Luke 7:40-50
Luke 7:40-50
What type of reaction is elicited from you when you think of the forgiveness of your sins you have received from God through Jesus Christ? How often do you grow cold when thinking of your salvation, as if it is simply a normal part of your life? While I do hope that being a truly devoted disciple of Jesus Christ is becoming more and more natural and real for you, I hope that today’s passage is a good reminder that the forgiveness we receive in Christ is anything but normal.
Before we begin to look at Luke 7:40-50, I would ask that you pause and first re-read verses 36-39, as they set the stage for verses 40-50.
What are some principles we can take from our passage?
We must have a proper understanding of the gravity of our sin. It is often easy to glorify perceptually “extreme” stories of conversion, but the reality is that you were equally separated before God because of your sin whether you came to Christ at VBS when you were a kid or after a life of prison or addiction. Understanding how sinful we are should lead us to have a similar reaction to Jesus as the woman did. The prospect of God forgiving undeserving sinners like you and me really should sometimes move us to tears. At the very least, we should be consistently responding in thankfulness to God, that he would extend grace and mercy to the undeserving.
We must guard ourselves from the coldness of outward morality. The Pharisses biggest problem is that he relied on his own “external” righteousness, not the righteousness of Christ. He thought that he was greater than the “sinner” woman that came to the feet of Jesus. Jesus does not come for those who think they deserve salvation, he comes for those who realize how undeserving they truly are. No amount of external works leads to forgiveness, it is only the blood of Jesus.
Allow the humility and faith of this dear woman, who we will undoubtedly meet in heaven, warm your heart and remind you of your desperate need for God’s forgivenss. May you also rejoice that you have been offered this forgiveness free of charge because of Christ’s perfect work.
By: Graham Withers
What type of reaction is elicited from you when you think of the forgiveness of your sins you have received from God through Jesus Christ? How often do you grow cold when thinking of your salvation, as if it is simply a normal part of your life? While I do hope that being a truly devoted disciple of Jesus Christ is becoming more and more natural and real for you, I hope that today’s passage is a good reminder that the forgiveness we receive in Christ is anything but normal.
Before we begin to look at Luke 7:40-50, I would ask that you pause and first re-read verses 36-39, as they set the stage for verses 40-50.
What are some principles we can take from our passage?
We must have a proper understanding of the gravity of our sin. It is often easy to glorify perceptually “extreme” stories of conversion, but the reality is that you were equally separated before God because of your sin whether you came to Christ at VBS when you were a kid or after a life of prison or addiction. Understanding how sinful we are should lead us to have a similar reaction to Jesus as the woman did. The prospect of God forgiving undeserving sinners like you and me really should sometimes move us to tears. At the very least, we should be consistently responding in thankfulness to God, that he would extend grace and mercy to the undeserving.
We must guard ourselves from the coldness of outward morality. The Pharisses biggest problem is that he relied on his own “external” righteousness, not the righteousness of Christ. He thought that he was greater than the “sinner” woman that came to the feet of Jesus. Jesus does not come for those who think they deserve salvation, he comes for those who realize how undeserving they truly are. No amount of external works leads to forgiveness, it is only the blood of Jesus.
Allow the humility and faith of this dear woman, who we will undoubtedly meet in heaven, warm your heart and remind you of your desperate need for God’s forgivenss. May you also rejoice that you have been offered this forgiveness free of charge because of Christ’s perfect work.
By: Graham Withers
1 Comment
Thanks Graham!
I love the first sentence of this passage, "then Jesus answered his thoughts." Jesus knows all. We can't conceal anything from Him.