Luke 7:36-50
Some people take the message of God’s love and grace to task, arguing that telling people how much God has forgiven them and how much that He loves them will not empower them to live for God. This same argument also states that the only way to get people to love God more is to motivate them with Law and Hell. If you threaten them with eternal damnation, you will motivate them to live right; or so the argument goes. Jesus, quite frankly, disagreed.
Jesus entered Simon the Pharisee’s house to eat with him. Upon arrival, a woman of ill-repute from the city came into the house and began weeping over the feet of Jesus, anointing them with oil and drying them with her hair. Simon said nothing, but within himself he thought less of Jesus because He was allowing this to transpire. Jesus sensed Simon’s fury and asked him a simple question regarding forgiveness (Luke 7:41, 42).
Simon readily admitted that any man who was forgiven of much would have much love to give in return; even more so than the man who was forgiven little. Jesus then took that answer and compared Simon and the woman. Simon offered no water for Jesus’ feet, while the woman had not stopped washing them with her tears. Simon offered no welcome kiss to the Master, but the woman was kissing Jesus’ feet. Because of this, Jesus offers her absolution from her sins.
Jesus is not saying that the way to love Him more is to have more of your sins forgiven. If that were the case, then the only ones who could truly love the Lord would be those who lived the worst lives; committed the most sins; fell the farthest, and then had those sins forgiven. Christians that were raised in the church and had lived for Christ for many years would be incapable of loving Jesus as much as a new convert. This makes no sense, for Jesus told the woman that she was saved by her faith, not her works (Luke 7:50). What does Jesus mean then, by telling us that “to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little”? (Luke 7:47).
If a person has no realization as to how forgiven that they are because of the blood of Jesus, they will have very little love to show the Lord. They will have weak worship and a weak lifestyle, for they feel that they are unworthy of Him. When you realize the magnitude of your forgiveness, and the power of just how clean that you are in the eyes of God because of Jesus’ finished work, then you naturally love more than ever before.
The love that this woman shows is from the heart and not only from the head. A recognition in your mind of how loved that you are will cause you to walk in His love and forgiveness in your heart. When your heart realizes this love and forgiveness, good works will naturally flow from your life.
Telling someone to “Love God more!” will help no one to love Him at all. Explaining to the believer just how forgiven that they are will bring forth love and worship like the church has always dreamed of. Know that you are forgiven and you will fall in love with the forgiver!
Some people take the message of God’s love and grace to task, arguing that telling people how much God has forgiven them and how much that He loves them will not empower them to live for God. This same argument also states that the only way to get people to love God more is to motivate them with Law and Hell. If you threaten them with eternal damnation, you will motivate them to live right; or so the argument goes. Jesus, quite frankly, disagreed.
Jesus entered Simon the Pharisee’s house to eat with him. Upon arrival, a woman of ill-repute from the city came into the house and began weeping over the feet of Jesus, anointing them with oil and drying them with her hair. Simon said nothing, but within himself he thought less of Jesus because He was allowing this to transpire. Jesus sensed Simon’s fury and asked him a simple question regarding forgiveness (Luke 7:41, 42).
Simon readily admitted that any man who was forgiven of much would have much love to give in return; even more so than the man who was forgiven little. Jesus then took that answer and compared Simon and the woman. Simon offered no water for Jesus’ feet, while the woman had not stopped washing them with her tears. Simon offered no welcome kiss to the Master, but the woman was kissing Jesus’ feet. Because of this, Jesus offers her absolution from her sins.
Jesus is not saying that the way to love Him more is to have more of your sins forgiven. If that were the case, then the only ones who could truly love the Lord would be those who lived the worst lives; committed the most sins; fell the farthest, and then had those sins forgiven. Christians that were raised in the church and had lived for Christ for many years would be incapable of loving Jesus as much as a new convert. This makes no sense, for Jesus told the woman that she was saved by her faith, not her works (Luke 7:50). What does Jesus mean then, by telling us that “to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little”? (Luke 7:47).
If a person has no realization as to how forgiven that they are because of the blood of Jesus, they will have very little love to show the Lord. They will have weak worship and a weak lifestyle, for they feel that they are unworthy of Him. When you realize the magnitude of your forgiveness, and the power of just how clean that you are in the eyes of God because of Jesus’ finished work, then you naturally love more than ever before.
The love that this woman shows is from the heart and not only from the head. A recognition in your mind of how loved that you are will cause you to walk in His love and forgiveness in your heart. When your heart realizes this love and forgiveness, good works will naturally flow from your life.
Telling someone to “Love God more!” will help no one to love Him at all. Explaining to the believer just how forgiven that they are will bring forth love and worship like the church has always dreamed of. Know that you are forgiven and you will fall in love with the forgiver!
