Love Much

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven---for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.

Luke 7:47

Luke 7 tells the story of a woman whose sins were great, but her love fo Jesus was greater. The greatest love this woman had was for her Savior. And it showed. She was controversial in her love for Jesus. At the home of Simon the Pharisee, she interrupted a social dinner with two prominent men to weep at the feet of Jesus, wash His feet with her expensive ointment (earned no doubt from the activities of prostitution, according to the text), and dry them with her hair. This certainly raised the eyebrows of Jesus’ self-righteous host.

Jesus tells the story of the two debtors. One owed much, the other a little, and when their boss chose to relieve the debt of them both, it was the greater debtor who was most grateful. This was what was going on with this woman. She is going to be forgiven much by Jesus (Luke 7:48) and her grateful appreciation and worship was unashamedly, even outrageously unrestrained.

Jesus saw her wild praise and love as an act of faith (Luke 7:50) and remarked on its outcome toward her salvation. It was not slavish devotion to the added requirements of legalistic religion that saved her. She had probably broken more commandments than anyone else in the room. It was her worship of her savior, her sacrificial repentance, and her unrestrained love that showed her faith in Jesus. She knew He was in town. She found out where He was eating. She made the scene out of sheer faith, repentance, and love for the Lord. And that was evidence of her saving faith in Christ.

For those who want to say that faith is a private matter, I look to this unnamed woman. She gave Jesus her uninhibited devotion. She was not ashamed to be controversially repentant. And she did so as a public matter. All knew her a sinner. All would know her as that wild repentant woman! She lowered herself to serve the One Who came to serve. And her sins were forgiven, her faith had saved her, and Jesus gave her a peace no other earthly attempt at love had ever given her. 

Technorati Tags: Luke,Jesus,Repentance,Faith,Forgiveness