Tag: Luke

Posted in Advent, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Rejoice

OUR RESCUER

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based on the LGG Advent Study, Rejoice / w1d3

Today’s Scripture: Luke 1: 68-75 (74); Zechariah 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18

We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,

Luke 1:74

This is the third day of our study and the second day of reading Zachariah’s song of praise in Luke 1:68-75. Today’s focus is on verse seventy-four, but I was drawn once again to verses sixty-eight and sixty-nine, where we read the prophecy of Zechariah that God had come to help and redeem His people. As bibleref.com writes: “His song of praise emphasizes how God’s promises, as given through His prophets, have always come true. That the world has seen the fulfillment of prophecy and will soon see more is reason to worship. That also comes with joy, as the role of this Messiah will be that of Savior.”

Helped…Redeemed…Saved…Rescued

We needed God’s help, we needed someone to redeem us, someone who could save us from our sins – so in love, God sent His Son Jesus to rescue us from sin and death. We were once covered with filthy rags but now we have been freely forgiven, cleansed of our sins and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. As the writer of Hebrews points out, only Jesus could destroy the devil, and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. Only He could serve as our great high priest and make the proper and lasting atonement for our sins.

God’s people needed to be rescued, so He sent them a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Through God’s tender mercies, He opened the doorway for the adoption of many sons and daughters who were not born of the seed of Abraham to be called His own. In love, God positions them as joint heirs with His only begotten Son, Jesus. – I love the closing paragraph of today’s journal entry in the LGG Rejoice Journal – may it be an encouragement for us – as children of God to walk in the freedom Christ died to give us – and live the righteous lives God has called us to.

“As Zechariah sings, Jesus has come to redeem us so that we can serve God in holiness.”

Rejoice Journal/p51

“Jesus not only forgives those who trust in Him, but changes us, giving us the power to live righteous lives. We ourselves can’t break the chains of our selfishness, bad attitudes, or destructive behavior, but Jesus can. He is strong enough to free us from anything that still holds us in bondage. When we go to Him in faith and ask Him for forgiveness and deliverance from sin, He will answer. He wants to fill us with His love so that we can live fully surrendered to His will and way as well as live selflessly for other people. Our enemy trembles when we pray like this ” Rejoice Journal/p51

Rejoice in this song about our Rescuer – who has set us free from sin forevermore.

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Taken Up but Coming Again

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based on the LGG Study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come / w3d4

Scripture; Acts 1:1-11 and Hebrews 9:27-28/ SOAP: ACTS 1:11

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” ACTS 1:11. NET

Today’s journey may feel like we are circling the block – and in a way we are since it is nearly the same details from our previous post through Luke, chapter 24. Repetition in Scripture is always indicative of an important issue. -So, let’s check it out and see what we can learn and put into practice.

Lincoln came to play at Oma’s house this afternoon/evening – so I’m foregoing a personal blog for this wonderful and encouraging blog from the LGG Journal. I pray it is.a blessing

The More We Know: Side trails of the journey

Why and how do we tell our story? – you won’t want to miss these importan words from my pastor –

Posted in Bible study, Come, Lord Jesus, Come, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Watching And Waiting

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Based on the study, Come Lord Jesus, Come – by Love God Greatly / w1d2 / Image by LGG

Scripture: Luke 17:26-37 (SOAP: 26-27)

26 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building— 29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. 32 Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! 33 If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. 34 That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.”

37 “Where will this happen, Lord?” the disciples asked.

Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.”

Friends, the truth is clearly stated… Destruction is coming! For far too many people this is a warning of doom and gloom; but to those who are in Christ Jesus,1 it is a message of promise and eternal hope! Blessed be the name and salvation of our God and Savor Jesus Christ, who was and is and is to come!

