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Leg 2 Day 10
Grateful in Recognition
Jesus Among Us
Scripture:
Luke 7:36-50
LUKE 7:36-50 (CEV)
A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee’s home and got ready to eat.
When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.
The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied.
Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him 500 silver coins, and the other owed him 50. Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn’t have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?”
Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn’t have to pay it back.”
“You are right,” Jesus said.
He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn’t give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You didn’t even pour olive oil on my head, but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.”
Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Some other guests started saying to one another, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?”
But Jesus told the woman, “Because of your faith, you are now saved. May God give you peace!”
Life Lessons from Jesus:
When we receive something from someone without seeing our need for it, we tend to be less grateful toward them. We don’t take the gift seriously, and it doesn’t affect our lives as much. A similar result can happen in our relation- ship with Jesus. He meets us where we are, but if we aren’t in a place where we recognize our need for Him, we can easily brush Him off.
This woman offered Jesus overwhelming love and appreciation in her thank- fulness for His forgiveness. The particular ointment she used could have been sold for the equivalent of three hundred days’ worth of wages—approaching a full-year’s salary! And onlookers were rattled by her actions.
On the other hand, Simon the Pharisee did nothing to welcome Jesus. In fact, he didn’t show any appreciation for Him whatsoever. Sure, he showed a bit of curiosity and respect, but he didn’t see in Jesus what the woman saw. This “righteous” man didn’t recognize his need for Jesus, his need for forgiveness. And because of that, he didn’t go out of his way to show gratitude to Him.
Every single one of us needs what Jesus offers. Regardless of our upbringing and actions, both good and bad, we need Him and the work of salvation and transformation He can do in our lives. Yes, it might be easier for someone who is desperate to truly appreciate Jesus’s forgiveness on a deeper level because they can see how they have been forgiven for so much! But we are all in need of God’s forgiveness and grace, regardless of our position in life. We all should stand back and be sure to recognize and exalt what Jesus has done for us and others.
The WAY:
Consider these questions as you reflect on today’s reading:
Who stands out in your mind as someone you had to forgive after they hurt or wronged you? How were you able to forgive them?
When have you hoped someone would forgive you for something you did wrong?
How can you better acknowledge before God your need for Jesus’s salvation and transformation? How can you express your gratitude to Him for all He has done for you?
Prayer:
Jesus, we are all born into this world with a debt of sin, and You canceled that debt with Your sacrifice. I pray that I would never underestimate what You’ve done for me or my need for You. May I always be thankful and never think that my good deeds, rather than Your sacrifice for me, are the basis for my forgiveness and right standing with God. In Your name, amen.