Jesus, Simon and the sinful woman.
Writing between a.d. 64 to 68, Luke, “the beloved Physician” (Col. 4:14), traveling companion of Paul on his second and third missionary journeys (see ‘we’ passages: Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-16) and “fellow worker” with Paul (Phlm 24), spent time in Philippi encouraging and teaching the church there. Addressing Theophilus, most likely a fellow Gentile convert, Luke writes to give him accurate information about the life of Jesus and the Apostles (Acts) and create confidence in the truth of his former teaching (Luke 1:1-4). Maybe Theophilus was a convert from a society where sexual immorality abounded, and he would have had keen inter-est in Jesus’ attitude toward the outcast, like the sinful woman, and his forgiveness of her sin. It is not a stretch of the imagination to think of Theophilus as asking the questions: Would Jesus truly forgive my sins? Would he accept “sinful” worship or would he turn his attention to Simon? The division and conflict between Jewish and non-Jewish believers in the early church was a subject in which Theophilus needed instruction and assurance of his own acceptance and par-don.
Luke writes to Theophilus in order to present Jesus as the Savior and Liberator of all people. His gospel reflects a heart of compassion and tenderness toward all people (7:11; 19:41; 22:50). Luke alone includes the parable of the Good Samaritan, the compassionate half-Jew whose mercy puts the legalism of the Pharisees to shame (10:25-27). Also women are prominent in Luke from the birth narratives to the cross and to the resurrection accounts. He notes how Jesus receives the ministry of immoral, sick and desperate women as well as others who followed after him and how women lamented Jesus on the cross. Because of the cultural demeaning of women, Luke’s gospel is an emancipation proclamation for all women today as well as the women in the household of Theophilus.
Luke 7:44-48 is the compassionate personal conclusion of Jesus’ encounter with the sinful woman who anoints him. It also includes the powerful summary of his teaching and rebuke of Simon the Pharisee. It fits into the wider narrative of Luke 7:36-50, which includes the account of the anointing (vv. 36-39), an illustrating teaching example of two debtors (vv. 40-43), and the response of those attending the dinner (vv. 48-50). This passage comes after his proclamation at Nazareth fulfills Isaiah 61:1 concerning the Messianic delivery of the oppressed (Luke 4:18-20).
His Galilean ministry illustrates this fulfillment of his power over sickness (4:38-39), command over evil spirits (4:31-36), preaching the good news of the Kingdom (4:42-5:15), the raising of the dead (7:11-17) and healing of the servant of the Gentile centurion (7:1-10). Later, in Luke 7:18-34, Jesus reminds the delegation from John of its fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-2 before their very eyes. The account of the anointing by the sinful woman illustrates further His liberation of those bound to sin and loosely parallels the account of the forgiveness of the paralytic (5:17-26). Here Luke pairs an example of a man and a woman to represent the complete salvation of all humanity Her eager, loving repentance was also an illustration of the seed which fell on fertile ground (8:15).
The passage is representative of Jesus’ mission to save all the lost, rather than simply the righteous: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (5:32). As illustrating Christ’s mission to save the oppressed, her status, as a woman, an outcast and possibly even a Gentile, highlights to Theophilus and modern readers the Lord’s universal mission. Quoting Isaiah 42:6, Simeon declared that Jesus would be “Light of revelation to the Gentiles.” Luke 2:32. Luke includes healing the servant of the Centurion (7:1-10), the healing of the Samaritan leper (17:11-19) and records the faithful acts of the widow of Zarephath (4:26), Naaman the leper (4:27), and the repentant Ninevites (11:29-32). He quotes Isaiah 40:5: “All flesh will see the salvation of God.” His gospel abounds with the accounts of the healing or conversion of society's outcasts: the woman with the issue of blood (8:40-48), the tax collector Zacchaeus (19:1-10), the ten lepers (17:11-21), women (7:11-17, 36-50; 13:10-17) and the hopeless demoniac (8:26-39).
