Written by: Katie (Collier) Poe
"One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat.
When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She's a sinner!" Then Jesus answered his thoughts. "Simon," he said to the Pharisee, "I have something to say to you." "Go ahead, Teacher," Simon replied.
Then Jesus told him this story: "A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver
[i] to one and 50 pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt."
"That's right," Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn't offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. "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." Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven." Luke 7:36-48
Here we have a Pharisee, an elite member of the religious community and an "immoral woman." We don't know what she did. We can assume she has been shamed for her actions, rejected by society, and definitely not welcomed by the religious leaders. She comes to worship Jesus with great reverence and sacrifice. This act disturbs the Pharisee, so Jesus addresses his concern with a parable. He presents two people with debts: one with a little debt and one with a large debt. We can equate these debts to sin; one person has sinned a little, and the other has sinned greatly. The loaner, or God, forgives both people completely. They do not owe a thing. Jesus asks the Pharisee who he thinks is more grateful for the forgiveness. Obviously, the person with the more enormous debt. Jesus then turns to the situation unfolding at the dinner.
Jesus compares the Pharisee and the woman's actions. In summary, the Pharisee didn't give Jesus honor and respect, while the woman could not stop worshiping Him. Then Jesus says something that I think is often overlooked. Her sins are many; she has been forgiven of much, so she loves much. In contrast, the Pharisee, who did not see himself as "that bad of a sinner," did not show Jesus great love. I have seen myself as the Pharisee and the immoral woman in different seasons of my life.
I grew up in the church with an incredible Christian family and knew Jesus. However, for most of my life, I walked this line with one foot in the world and the other attempting to follow Jesus. I would teeter one way or the other depending on what I wanted to do at that moment. I was ashamed of my sin, but not enough to stop. In this season, I could relate to the Pharisee. I knew Jesus. I invited Jesus over for a little bit. But I never gave him my full attention or truly gave him the attention and adoration he deserved. So, I continued to live in sin, but in my opinion (which was wrong), the sins weren't that bad.
Well, the life of "little sins" lead me to place that I never thought I would be as a "Christian." I was doing things I swore I would never do and hurting those around me. Finally, my true self, an immoral woman, was brought to light. I felt the weight of my sin and fell at the feet of Jesus, weeping, begging for forgiveness, and worshiping Him for his grace. Though I began to accept God's forgiveness, I had a difficult time forgiving myself. Even after I surrender my struggles and was walking in freedom, I still struggled with the question, "Why did I have to do that?". I looked for a reason to the point that I even began to blame God for not "protecting me" from my own decisions.
One day, I was sharing this feeling with a friend at an FCA retreat. Then, God spoke to me. It wasn't a thundering, audible voice from the sky. But more like a thought, that I knew was not my own. God said, "Why are you so consumed with thoughts of your sin? They are dead and gone. I took care of them on the cross. I am not worried about your sin. I don't need you to be perfect. What I do need are your attention and affection. I want a relationship with you. Even if it is a sin that gets you there. It is worth it to me."
Unfortunately, we will always struggle with sin. It is just a part of our time in this fleshly body. We will continuously have to ask for forgiveness from our friends, spouses, children, and God. Do not let your sin, small or great, come between a loving relationship with Jesus. The Pharisee didn't see his forgiveness because he didn't see his sin. He missed out on the relationship. The immoral women recognized her sin, accepted forgiveness, and experienced a deep relationship with Jesus.
If there is one thing I can encourage you with, it's that Jesus already covered every sin in your past and every sin you will commit in the future with the precious blood he shed on the cross. He has forgiven you, forgive yourself, and bask in undeserved grace and relationship with the Creator of your soul.
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.
14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-15
Do you relate more with the Pharisee or the immoral woman?
Is there sin in your life that you have not yet acknowledged as sin?
Is there anything in your past that you feel is too great for God to forgive?
