Friday, January 29, 2010

Love for Christ, Mirror for Faith

I read today, the story of the sinful woman that Christ forgave in Luke chapter 7. In this story, a Pharisee (a person from a very pious and conservative religious sect of Judaism) has invited Jesus to be a guest at his dinner table. This was a sign of great respect for the wandering rabbi and supposed prophet. Jesus obliged, and came to the house of the Pharisee, who's name was Simon.
While they were eating, a sinful woman invited herself into Simon's house (I assume this, but it's entirely possible that Simon allowed her to enter). And while Jesus and Simon, and whoever else was invited to the meal, were conversing, the woman began to pour some of her own perfume onto the feet of our Lord, and beginning to cry, her tears fell onto his feet. She wiped them away with her hair and continued pouring oil onto His feet, thus giving them a good and thorough cleaning. All the while Simon is thinking to himself, "If this guy was really a prophet, he'd know who this woman is and what kind of things she's into."
Jesus turns this into a teaching moment, as He so often does, and compares this woman to a person deeply indebted to a lender (he also subtly compares Simon to a debtor to that lender, just with a smaller debt).
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
He then looks at the woman, and tells her that her faith has saved her, and dismisses her in peace. This is what made me start to wonder. Notice, Jesus doesn't say that it is her love for him that brought her forgiveness. The (former) debtor's love comes because of forgiveness. Also note that Jesus doesn't tell this woman that her sins are forgiven until after this whole teaching moment played out.
The questions I ask are, "Did Jesus meet with this woman before this dinner and forgive her?" "How did this woman know that her sins were going to be forgiven, if she even did?" "Could it have been some of the things He was saying at the dinner table that made her realize that God was forgiving even her sins?"

What was it about Jesus that brought even a sinful woman to tears, and gave her the kind of faith in Him, even before He told her that her sins were forgiven? Jesus hadn't yet suffered on the Cross for anyone at this point.
All I can do is assume that this woman believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, which meant that God was still with Israel. This woman, even in her sin, knew that it was Good News that God was still on the side of her people. And if God had anointed this man, Jesus, to be the One upon the Throne of David, then he was worthy of a good foot washing. And because of her faith, she was able to experience the grace of Almighty God, and came to love Him. This woman, for whatever reason, believed in Jesus without ever hearing the part of the gospel that says, "And if you put your faith in Him, he'll forgive your sins." I know that wasn't the case for me. The faith I put in Him was originally more like "I sure hope this works," rather than, "Oh, thank God, I'm saved!"
So what does this mean for us? I think this is a good time to look inward and ask yourself, "How much do I love Jesus, and what does that tell me about what I believe about Him?" What do you actually think Jesus has done for you? When you come to understand with what devotion, mercy, and love he has dealt with you, then do you begin to love Him.
He loved you first. In your dirt, in your stink, in your anger and cynicism, he still loved you. Maybe you're more like Simon. He still loved you first. In your public-piety (and private imperfections), your self-righteousness, your "better than that guy" attitude, he still loved you. If you believe in Jesus, it's not because you changed your mind about God, it's because you experienced and understood what he feels toward you, and it changed you. It changed you like it changed that sinful woman in the Pharisee's home. And that makes all the difference. The two people we meet in that home are the Pharisee and the sinful woman. The Pharisee meets with Jesus, and he sits with him, and speaks with him, and Jesus is overjoyed to do those things with him. The sinful woman meets with Jesus, and her love for him bursts forth in a tidal wave of tears, honor, and service.
What happened when you met with him? What happens when you meet with him now? What does your relationship with Jesus tell you about what you believe about Him?

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