Which of them will love more?

“Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:42)

 

The reason we believe in Jesus is to rescue own soul in the grace of God. Jesus came to the world for man’s salvation. He had suffered a lot through life and was eventually killed on the cross. An event in which a woman poured perfume on Jesus’ feet in the house of Simon Pharisee was an indication that foreshadowed the death of Christ’s crucifixion, the core of Christian faith. Simon invited Jesus to his home for taking a meal with him, but my regret, he did not know what Jesus’ identity was, nor did he believe in Jesus too. Here the woman and the Pharisee person as so contrasting characters, we can get important lessons through each of them.

 

Simon invited Jesus under the pretext of treat to meal, but his real intention was to sound Jesus’ inclination and find something of fault with him. It is a typical attitude of trick from persons belonging under Satan’s forces. They try to find weaknesses by pretending to treat someone as a favor. And by making reverse use advantage of others’ weaknesses, they enhance own prestige and intend to gain something benefits. Such attitudes are wrong behaviors that God does not want. The Lord wants us to live a clean and pure and righteous life in every aspects. Deuteronomy 22:8~11 says, “~ Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; ~ Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together. ~ Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.” This is the Lord’s word demanding to have purity and to do avoiding unnaturalness. In all aspects of faith attitude or personal judgment or intention and behavior of life and etc, we will have to exert to maintain purity.

 

The woman who came to Pharisee’s house to see Jesus had been known as a sinner in the neighborhood. Perhaps she had been shunned by the villagers as a prostitute. As written in Luke 7:38, “She stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” She would had thought with heartbreak the past of oneself and eagerly wanted forward to Jesus’ forgiveness and salvation. Simon Pharisee looking at the woman’s behavior could not understand the situation at all. He was a person who did not know Jesus’ identity, so it would had been impossible of course to understand that situation.

 

Jesus told a parable to a Pharisee Simon, which was a tale about two people who had been written off own debts. Jesus questioned to Simon, who of the two would be more grateful respectively to the master, in case of one had been written-off debts a lot and the other had been written-off debts less. The right answer to the question was ‘the one who had the bigger debt written-off.’ Because Simon had answered correctly, so Jesus did praise him. Simon was a smart man who knew what himself deserved to know, but in fact, he did not know truly who Jesus was, so he could not treat to meal Him properly with true mind. According to Jewish etiquette, they have to offer water to let wash the feet when a guest visited home. But Simon did not it so to Jesus. Compared to Simon’s rude attitude that did not offer even the water for washing feet, the woman had shown a surprised attitude of great difference.

 

The gift that the woman received from Jesus was forgiveness to her own sins. Alike Simon a Pharisee, all the persons who were gathered there would had not known Jesus yet what He is. So not only did they not understand the woman’s behavior, but also they did not perceived what Jesus’ lesson meant. So they said among themselves as if curious, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Such that situation is the same in this era. Also, such a situation does not only occur in the general society, but also is shown with contrast appearances even within the Christian community. When you listen to mine, you might not understand, “What does that mean?” This is because it is a matter completely incomprehensible to anybody who has not been reborn in the Holy Spirit, regardless of inside and outside the church.

 

In order to believe in Jesus and be saved, you should be able to do spiritual sympathy deeply with the case of this woman who has been forgiven her sins. It is a sinner in spirit who does not know to repent with tears in front of Jesus. And those who do not know how to find sins in their own lives and inside are those who do not love God. So those who have not been saved by faith cannot entertain Jesus and cannot walk on a peaceful path too. The more deeply had forgiven person is, the happier he will be able to love the Lord.

 

(Written by Koonoh, Pastor of JDO Presbyterian Church in Korea, on Oct 17th 2021)