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“Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among
themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”” – Luke 7:48-50
Authority is abused and often times overstated in
the world in which we live. We look to
our politicians, bankers, our teachers and leaders for answers to today’s difficult
questions regarding the economy, peace, cultural, moral and ethical problems
facing our world today. Why? Why do we believe that these men and women
are more adapt at solving the problems we face than we are? There is an assumed authority that is given
when an individual rises to a certain level in the hierarchical ladder of
society, but often times it is not warranted.
There was a point in time when we could actually look up to our leaders
with respect and trust that they had our best interests in mind when they made
decisions. Unfortunately, the moral
fabric of our society has fallen so dramatically, that it is expected that our
leaders will lie to us, mislead us and pursue their own personal interests at
the expense of the masses. There is a
belief that they are above the rest and thereby unreachable and beyond reproach,
when in reality they are often at the heart of the decisions causing the strife
and unruliness we live by. The real
question we must ask ourselves is why are we trusting man-kind rather than the
Lord of all Creation.
When you have a new car and something goes wrong with it, who is the first person you call? Most likely the dealership or manufacturer of the car, to ensure that the repair is covered under warranty and done right. They have all of the right parts, they know the design of the car better than anyone and they can put it back into original shape because they are knowledgeable about it’s original design. It’s only logical that you would trust them to fix it correctly.
So it is with this woman in Luke 7. Jesus is dining with a Pharisee, Simon, who by the standards of Jewish culture held themselves in high regard as more knowledgeable, studied and educated than the common folk of Israel at the time. Simon had invited Jesus to dine with him, in hopes of trapping Jesus and demonstrating to those present just how unholy and unjust He was. A prostitute entered the home of Simon and knelt at Jesus feet, representing her heart felt desire to submit to the true authority in the home. She proceeded to weep over his feet and wash his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair. She poured very expensive perfume over his feet to cleanse the dirt and dust away. All the while, she did not even acknowledge the owner of the home, Simon, who had vaulted himself into an artificial position of authority. This woman realized who the original manufacturer was and took her life, her pain, her sins and returned to be repaired, forgiven, healed and made whole again. By approaching Him uninvited, she truly stated what had been revealed to her within her heart, that this man alone could forgive her unrighteousness.
It would have been considered blasphemy for Jesus Christ to say what He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” He knew this. He knew that the people would question his authority and challenge it accordingly. In making this statement, He is stating to all of them present that He is the Son of God, the Messiah, sent to take away the sins of man. He also clearly leveled the playing field between the prostitute and the Pharisee, who by old testament law would have damned this woman to eternal Hell for her actions. The grace and love shown by Jesus through forgiving this woman, demonstrated openly that despite our unbelievably sinful lives, His grace is sufficient.
Your sins are no worse than hers in the eyes of the Lord. The world will tell you that you are inadequate, incapable and undeserving; yet the grace, love and mercy of the Father will tell you – “Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.” Seek your authority from the Creator for He knows exactly how you were built and can restore you back to your original cleanliness and purpose.
When you have a new car and something goes wrong with it, who is the first person you call? Most likely the dealership or manufacturer of the car, to ensure that the repair is covered under warranty and done right. They have all of the right parts, they know the design of the car better than anyone and they can put it back into original shape because they are knowledgeable about it’s original design. It’s only logical that you would trust them to fix it correctly.
So it is with this woman in Luke 7. Jesus is dining with a Pharisee, Simon, who by the standards of Jewish culture held themselves in high regard as more knowledgeable, studied and educated than the common folk of Israel at the time. Simon had invited Jesus to dine with him, in hopes of trapping Jesus and demonstrating to those present just how unholy and unjust He was. A prostitute entered the home of Simon and knelt at Jesus feet, representing her heart felt desire to submit to the true authority in the home. She proceeded to weep over his feet and wash his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair. She poured very expensive perfume over his feet to cleanse the dirt and dust away. All the while, she did not even acknowledge the owner of the home, Simon, who had vaulted himself into an artificial position of authority. This woman realized who the original manufacturer was and took her life, her pain, her sins and returned to be repaired, forgiven, healed and made whole again. By approaching Him uninvited, she truly stated what had been revealed to her within her heart, that this man alone could forgive her unrighteousness.
It would have been considered blasphemy for Jesus Christ to say what He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” He knew this. He knew that the people would question his authority and challenge it accordingly. In making this statement, He is stating to all of them present that He is the Son of God, the Messiah, sent to take away the sins of man. He also clearly leveled the playing field between the prostitute and the Pharisee, who by old testament law would have damned this woman to eternal Hell for her actions. The grace and love shown by Jesus through forgiving this woman, demonstrated openly that despite our unbelievably sinful lives, His grace is sufficient.
Your sins are no worse than hers in the eyes of the Lord. The world will tell you that you are inadequate, incapable and undeserving; yet the grace, love and mercy of the Father will tell you – “Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.” Seek your authority from the Creator for He knows exactly how you were built and can restore you back to your original cleanliness and purpose.
