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"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."
(Luke 7:47)
Have you ever read a passage of Scripture many times, and then suddenly you learn something from it which you had never understood before? This happens to me periodically, and when it does, I am reminded that the Bible is no ordinary book: it has God as its author and contains no errors, only truth — truth for all time and eternity.
While having my quiet time recently, I read in Luke 7 where Jesus goes to a Pharisee's house, a man by the name of Simon. A lady comes in and washes Jesus' feet with her tears, kisses His feet, and anoints them with oil. Simon is offended because Jesus allowed the woman, a sinner, to do this. Jesus responded to Simon's cynicism and legalism with a parable. Jesus said, "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" (Luke 7:41-42)
Simon answered correctly that it is the one who had been forgiven more. Then Jesus, with grace, truth, and wisdom told Simon this lady's sins, though many, are forgiven, and notice what He said next: "for she loved much." The Greek word Jesus uses here is agape, the most prominent word in the Greek New Testament describing the sacrificial love that God has for us and the kind of love we should have for one another.
What the lady did was her way of showing her deep love for Jesus. She loved much. That is the proper response for those who have been forgiven much. I am most grateful for God's love for me and the forgiveness of sins He has granted to me. I did nothing to earn it. I was dead in my sins when Jesus drew me to Himself. He gave the graces of repentance and faith to believe. I did, and my life has not been the same ever since.
I don't know about you, but the longer I walk with the Lord and the older I get, the easier it is for me to be judgmental and critical of others — sinners, if you will. The way to overcome this temptation is simply remembering what God has done in my life. I quickly replace judgment for mercy. I am so glad God did not cast me away in my sins. I should not cast others away in theirs.
The "aha" moment that came to me while reading Luke 7 was this: true love always shows itself through sacrifice. The woman loved Jesus very much and showed her love by her extravagant response to Him. She knelt before Jesus, washed His feet with her tears, kissed His feet, and anointed His feet with fragrant oil.
How do you define love? Is it a touchy emotion or a warm, fuzzy, sentimental feeling inside? That is not true love as defined in the Bible. Love is sacrifice. Only when we sacrifice something do we demonstrate genuine love.
Who will you sacrifice for today and show true love?
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