PRAYER

Father, help us be found faithfully watching and waiting, looking above – filled with Your mercy and lost in Your love. Open our eyes and ears with an awareness of those who need You. Move our hearts with compassion for the lost, and let us speak with conviction and pray diligently with passion. Let this be the story that is on our lips – that Jesus is coming again and those who are His will be saved from the destruction that is promised to come to those who have not called upon the name of the Lord.2 And, to borrow from the prayer of the Love God Greatly writer, I pray Your Spirit will help us to “pause and take time to pray for our loved ones who do not know You. Please, Lord, open their hearts to You. I pray for salvation for all those in our lives who have not accepted Your free gift of salvation. Please, Lord, use us in their lives to help them see You better. Our lives are Yours, dear Jesus. Use us powerfully to help more people accept You as their Lord and Savior as we daily pray, come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.

The More We Know

What do we need to know about the vulture and the corpse? Watching for the signs

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Lent, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Be The Difference

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based on the LGG Study of Lent, A Season of Drawing Close to God / w3d4

The Journey (Scripture and Observation)
Scripture: Luke 15:1-10 / SOAP: verse 7

I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.

Luke 15:7

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear him.

Luke 15:1 NLT

Whew! What an opening line to a wonderful portion of Luke’s story. Jesus wasn’t having to go to the people, they were coming to Him and as Luke reveals here, even the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear Jesus. This didn’t settle well with the Pharisees and experts of the law though because it meant Jesus was welcoming them, agreeing not only to spend time talking to them but to eat with them – which was a sign of friendship. They complained and Jesus used the complaint as another teachable moment. He used two parables, stories/examples that were relevant to the day and helpful in making the point that He was needed by the ‘sinner’ more than the ‘righteous ones’. After all, He came to seek and save the lost, (Luke 19:10).

Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

Luke 5:31-32 NLT

Jesus’ response to the complaint made by the Pharisees came in the form of parables. The first parable was about a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep who had foolishly strayed off the path. The second story was about a woman who searched desperately for one coin that was lost when she still had the other nine – the point Jesus was making was that His greater concern was for those who needed Him, whether they had foolishly strayed off the path or didn’t even realize they were lost. The end result is that both the sheep and the coin were looked for and when found there was great rejoicing.

Living the Journey

Just as Jesus left the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep and just as the woman shown a light into the dark room to find the missing coin we should likewise give careful attention to the lost and let our light shine into the darkness around us. When we live and love like Jesus we will be the difference He calls us to be and the world around us will be changed.

Even if there is only one who is lost, we are to seek them out – we are to be the light that helps them find their way; and we are to rejoice over them when they are found.

Me – from the Inside-out 🦋
Prayer for the Journey

Father, please help my attitude to be like Jesus’ attitude and not that of the Pharisees. Let me not only see the lost around me but seek them out and respond to them with Jesus’ loving concern and compassion. Let me not be caught up with the complaints of those around me or ever consider myself better than those who are lost or have wandered away. Help me to remember, “but by Your grace there I would be also.” – In Jesus’ Name I pray – Amen!

The More We Know

The Parables Explained

Why Jesus Feasted With a Group of Cultural Outcasts

Righteous versus sinners

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/
Posted in Bible study, From Broken to Restored, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

In My Blood

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based on the LGG Study, From Broken to Restored / w4d5

Scripture: Nehemiah 9:38-10:27; Jeremiah 31:31-33; Luke 22:14-20 / SOAP: Luke 22:19-20

Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Luke 22:19-20

A covenant was a significant commitment. God used covenants throughout the history of His people to make promises to them, promises He kept regardless of their faithfulness.

Excerpt from Into the Text /LGG Journal w4d5 / From Broken to Restored
The Covenants in the Bible

“What are the covenants in the Bible?” The online Bible commentary, Gotquestions.org begins their answer with this opening statement: “The Bible speaks of seven different covenants, four of which (Abrahamic, Palestinian, Mosaic, Davidic) God made with the nation of Israel. Of those four, three are unconditional in nature; that is, regardless of Israel’s obedience or disobedience, God still will fulfill these covenants with Israel. One of the covenants, the Mosaic Covenant, is conditional in nature. That is, this covenant will bring either blessing or cursing depending on Israel’s obedience or disobedience. Three of the covenants (Adamic, Noahic, New) are made between God and mankind in general, and are not limited to the nation of Israel.”

