I always enjoy reading about Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees. You know the bad guy in the movies you just love to hate? That’s kind of how I’ve always felt about the religious experts in Scripture. In the midst of Jesus healing the sick, blind, and lame and casting out demons, there they are, always nit-picking about Him breaking the religious laws about Sabbath and interacting with the sinners and unclean.
I love the story in Luke 7:36-50. Go, read it right now, then come back to this blog.
Now, read it again, inserting your name into verse 40, where Jesus says to Simon, the Pharisee, “I have something to tell you.”
Who are you in this story? Simon, disgusted that Jesus would let a sinner get close to Him? The woman, broken in her sin and humbled before the Savior serving at His feet? The man forgiven much, or the one forgiven little?
What does your love for Christ look like? Are you truly aware of how great a price your sin cost the Son of God?
We have all sinned (Romans 3:23 declares that clearly) but few of us are willing and humble enough to own up to that reality.
Too often those who represent Christ’s Church play the part of the Pharisee; we are too holy and righteous to bump shoulders with sinners and even so bold as to keep them from getting to Jesus all together. And in our pursuit to do good and keep ourselves untouched from the world we are so missing the heart of Christ.
In my three years getting to minister to women who have been sexually exploited, God has taught me such beautiful things about redemption through the women I get to serve. These beautiful ladies understand redemption in ways I could never relate to, but hearing the gratitude in their voices and seeing the life shine through their eyes has painted a clearer picture of Jesus than I would have simply from my own experience.
I pray for the humility to serve and worship Jesus like this woman in Luke 7. She is the picture of redemption and exemplifies what true repentance looks like when our sin encounters God’s grace.
“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Luke 7: 47
– Angela B.