Christ’s forgiveness and various penitents’ sincere repentance are emphasized in Luke. Having authority on earth to forgive sins (5:24), Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic (5:17-26). He forgives those who crucify him from the cross (23:34), and, as the resurrected Christ, he com-mands the disciples to preach “repentance for the forgiveness of sins….to all the nations” (24:47). The proper human response to the forgiveness of God is sincere repentance. Sent to call repentant sinners (5:2), Jesus declares: “Unless you repent you will likewise perish” (13:3, 5). Thus, the passage illustrates the nature of repentance through the loving anointing of the sinful woman. Its emotional tone is the same as the joyful willingness of Zacchaeus to make restitution for the wrongs he had done. (19:8).
Luke stresses reversal of positions. The low are exalted and the high brought low. The sinners are forgiven but the righteous are condemned. The woman, who is a sinner, is really the heroine of the account, whereas the righteous Pharisee is cold and inhospitable. The account also shifts from Jesus the Great Teacher, to Jesus the Forgiver of Sins. In this passage, Jesus is also portrayed as the true prophet, the one greater than Jonah (Luke 11:32; see also 2:32; 4:16-24; 13:33).
All of the other gospels contain an account of an anointing of Jesus (see Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). However, the account in Luke occurs early in Jesus’ ministry, whereas John’s account occurs six days before the Passover, and Matthew and Mark’s occur two days before. The major characters are different as well. Luke refers to “Simon the Pharisee,” whereas Matthew and Mark refer to him as “Simon the Leper.” Bound by cleanliness laws (Num. 5:1-4), the Pharisee of Luke 7:36 could hardly be the same as Simon the Leper in Matthew and Mark. John’s account identifies the place as the beloved home of the Lord’s friends, Mary and Martha of Bethany, rather than the home of a doubting and rude Pharisee.
The passage we are studying in Luke is similar to another story of Jesus being anointed by a woman, and is often confused and conflated with it. So if we are to understand the story of Jesus anointed by a sinful woman, we need to disentangle it from the story of Jesus' anointing at Bethany near the end of his ministry (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:1-11; John 12:1-10).
The two events are confused easily enough because of several similarities:
(a) Jesus is anointed with expensive perfume
(b) He is anointed by a woman
(c) The anointing takes place in the house of a man named Simon
But the differences between the stories show that our passage in Luke 7:36-50 is really a different incident from that found in Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:1-11; John 12:1-10.
The anointing at Bethany in Matthew and Mark differ in that:
It takes place at the home of Simon the Leper, not Simon the Pharisee.
The woman doing the anointing at Bethany is not spoken of as sinful, but actually appears to be Mary, Lazarus' sister.
The meaning of the anointing at Bethany is to prefigure Jesus' burial.
The anointing is on the head (Matthew and Mark) and the feet (John)
The criticism is by disciples, especially Judas, over the value of the perfume that is "wasted," rather than as the a criticism of the morals of the woman doing the anointing.
In John's account the place is indirectly mentioned as the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. And the record also mentions that Martha served and Mary anointed Him with the perfume. Of those who complained of the "wastage" of the perfume Judas is identified as the main complainer. The reason for his complain is also recorded.
Let the elements of the narrative develop the story and its meaning for you. This is a story of contrasts -- the self-righteous Pharisee vs. a sinful woman, formal hospitality vs. overflowing love, self-worth through righteous living vs. self-worth through forgiveness.
Thus, Luke’s account is a unique happening.
Now coming to Luke 7:36-50 we see how the Lord lovingly reached out to a stumbling Pharisee in order to help him see people the way God sees them: "For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:7). This was an important spiritual lesson for the Pharisee, and it may become an important spiritual lesson for some of us today. The question we want to consider is, what do you see when you look at others?
Jesus is invited for dinner by one of the Pharisees -- where we are not told, though presumably it is in Galilee where other events in this section took place. (Bethany, by contrast, is in Judea, just on the outskirts of Jerusalem.) Invitation to dinner certainly implied respect for this new teacher and healer. Was he also a prophet? Simon wanted to learn more about Jesus, but it soon becomes obvious that you can't count Simon as a believer .
It was an honor for Simon to host the visiting teacher and his party. We can assume that Simon is well-to-do -- most of the Pharisees seemed to be, and this scale of dinner party required a larger home and money for food than the average person had at his disposal.