In our three passages today, we see the people of Nehemiah’s day making a covenant to keep the covenant. Interesting concept but this excerpt from “Bible Project” commentary on this passage is quite helpful – “the returning exiles make a covenant to keep a covenant, committing themselves to the Law of Moses and the people of God. They had broken the covenant and received the curses which led them into exile. Now in their return and repentance, they recommit to the old covenant which included faithfulness to God through marrying those who also worshipped God; observance of Sabbath and Sabbaticals; and giving firstfruits and tithes, ensuring the temple and temple worship were maintained.”

The second and third passages deal with the “New Covenant”, first in the Old Testament with the people of Judah and Israel, and then in Luke 22 with New Testament believers via the blood of Christ. This was the ultimate covenant, unbreakable, unchangeable, unbeatable covenant. It was the covenant made “in the blood” of Jesus. As the LGG team points out today in the journal, “We remember the covenant God has given us by participating in the Lord’s Supper. When we take the elements, the bread and wine, we remember the covenant Jesus made with those who believe in Him. We remember that He has done all that is necessary to uphold this covenant and that all we need to do is place our faith in Him.”

New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The New Covenant is a covenant made first with the nation of Israel and, ultimately, with all mankind. In the New Covenant, God promises to forgive sin, and there will be a universal knowledge of the Lord. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. Now that we are under the New Covenant, both Jews and Gentiles can be free from the penalty of the Law. We are now given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Gotquestions.org
Making it Personal – Reflection

Why is it important to regularly partake in the Lord’s Supper with other believers?

If you are not a believer and have never entered into the Covenant that promises forgiveness of sin and freedom from the Law – please send me a message. I would love to share the Gospel with you and help you to understand the gift and reality of God’s free gift of salvation.

Going Further

Don’t forget to check out today’s Love God Greatly blog

More about the covenants: https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-covenants.html

Nehemiah Overview (This is a must-read – simply follow the link below)

  • chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.csmedia1.com/doxa-church.com/nehemiahpart9.pdf
Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Impossible Made Possible

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Today’s Verse: Luke 1:37

 For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37

The context of this particular verse is the angel’s declaration to Mary that she would have a child. When she questioned how this could be, given that she was a virgin, Gabriel gave her this assurance – “nothing will be impossible with God.” These words were a comfort to Mary and likewise a glorious truth for believers to have in their arsenal1 for the battles and trials of this life.

When we are called to do the impossible or face the seemingly impossible situations in life, like Mary, we can say –  I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word. From the virgin birth of Christ and His victory over the grave – to the doubts and fears and temptations we face daily – nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible with God. We may be weak but He is strong enough for anything we face and will enable us to overcome the impossible! Absolutely NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with our God!

1 Arsenal: an array of resources available for a certain purpose.

Check out the inspiration for today’s post @ “Our Daily Verse”

Posted in Bible study, Enduring Hope, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

A Touch – A Cloak – And Faith

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based on the LGG Study, Enduring Hope / w4d4

Today’s Reading: luke 8:43-48 / SOAP: Luke 8:43 and 48

 Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years but could not be healed by anyone.  – Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Luke 8:43, 48

I encourage you to read this recap as though you’ve never heard the story before.

Hope Surged

She had suffered from the hemorrhage for twelve years now. She sought help and had suffered at the hands of the doctors, she had spent all the money she had trying to find relief but no one could heal her. To make it worse, this particular disease, being one of blood, would have prohibited her from worshipping or sacrificing at the Temple, and most likely lonely – as no one would want to come near her- for to do so made them unclean. Imagine, twelve years of constant bleeding, twelve years of jeers and stares and little to no contact with others, twelve years of searching for help, but to no avail. Weakened by the disease and emotionally tired of it all, her hope fading away as she had nothing left to give for help. At the end of herself, there seemed to be one last strand of hope. She had heard about a man named Jesus, a teacher and a prophet, but what captured her attention was that He was known to be a healer. Hope surged within her, believing if she could just touch His robe, she would be healed. In desperation she made her way through the crowd and reached out from behind him – managing to just touch the edge of His coat – but with that one touch the bleeding stopped and her body was healed.

