. Like Simon, we try so hard to do the right thing and keep our hands clean. In the process, we often separate and isolate from those who live in rebellion against God. We steer clear of the addict, the outsider, the convict, the skeptic, the sinful woman. And yet, these are the very ones Jesus sought out. He came to seek and save the lost. By his Holy Spirit, Christ is alive and present in you and me. He still desires to seek and save the lost through us. Will we let him?

Who will love Jesus more? Clearly, it is the one with the greater debt—now forgiven!

Dear Father God,
Open our eyes to see people as you see them.
Give us a heart like yours,
Make us willing to leave the ninety-nine,
And search for one lost sheep,
And lead them home to you, our Father.
May we never forget. We, too, owe a debt.
We need you as desperately as the worst sinner.
Thank you for loving us and sending your Son Jesus Christ
To shed his blood to save us.
In his holy name we pray. Amen.

Take it further…

Has God forgiven you? If you are not sure, you can be. Call 1-888-NEED-HIM or chat with someone online at www.chataboutjesus.com.

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