Hospitality is a very strong value in the Near East, with much fuss made over guests.
Customs that help us understand this event:
For example,
(1) When a Rabbi was at a meal in a house with a courtyard, all kinds of people came in to listen to the words of wisdom that fell from his lips.
(2) According to custom, when a guest entered such a house the host placed his hand on the guest’s shoulder and gave him the kiss of peace. ( 2 Samuel 15:5; 19:39; Matthew 26:49) That was a mark of respect that was never omitted in the case of a distinguished Rabbi.
(3) Cool water was also poured over the guest’s feet to cleanse the dust from the road and comfort them, and either a pinch of sweet-smelling incense was burned or a drop of rose oil was placed on the guest’s head. (Psalm 23:5b; 45:7; 92:10; Amos 6:6) These things good manners demanded and
(4) In the east the guests did not sit at a table — they lay on low couches, resting on the left elbow, leaving the right arm free, with the feet stretched out behind; and during the meal the sandals were taken off — this explains how the woman was standing beside Jesus’ feet.
We see that Simon offered none of these marks of welcome by a gracious host. The way he welcomed his special guest this day seems only a formality and not especially warm or cordial.
"When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house...." (7:37)
Vs. 37 tells us several things about the woman. Surely, she has not been invited. While she is a resident of the town, she is looked down upon as a sinner (Greek harmatolos). We're not told what her sin is, but she is probably a prostitute rather than an adulteress. However, in Jesus' day it was very rare for adulterers to actually be stoned as the law directed (see Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22; and John 8:1-11). The Romans did not allow the Jews to inflict the death penalty; the most they could administer was forty lashes less one. More often, sinners were shunned by respectable society and prohibited from participation in the local synagogue.
We don't know how she came to be a prostitute. We just can't say, and should know better than to judge her harshly.
There's something else we can deduce about this woman -- that she has been battered down. Her self-image is tattered and ragged. She is brunt of nasty jokes. She is shunned by the best people and used and abused by the worst.
For her to come to the banquet at Simon the Pharisee's house is hard, too. She is viewed as a sinner, one who conveys uncleanness by her very touch, almost as if she has a communicable disease. She knows that Simon will not be happy to see her in his house.
We do not know how and where but the sinful woman came to know of Jesus.
She has probably heard his teaching. She has heard his gracious words of God's love and forgiveness and healing and restoration. She has heard him speak of his Father's Kingdom in words so plain and compelling that she can see herself as a child of God once more, a full citizen in this Kingdom of Love. Yes, she is still broken, but now she can see light and hope beyond.
Simon wanted Jesus to eat in his home, but he had no perception of needing Jesus. He was only casually interested. He did not even offer the customary courtesies of the day. The woman, however, knew exactly why she was there. She was there to honor Jesus in a display of emotion. He felt a real spiritual need for Jesus.
On how she became an uninvited guest at the dinner William Barclay says, "It was the custom that when a Rabbi was at a meal in such a house, all kinds of people came in -- they were quite free to do so -- to listen to the pearls of wisdom which fell from his lips." Simon was not alarmed that such a woman is in his house. He was only concerned that Jesus doesn't perceive what kind of woman she is.
On another occasion, Jesus is invited to eat at a prominent Pharisee's home and finds a man "in front of him" suffering from dropsy (14:1-2). In modern society this would be considered "crashing the party," but in the culture then , apparently anyone was free to attend and listen to the dinner conversation.
This sinful woman doesn't slip in late, either. She has heard that Jesus will be there, and gets to the house about the time He arrived. (7:45).
Now who was Simon the Pharisee? The Pharisees ("the separated ones") were the guardians of the Torah, the Word of God. There were some 7,000 of these shepherd-teachers who were responsible for the spiritual life of two million Jews living in Israel under the Roman occupation. Earlier on a visit to Jerusalem, Jesus found that the Pharisees had become openly hostile to-wards him. "For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he not only was breaking the Sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." So far in the gospel of Luke the Pharisees of Galilee had not become openly hostile, but tensions had been growing; they had not been able to figure Jesus out. But they were watching him closely, seeking to find some cause to judge him. Jesus was well aware of this personal threat against his life and yet he continued to reach out to them with the gospel.
