He Forgives Us Far More Than We Deserve.
Luke 7:36-48
Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 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, 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. 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.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” “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?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 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. “You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. “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.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
What has Jesus forgiven you of? I would be lying if I said that even in my own life, I have completely accepted His entire payment on the cross as I should. This comes from both a position of pride, as well as a position of deep shame and hurt. We tell ourselves things like: “He could never forgive me of such a thing… it was horrible!” But the reality is, Jesus forgave the sins of the ENTIRE WORLD. If He did not, then His death and resurrection was utterly meaningless.
The challenge comes to each and every soul to FULLY REALIZE that Jesus suffered and died for each of us, because we cannot get on that cross and spill our own blood as payment. None of us have lived a righteous life… not even in the slightest. Because God is perfectly holy and righteous, and requires that blood as payment (His mercy began in Genesis 3), imagine if Jesus never took our place. The world would be without hope.
YES, all of us have done things which have left us broken, or even things which have broken the hearts and minds of others. But understand, none of the horrible, sinful, disgusting, cruel, heartless or insane things you or I have done, is too great for Jesus to have died for. He was literally nailed to that cross for ALL OF IT, rose from the dead and has given every single one of us the opportunity to REPENT and BELIEVE. Please accept what He has finished!
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