City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

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.” ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves [or to themselves], “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:40-50 ESV

²⁰ This is the way of an adulteress:
    she eats and wipes her mouth
    and says, “I have done no wrong.”

²¹ Under three things the earth trembles;
    under four it cannot bear up:
²² a slave when he becomes king,
    and a fool when he is filled with food;
²³ an unloved woman when she gets a husband,
    and a maidservant when she displaces her mistress.

Proverbs 30:20-23 ESV

Heading

I have always wondered why it was ok for this woman to be at this dinner party.  The scene is in Simon’s house, not in a park somewhere.  So, she did not just walk up and join in.  How did she get into the house?  Was she a servant?  Was she a guest? Was she paid to be there?  This is a house owned by a Pharisee, so it would be strange for her, “a known sinner”, to be invited as a guest.  Sure, she could have been a repentant believer who the Pharisees had accepted, but based on Simon’s comment about her, she is clearly not held in high esteem.

Everyone attending that party with Jesus had plenty of sins for which they could have ask for forgiveness, but she had something special.  She was willing to be forgiven.  The point here is that to be willing to be forgiven you must admit that you need forgiveness.

In Proverbs 30, King Agur writes about the adulteress woman.  He writes that, “she eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I have done no wrong.’”  But this does not describe the woman weeping at the feet of Jesus.  Through all the hurt and pain in her life, she can see the one thing that matters: the nearness of God.

Funny, from the text, she never admits to any sins, and she never asks for forgiveness.  She simply loves and worships.  Jesus forgives her sins, and she receives the forgiveness.  Pastor Jason Lewis notes that,

“by knowing who Jesus is, she forgot who she was.”

Application

So, are you willing to know Jesus so well that you forget who you are?  Are you willing to accept that you are someone that should be forgotten, so that you can be the person God intends you to be?  There is a dinner party waiting for you and there is room at the feet of Jesus.  Come and see that the Lord is good and faithful.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I turn my heart to You and ask You to soften it.  Take away my pride and lead me to the place of my repentance, may I never forget it.  Forgive me for trying to live my life without You.  And teach me how to stay close to Your kingdom, Your crown, and Your call.  In Jesus’ name, amen.