On many occasions when Jesus was invited to dinner by a Pharisee, the invitation was deliberately designed to trap or test him. In this case it appears that the Pharisee was going to test him concerning the claim that he might be "the Prophet" of whom Moses spoke of in Deut.18:15: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you...and you shall listen to him." But notice that our Lord does not avoid the individual Pharisee. Over and over he was willing to accept their invitations in order to reach out to them in love and truth for the purposes of redemption. So when the invitation was extended, our Lord entered the home of Simon the Pharisee, and "reclined at table," sitting on a pillow on the floor with his feet curled up underneath him.
In his commentary, William Barclay wrote,
"The scene is a courtyard of the house of Simon the Pharisee. The houses of well-to-do people were built around an open courtyard in the form of a hollow square. Often in the courtyard there would be a garden and a fountain; and during warm weather, meals were eaten outdoors. It was the custom that when a rabbi was having a meal in such a house, all kinds of people came in-they were quite free to do so to listen to the pearls of wisdom which fell from his lips. That explains the presence of the women."
But Luke wants his readers to know that this person wasn't just another woman. Here is what he says, "Behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner..." Luke 7:37
Apparently this unnamed woman was well-known in the city. When she arrived at the home, all those who were full of their own self-righteousness kept saying, "Well, well, what is she doing here in a religious person's home? What is this immoral person doing? Doesn't she know any better?" The woman was a sinner (hamartolos, in the Greek), the usual term used to describe the fallen condition of man; the word is applicable to all men, according to Romans 5: 8,19. This was a term used by the Pharisees to describe the tax collectors and women of ill repute. So this well-known prostitute arrived among the guests and quietly walked up behind Jesus, who was reclining barefooted at table.
The woman probably waited near the door for Jesus to arrive. She probably expected that Jesus’ feet would have been washed by one of Simon’s servants. After His feet were washed, the woman would then likely have planned to anoint His feet with the perfume she had brought. Imagine the look on her face when she realized that Jesus’ feet were not going to be washed. She did not let the dirty feet of our Lord keep her from what she had intended to do. She dared not kiss Jesus on the face, as Simon should have done, but she could kiss His feet, His dirty feet. She had come with no basin, no water, and no towel. Nevertheless, as she began to kiss His feet, the tears began to flow, something most unusual for a woman of her profession. As the tears began to flow, the woman must have noted that the little streams of tears carried the dirt of the road as well. She used her tears to wash His feet, something she could hardly have planned in advance. Since there was no towel available to her, she used her hair to dry Jesus’ feet. Imagine this, the woman used her hair, the most glorious part of her body (cf. 1 Cor. 11:15), to dry the feet of Jesus, the most ignoble part of one’s body. She did not do her duty quickly, so as to quickly finish an unpleasant task. She persisted at kissing the feet of our Lord (cf. v. 45).
This woman’s worship of Jesus was at a great cost to her. It cost her the expensive vial of per-fume, and the humility to kiss, wash, and dry the dirty feet of the Lord Jesus. But there was a higher price than this paid by the woman. In my opinion, the greatest price which she paid was facing the scorn and rejection of the self-righteous Pharisees and other dinner guests at that meal. Jesus did not give her a “dirty look,” but it is inconceivable to think that all of the others did not. Simon’s contempt of her, revealed by his inner thoughts, must also have been evident in his eyes, and so too for the other guests. “What in the world are you doing here?” must have been etched on the faces of the guests. It could hardly be otherwise for a Pharisee, whose concept of holiness was primarily a matter of physical separation from sin and from “sinners.” The woman’s desire to see and to worship Jesus was greater than her fear of these guests. Their scorn was a high price to pay, but to the woman it was worth it.
Barclay comments, "For a Jewish woman to appear with hair unbound was an act of the gravest immodesty. On her wedding day a girl bound up her hair and never would she appear with it unbound again. The fact that this woman loosed her long hair in public showed how she had forgotten everyone except Jesus...The kissing of the feet was at that time a recognized sign of deep reverence, especially towards honored teachers." I believe her tears, the tears of a former "sinful woman" were tears of joy, not sorrow.
