Daily Bible Reading – 25
Luke 7:36-50 -
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." 40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." 41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." 44 Then 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 little." 48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 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."
First of all, we see that the guy who asked Jesus to dine with him was a Pharisee. He very well may have been one of the ones talking trash up to this point. His motives most likely were not the noblest. In fact, in his head, he thinks to himself “if He was the prophet everyone is saying that He is, He would know this chick is a sinner, and wouldn’t let her touch Him.” The reason for this is that they put so much stock in not touching things that are “unclean”, and she would be considered as such. Her touching him would be considered disgusting in the opinion of all the non-laity people. Yet, even when he said that to himself, when Jesus said he had something to discuss with him, his response was, “Teacher, say it.” He verbally acknowledged Him as a teacher and an authority, but he obviously was saving face.
How many of us do that? Not just with the spiritual authority places over us, but secular as well? Do we do this at work? At School? At home?
Jesus goes on to talk about people that are forgiving of much are even more grateful and loving. The first time I read that I wasn’t sure how to take that. I’ve always wondered about that, and this time in reading it, God revealed something to me. We all have been redeemed from much. There is not some “small” amount of grace that can restore us to where God intended us. It took a set, complete amount of the grace from God to make redemption available for mankind.
People get so caught up on individualistic mindsets when it comes to God and salvation. Granted, you must know Christ personally, but God did not make any man to be dependant or independent, but rather He created us to be a co-dependant ecclesia, relying on each other while being lead by Him.
I know that it is a tactic when witnessing to say, “Had you been the only sinner in the world, Jesus would have died just for you.” I know, because I’ve used it. I’m not saying that is not true, for that would be an accurate description of God’s love, but it gives off the wrong image of God. He didn’t die for just one person—He died for all of humanity. The Bible tells us that His is not a respecter of persons, which means He is not going to do one thing for one man that He wouldn’t do for another. Yes, we must have an individual relationship with Jesus, but we were created to exist together as His Body. To constantly promote an individualistic view of faith is to develop a schism in His Body.
Think about it like this…
For me to constantly say, “Jesus died for me, I have been redeemed, I will serve God to the best of my ability, and I love God a lot,” sounds good, right? But what God would hear is, “Jesus died for His finger (or any Body part), it has been redeemed, it will serve Him to the best of its ability, and it loves Him.” Sounds kind of weird, doesn’t it? God is concerned about us individually, but He doesn’t look at us as separate entities, but as the entire Body of His beloved Son. When Achan sinned, God did not punish him alone—the entire nation of Israel suffered the consequences of his sin. This is because God promotes the concept of community and accountability. We are individuals, but more important, we are the Body of Christ.
How does this relate to Luke 7:36-50?
This is what God showed me. We have all been forgiven of much—every one of us. There is not one person who has been delivered from more than another, for we all have then same condemnation destined to us without Him. The difference has to do with our own perception. Some of us only perceive being delivered from a small amount. Others see a bigger picture of what their deliverance entails.
Why is it that some people are so emphatic and boisterous when it comes to God and others not so much? It’s the perception of the amount of deliverance they’ve received. The zealous will say, “You just don’t know what God has delivered me from.” That is correct, they don’t, for they don’t really understand what they have been delivered from themselves. It is not like my sin cost Jesus more or less blood than anyone else’s sin. Jesus paid for the sin of the entire human race at one time. It wasn’t on a case-by-case basis. It was not that murders require more blood than mere liars, for the price tag doesn’t change based on our actions.
Jesus did not die for you alone—He died for the entirety of mankind.
Jesus had to use this parable to teach this Pharisee a lesson. There is only so much truth you can reveal to a person at one time. Even more so considering this man was a religious nut. Before Jesus could even think of teaching him the concept of a complete ecclesia, He had to attempt to rid his mind of the separatist mentality that they were better than the “common sinner”. Being as secular as the Pharisee was, Jesus knew he would understand the concept of being more grateful dependant of the amount of deliverance received. That caught his attention.
It’s not that this woman who wash His feet with her tears was delivered from more than any of us, it’s just that she was more aware of what she was delivered from because of all the stuff she was delivered from. This is what provoked her to do something outrageous.
How many of us would go up and wash our spiritual leaders feet with our hair? If Jesus walked the earth right now, would we wash His feet or bombard Him with all our troubles and problems?
People will say, “No, there are people who have never experienced what I’ve been through. God delivered me for more than the average person, for I was really bad. You just don’t know” That is a repentant heart speaking, however, the truth is that all sin is equal in God’s eyes. We are the ones who put severity on particular sins. A simple white lie can bring the same damnation as a life-long murder and rapist can. Paul, who devout to religion, claimed to be the chief of all sinners, yet I personally know people who have done worst things than him before his conversion, and they have been redeemed. Paul is not a liar—that was the expression of a repentant heart. That shows that you are aware of what He’s done for you.
Look hard at what God’s done for you. Look at sin as sin. Look at the consequences of sin, and what Jesus did to provide a way of deliverance. The condemnation is the same for everyone, everyone has that same inheritance from Adam, and the price Jesus paid is the same. How thankful you are is directly proportional to the amount of deliverance you perceive in your own life. Give God what is His.
