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Radical Love: Sins Forgiven

“Jesus said: Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48,50

There are many who are not named in the gospels.  That doesn’t make them any less important.  The nameless woman in Luke 7 comes in while Jesus is having dinner with a religious leader, Simon.  She is thought to have been a prostitute.  Jesus at some point healed her and forgave her sins and she came to show her love and appreciation by washing His feet. In those days, because everyone wore sandals, their feet were dusty.  It was a custom to remove the sandals and have the feet washed.  Simon invited Jesus and had the table set, but he didn’t bother to wash Jesus’ dusty feet. The moment the woman began to do what he should have done, Simon’s thought was: “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”  In other words, Simon turned up his nose at the woman and Jesus.  Jesus’ radical love had already touched her life, now she was loving Him in return: “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”. (verse 38)

Jesus knew Simon’s thoughts, so He told a story of a man who owed a huge debt.  His debtor demanded it all at once, but the man had no money.  The merciful debtor forgave his debt.  The lesson Jesus wanted to teach in this story was that the person forgiven much will love much, but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.  The woman had a debt of sin she couldn’t repay.  Jesus, the merciful One, forgives her, cancels her debt.  She loves much.  Simon believed he wasn’t as bad as the woman, so he gave Jesus no love at all.  Listen to Jesus’ beautiful words: “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 littleThen He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven. 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.”

Jesus acknowledges her sin and He has the authority to do something about it.  The woman was repentant.  Jesus never turns away a repentant soul pleading for mercy.  If it was up to Simon, he would have thrown her out of the house.  Jesus allowed her worship and sent her away in peace.  Hallelujah, what a Savior!  Come to Him today and find forgiveness.

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