June 26, 2000

And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him.  And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.  And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.   Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.  And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee.  And he saith, Master, say on.  There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.   And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.  Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?  Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.  And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged....Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.  Luke 7:36-43, 47

Jesus asked Simon who would love the forgiver more, he who was forgiven of a lot or he who was forgiven of a little.  Simon said he who was forgiven of a lot. Jesus said that was correct.

We can use this passage to say, "Well all those people who have done really bad things will love God more because they’ve been forgiven of more.  It’s O.K. for them to be radical and fanatical because they were ‘really bad’."

But see, all of us were ‘really bad’.  Sin is sin.  If you miss the mark you miss the mark.  If you disobey God you disobey God.  James said he who offends one point of the law is guilty of the whole law, (James 2:10).   So everyone has much to be forgiven of.  But the thing is, if we don’t realize that we think, "Well I’m not too bad.  I don’t have much to be forgiven of like some other people do."  That attitude will cause us to hold out in our expression of thankfulness to the Lord.

We all have much to be forgiven of.  And the extent to which we become aware of that is the extent our worship of God will be.  The more we see ways in which we have displeased the Lord, the more our love for Him will increase because we will see that He has also forgiven us of much.