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." 40 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." 41 "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." 44 Then 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 little." 48 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 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."
First of all, we see that the guy who asked Jesus to dine with him was a Pharisee. He very well may have been one of the ones talking trash up to this point. His motives most likely were not the noblest. In fact, in his head, he thinks to himself “if He was the prophet everyone is saying that He is, He would know this chick is a sinner, and wouldn’t let her touch Him.” The reason for this is that they put so much stock in not touching things that are “unclean”, and she would be considered as such. Her touching him would be considered disgusting in the opinion of all the non-laity people. Yet, even when he said that to himself, when Jesus said he had something to discuss with him, his response was, “Teacher, say it.” He verbally acknowledged Him as a teacher and an authority, but he obviously was saving face.
How many of us do that? Not just with the spiritual authority places over us, but secular as well? Do we do this at work? At School? At home?
Jesus goes on to talk about people that are forgiving of much are even more grateful and loving. The first time I read that I wasn’t sure how to take that. I’ve always wondered about that, and this time in reading it, God revealed something to me. We all have been redeemed from much. There is not some “small” amount of grace that can restore us to where God intended us. It took a set, complete amount of the grace from God to make redemption available for mankind.
People get so caught up on individualistic mindsets when it comes to God and salvation. Granted, you must know Christ personally, but God did not make any man to be dependant or independent, but rather He created us to be a co-dependant ecclesia, relying on each other while being lead by Him.
I know that it is a tactic when witnessing to say, “Had you been the only sinner in the world, Jesus would have died just for you.” I know, because I’ve used it. I’m not saying that is not true, for that would be an accurate description of God’s love, but it gives off the wrong image of God. He didn’t die for just one person—He died for all of humanity. The Bible tells us that His is not a respecter of persons, which means He is not going to do one thing for one man that He wouldn’t do for another. Yes, we must have an individual relationship with Jesus, but we were created to exist together as His Body. To constantly promote an individualistic view of faith is to develop a schism in His Body.
Think about it like this…
For me to constantly say, “Jesus died for me, I have been redeemed, I will serve God to the best of my ability, and I love God a lot,” sounds good, right? But what God would hear is, “Jesus died for His finger (or any Body part), it has been redeemed, it will serve Him to the best of its ability, and it loves Him.” Sounds kind of weird, doesn’t it? God is concerned about us individually, but He doesn’t look at us as separate entities, but as the entire Body of His beloved Son. When Achan sinned, God did not punish him alone—the entire nation of Israel suffered the consequences of his sin. This is because God promotes the concept of community and accountability. We are individuals, but more important, we are the Body of Christ.
How does this relate to Luke 7:36-50?
This is what God showed me. We have all been forgiven of much—every one of us. There is not one person who has been delivered from more than another, for we all have then same condemnation destined to us without Him. The difference has to do with our own perception. Some of us only perceive being delivered from a small amount. Others see a bigger picture of what their deliverance entails.
Why is it that some people are so emphatic and boisterous when it comes to God and others not so much? It’s the perception of the amount of deliverance they’ve received. The zealous will say, “You just don’t know what God has delivered me from.” That is correct, they don’t, for they don’t really understand what they have been delivered from themselves. It is not like my sin cost Jesus more or less blood than anyone else’s sin. Jesus paid for the sin of the entire human race at one time. It wasn’t on a case-by-case basis. It was not that murders require more blood than mere liars, for the price tag doesn’t change based on our actions.
Jesus did not die for you alone—He died for the entirety of mankind.
Jesus had to use this parable to teach this Pharisee a lesson. There is only so much truth you can reveal to a person at one time. Even more so considering this man was a religious nut. Before Jesus could even think of teaching him the concept of a complete ecclesia, He had to attempt to rid his mind of the separatist mentality that they were better than the “common sinner”. Being as secular as the Pharisee was, Jesus knew he would understand the concept of being more grateful dependant of the amount of deliverance received. That caught his attention.
It’s not that this woman who wash His feet with her tears was delivered from more than any of us, it’s just that she was more aware of what she was delivered from because of all the stuff she was delivered from. This is what provoked her to do something outrageous.
How many of us would go up and wash our spiritual leaders feet with our hair? If Jesus walked the earth right now, would we wash His feet or bombard Him with all our troubles and problems?
People will say, “No, there are people who have never experienced what I’ve been through. God delivered me for more than the average person, for I was really bad. You just don’t know” That is a repentant heart speaking, however, the truth is that all sin is equal in God’s eyes. We are the ones who put severity on particular sins. A simple white lie can bring the same damnation as a life-long murder and rapist can. Paul, who devout to religion, claimed to be the chief of all sinners, yet I personally know people who have done worst things than him before his conversion, and they have been redeemed. Paul is not a liar—that was the expression of a repentant heart. That shows that you are aware of what He’s done for you.
Look hard at what God’s done for you. Look at sin as sin. Look at the consequences of sin, and what Jesus did to provide a way of deliverance. The condemnation is the same for everyone, everyone has that same inheritance from Adam, and the price Jesus paid is the same. How thankful you are is directly proportional to the amount of deliverance you perceive in your own life. Give God what is His.
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