The woman's actions presented a real spiritual dilemma for Simon.
Simon’s Thoughts and Jesus’ Teaching
(7:39-43)
No doubt a great part of Simon’s motivation in inviting Jesus to dinner was to “check out” Jesus. Was this man really a prophet? Was His message to be believed? And how did His message compare with that of the Pharisees? Was He a threat, or an ally? Just who did Jesus claim to be and what was to be done about Him? Should He be resisted, opposed, put to death, or should be ignored? Could He be recruited to their side? These may have been some of the questions in Simon’s mind, suggesting some of his motivation for having Jesus over to dinner.
Simon’s reasoning is most illuminating. It went something like this:
(a) If Jesus were a prophet, he would know people’s character
(b) If Jesus knew this woman was a sinner, He would have nothing to do with her
(c) Since Jesus has accepted this woman, He does not know her character
(d) Since Jesus does not know this woman is a sinner, He cannot be a prophet
(e) Since Jesus is not a prophet, I/we can reject Him, His message & ministry
Simon, like many of us, was being very logical about his thinking and his response to the Lord Jesus. The problem with logic is the same as the problem with computers: your output is only as reliable as your input. To put it differently, there was nothing wrong with Simon’s logic, other than the fact that he based his conclusions on a faulty premise.
His first premise—If Jesus were a prophet, He would be able to discern the character of those around Him—was correct. Jesus, in fact, went beyond Simon’s expectations. Jesus was not only able to detect the woman’s character (“… her sins, which are many,” v. 47), He was also able to know the thoughts of Simon, His host (v. 39). By conveying to Simon that He knew His thoughts, Jesus proved that He was more than a prophet.
Simon’s second premise was entirely wrong, a reflection of his erroneous thinking as a Pharisee. Simon, like his fellow-Pharisees (remember that the word Pharisee means “separate”), assumed that holiness was primarily a matter of separation. Holiness was achieved by keeping oneself separate from sin and from sinners. According to this view, Jesus would have to shun this sinful woman in order to remain holy.
Our Lord knew exactly what Simon was thinking, as well as why his thinking was wrong. Jesus’ words to Simon in verses 40-47 expose the error of Pharisaical thinking, and explain why the “Holy One of Israel” would draw near to sinners, even to the point of touching them and being touched by them.
The body language of our Lord in verses 44-47 is most significant. All through the dinner, Jesus’ back was to the woman, who was anointing and kissing His feet. He was, at the same time, facing His host, Simon. Now, Jesus turns His back on Simon and faces the woman, even though He is still addressing Simon (cf. v. 44). Jesus is, by His actions was rejecting Simon and accepting the worship of the sinful woman. What an incredible statement is being made here.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?" Jesus' words must be regarded as more on the order of a command, not a question, to consider the woman more carefully. It was obvious that Simon could see the woman physically. He looked at her, and he was well aware of her reputa-tion, but what he saw was clouded by his self-righteous eyes. The log that was protruding from his eye had reduced him to the status of a one-eyed judge-and a poor one at that.
Simon could not conceive of Jesus knowingly allowing this woman to touch Him by washing His feet. Why would Jesus possibly associate with sinners? Jesus gave the answer by telling a story and then extracting a principle.
Jesus chose to demonstrate the love of God to him by appealing to his sense of logic. He approached him with a common problem that would have a logical conclusion, directing Simon's attention to a case study concerning two men who were in debt.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?"
"Simon," said Jesus, "I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher" (meaning "rabbi, master"). Jesus continued, "A certain moneylender had two debtors; one owed 500 denarius and the other 50 denarius." (One denarius was equivalent to a day's wages.) Thus, one man owed the equivalent of 500 days of labor, and the other 50 days of labor. Now the day of reckoning arrived, and the moneylender approached the men for payment, only to discover that neither man was able to repay his debt. This was a serious matter in the Roman culture of that day.
The usual result of failure to pay one's debt was either jail or slavery. Jesus continued, "Although neither man was able to repay his creditor, he freely forgave them both. Here is my question: Which of them will love him more?" The Pharisee answered, with an air of indifference, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." Jesus said to Simon, "You have judged correctly." He understood the principle that the man who had been forgiven most would love the most in return.
