Luke 7:47-50

Luke 7:47-50

“For the sake of this, I say to you, her many sins have been forgiven because she loved much.  But regarding the one about which little is being forgiven, he loves little.”  And He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.”  And the ones who reclined at the table to eat began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who also forgives sins?”  And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; depart in peace.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Notice again Jesus’ emphasize on the amount of forgiveness.  There is not debt too big to forgive.  There is no error so large that God will not embrace us.  Jesus fully admits that this woman’s sins are many or large.  Yet in spite of her many sins, she can know the forgiveness of God.  This isn’t true about just her.  All of us – in spite of our sinfulness – can know forgiveness.

How large are you sins?  Does that even matter?  How do you experience the forgiveness of your sins?

Second Thought:

Once more we see humanity rear its ugly head.  Here Jesus teaches about forgiveness and peace.  These are all good concepts.  Yet the people around Him focus on the negative.  “Who can forgive sins?” they ask.  Rather than be happy for the woman, they are skeptical against Jesus.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not condemning these people.  They may well have come around to faith later.  We don’t know.  But for this moment in time they miss an opportunity for joy because they focus on the negative instead of the positive.

Do you ever let the negativity of skepticism get the best of you?  When can skepticism be to your benefit?  When can it be to your detriment?

Third Thought:

When Jesus actually speaks to the woman, notice that He doesn’t just speak about forgiveness.  He tells her that not only is she forgiven but she can know peace.  I doubt very much that she found peace in this world.  I doubt very much that the Pharisees and elite treated her well, especially after Jesus used her as an example against Simon the Pharisee.  But Jesus doesn’t say that we will have peace with the world.  The woman knows peace with God.  The woman gains an eternal peace.  The woman gains a peace that cannot ever be taken away from her.

Do you know the peace of God?  Why is this important?  Where do you feel God’s peace in your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 8:1-3