City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

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.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Luke 7:47-50

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:20 (NKJV)

Reflection

Some years ago I sat down for dinner with a friend I met in the Netherlands during my master’s program. He ended up asking me about my faith and I explained to him about Jesus and about our need for Him to forgive us of our sins. Though, the conversation took an interesting turn when he asked what sin was and why he needed Jesus. I tried to explain to him about the simplest of sin, if he had ever lied to his parents at any point. He told me straight to my face that he had never lied. This, of course, caused me to stop and think. What else could I say to him so he could realize the need for a Savior to forgive him of his sins?

It is very hard for someone who already may think they are righteous to understand their need for God. Of course, their own righteousness will never be enough to enter heaven, but they will have a hard time to be convinced of this. On the other hand, if you meet someone who knows they have made mistakes and have sinned, their thankfulness for Jesus is tenfold. Their need for Jesus is so great that once they hear the message, they repent and ask for forgiveness.

I think there’s a reason that Jesus went to seek and save those who society considered outcasts and sinners. Even if our need for Jesus may not have ‘felt’ so great when we were saved, the essence of this message is very important. We cannot forget that our righteousness is not enough and our need for Jesus should grow every day because of this. The more we know our Father in heaven, the more we see the sin in our earthly flesh. We should be like the sinful woman as we approach the feet of Jesus.

As a famous prayer goes:

Dear Lord,
So far I’ve done all right.
I haven’t gossipped,
haven’t lost my temper,
haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent.
I’m really glad about that.

But in a few minutes, God,
I’m going to get out of bed.
And from then on,
I’m going to need a lot more help.

Application

Dwell on the parable above and ask yourself where you may be on the line of the Pharisee who thought his righteousness was enough or to that of the sinful woman. How great is your love for Jesus based on what He has forgiven you from?

Prayer

Father, help me to see my depravity more clearly. Help me to find greater love in what Jesus did on the cross for my sins so that I can, in turn, show this great love to others. My righteousness is not enough and will never be enough. Thank you for sending your Son to die for my sins. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.