Underlying it was the principle - Those who are forgiven most love most.
Jesus now takes the principle and applies it to Simon and the sinful woman. Simon shunned the woman because she was a sinner, and expected Jesus to do likewise. Jesus now gave details and showed that this uninvited guest at the dinner took on herself the duties of the host of the dinner. Jesus rebukes Simon by showing that in every respect the woman has outdone Simon in her acts of love and devotion. Simon did not show Jesus even the minimum courtesy of washing His feet. This woman washed His feet with her tears and dried the feet with her hair. Simon did not bestow a kiss on Jesus’ face; the woman did not cease to kiss the feet of Jesus, which, at first, were dirty and dusty . Simon did not anoint the head of Jesus with oil; the woman anointed His feet with expensive perfume. From both the parable which Jesus told Simon and from the actions of the woman at the supper which Simon held, the one who was forgiven more loved more.
Jesus' words to the Pharisee must have astonished everyone present: "For this reason," said the Lord, "I say to you, her sins, which are many have been forgiven, for she loved much..."
Simon regarded himself as righteous, forgiven, and looked upon the woman as a sinner, unforgiven. Jesus shows that it is Simon who by his lack of love proves that he is the sinner who has not been forgiven.
"...but he who is forgiven little, loves little," says Jesus. Simon had invited Jesus into his home but spent very little on his guest, in contrast to the woman's gift of expensive perfume. Because of his self-righteousness and blindness to his own sin he could have never experienced the wonderful forgiveness of God. He could not see his sins, and so never had the experience of loving much, thus he would remain in his sin and love very little. He was unaware of his dire need, thus he felt no love and so received no forgiveness. Simon thought of himself as a good man in the sight of men of God. In his self-righteousness he considered that he required forgiveness from God for only a few sins, and for this reason his love for Jesus and for others was slight.
In verse 47 it would appear that Jesus is telling the woman that she is forgiven because she loved much. It is not difficult to accept the statement that those who are forgiven much love much. It is difficult to accept the statement that those who love much are forgiven much. To love because you are forgiven is a natural response to grace. To be forgiven because you love is a gospel of works.
When Jesus speaks to the woman in the final verses of our passage, He now makes clear to her the basis for her forgiveness: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).
Let there be no doubt as to the basis for one’s forgiveness. It is not works. It is not on the basis of loving others, even God’s Son. Forgiveness is the gift of God, granted to those who have faith. The question is this: “What was it that the woman believed by faith?” If the woman’s faith saved her, what was the substance of her faith? What did the woman believe that saved her? I believe that the text strongly implies the answer: The woman believed that if she came to Jesus as a repentant winner, Jesus would not reject her.
The woman acknowledged that she was a sinner. She came to him as a sinner, believing by faith that He would not send her away—and she was right. Of all those who went to the dinner, only this woman went home having her sins forgiven (cf. Luke 18:9-14.)
Here is how the other guests reacted to these astonishing words of Jesus: "And those who were reclining at table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" Earlier, Jesus had healed the paralytic who was lowered down through the roof of the crowded house in Capernaum, and said to him, "Your sins are forgiven." He then asked them, "Which is easier to say, 'Your sins have been forgiven, or to say rise and walk? But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." Luke 5:22-24
"And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
The key to this woman's new life in Christ was that she had placed her faith in Jesus as the only one on earth who could forgive her sins. She had come to an understanding that Jesus was the Savior of the world as well as Israel, and yet he could also become her personal Savior. It wasn't her love that saved her but her faith. First faith, then forgiveness, then salvation, resulting in acts of godly love, resulting in peace. "Go in peace," said Jesus to the woman. The woman had made her peace with God (Romans 5:1), and now she could enjoy the peace of God.
Here is the spiritual principle: To the degree you appreciate the forgiveness of your sins through Jesus Christ, you love him and are willing to love other sinners who also need a Savior. What a high calling we have! We have been forgiven a heavy debt so we should be willing to love all those around us who are weighed down with the same heavy debt of sin and offer them the love of Christ as the only one who can forgive them and cancel that heavy debt.
