Your Sins are Forgiven!

           As you know, the Pharisees didn’t approve of anything Jesus did, even when He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead. Obviously, they didn’t approve of what He did because they didn’t approve of Him, and they didn’t approve of Him because doing so would have been admitting that He was the Messiah, and they were not about to do that.

          One of the things that really irritated them was the way he associated with sinners, be they adulterers, drunks, thieves, fornicators, idolaters, et al. (For some reason, they never realized that they were sinners—genuine, authentic, card-carrying sinners.) This really annoyed them, to the point of driving them to distraction. It is a bit strange that we can so readily see the “dirt” on the other person, but so seldom see it on ourselves.

          Anyway, this certain “immoral” woman learned that Jesus had been invited to the house of a certain Pharisee, so she decided to join the party and pay Jesus a visit. Talk about “brassy!” She was as “brassy” as a just-polished brass knob. As soon as she arrived, she walked over to Jesus, opened an alabaster vial of very costly perfume and “standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet, and anointing them with the perfume” (Luke 7:38 NASB). It is a bit strange that the self-righteous sinner runs away from Him, but the immoral sinner, who knows that she is, runs to Him.

          As you know, this Pharisee was very offended not only that this “immoral” woman was doing such “immoral” things to Jesus, but also (and especially) the He seemed to be enjoying it, even encouraging it.

          Jesus took a few minutes, trying to enlighten him. Whether or not he got the message is not for me to know; however, I am certain that the woman got it. Her life was never the same! “Your sins have been forgiven,” is what He said to her. This rejected Messiah spoke life into her, eternal life!

          I have the feeling that she came to this house and did what she did because she desperately wanted to hear those words of life and freedom. I also have the feeling that when she heard them, she realized that the money she had spent on the perfume was nothing in comparison to the gift He had just given to her.

          His parting words to her were these: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (vs.50 NASB).

          Surely, there is a lesson in this for us-