Feb 05

Jesus compares the love of Simon the Pharisee and the jar-woman for him by concluding his story of the two debtors who are forgiven by saying that "he who has been forgiven little loves little" (Luke 7:47).

In the same breath, Jesus mentions the woman's many sins. In doing this, he treats her equally with Simon, for he has called them both sinners, and in both cases he does so without condemning them. God is no respecter of persons, and the Son of Man came to save sinners, not to condemn them.

But, now, look more closely at that last statement of Jesus, where he says of the woman that "she loved much," and then goes on to mention the connection between our love and the extent of our forgiveness. What are we to make of this? Does he mean that we who have grown up in a family where Jesus was always honored as Lord and Savior can never love him as much as blatant sinners who repent and are converted to Christ later in life?

No. It is not the amount of sin in a person's life that determines the measure of his or her love for Jesus; it is the awareness of that sin -- and repentance of it. And people whose sin is plain to see, even to themselves, have a greater awareness of their sin. It is the measure of awareness of one's sin that matters, not the actual measure of sin itself.

The sin of some is obvious to all; that of others is more hidden. But all are sinners.

"The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them" (1 Tim. 5:24).

Scripture for today: 1 Tim. 5:24, 25
Thought for today: I cannot serve God by obeying his laws; I can serve him only by obeying his laws in Christ, who obeyed those laws perfectly.
Prayer for today: Holy God, thank you for showing me my inability to please you by obeying your laws perfectly. Thank you, Jesus, for obeying them perfectly and for dying on the cross so that your perfection has become mine. Amen.

FEB 05