The Power of Our Faith

Imagine now her excitement and relief mixed with what must have been a certain concern and anxiousness to escape the crowd without being noticed. Remember, those who recognized her would not have been happy that she had been in their midst lest they had been ‘contaminated’ by her touch and certainly she would not have wanted her touch to have rendered the healer contaminated. Yet, somehow Jesus knew that someone had touched Him and he wanted to know who. Now imagine her fear of being found out but then her delight as she fell before Him and shared the details of what had transpired and heard Him say, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. God in peace.”

Afterthoughts:
  • Simply and Profoundly Faith
    • It seems at first glance that just touching the hem of His garment was enough to bring the full power of his healing to her body! Perhaps, indirectly it was ; however, we must not miss Jesus’ reply to her as she explained the reason and result of her touch. He did not commend her for reaching out, nor did He boast of some power in His garment, but rather, He made it clear that it was simply and profoundly her faith that made her well .
  • The Only One
    • Jesus wasn’t the only one she looked to for help – but He was the only one who had the power to truly heal her – and He charged her nothing.

A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

Mark 5:25-34
Response to God’s Word

Father, may my faith always be so strong that I draw near and reach out when I am suffering or hurting or afraid or in need – believing that even just a touch of You will be enough to bring healing and peace.

Going Deeper

Before Jesus gets far, however, He feels power going out of Him. He discovers that a woman who suffers from chronic bleeding has had the courage to touch His robe in faith, hoping she will be healed. When she realizes Jesus knows what she did, she is understandably frightened. A woman—a woman with an issue of blood who was therefore considered unclean—touching a rabbi was unheard of. She rightly expects Jesus to be angry despite the deliverance she senses she has received. To her surprise, He calls her “daughter,” praises her faith, and blesses her. For the first noted time, Jesus heals with no overt intent; the woman and her faith call on His power and she is healed.

BibleRef.com / (Mark 5:25–34)

What does Mark 5:26 mean?

What does Mark 5:27 mean?

What does Mark 5:28 mean?

What does Mark 5:29 mean?

What does Mark 5:30 mean?

What does Mark 5:33 mean?

What does Mark 5:34 mean?

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

The Inside Scoop

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Scripture Reading: Luke 22:1-38; SOAP / Luke 22:31-32

31 “Simon, Simon, pay attention! Satan has demanded to have you all, to sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Luke 22:31-32 NET

Have you ever been talking to someone, trying to make them aware of a dangerous situation and they just won’t listen? This seems to be the situation in today’s focus text, at least by the opening line. Jesus, speaking to Simon (Peter), uses his name twice, “Simon, Simon”, urging him to pay attention. Then Jesus gives Simon the inside scoop, “Satan has demanded to sift you and the other disciples like wheat.” In other words, he wants to shake up their faith, to test it, with the hope – actually the confidence that Simon and the others will fail the test. Don’t miss the next line though, it’s the best part of the whole passage and the best encouragement for Jesus’s disciples today!

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

Luke 22:32
The Best Prayer Warrior

Can you imagine a better prayer warrior on your side than Jesus, the Son of God? He’s not only specific with what He’s praying but he also speaks words of encouragement, that though Peter will fall, he will also “turn back to following Christ and will be used to strengthen the other disciples to stand firm in their faith. It has been my experience that we often grow the strongest and most merciful through the trials we walk through in this life. So, I imagine that Peter not only strengthened the disciples after Jesus’ departure but that he also showed them much mercy for any failures. May we do the same for each other.

Response to God’s Word

Father, You teach us so much through Your Word. We may be bothered by Peter’s fall but how encouraging it is to know that he doesn’t stay down but indeed turns back and strengthens the ‘brothers’. Help us to listen to and respond to Your warnings .. to be alert to the schemes of the devil! Help us NOT so confident in self that we forego leaning on You. When we fall – for we all do – help us to stand back up and turn back to Your ways – and to encourage others in their walk of faith, and show mercy to others when they fall as You have shown mercy to us. Thank You that Jesus prays for us! What encouragement this is for our day to day living – Yes and Amen in Jesus’ name!

Want More?

Visit LoveGodGreatly.com for the today’s blog post

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Uncategorized

The Importance of the Word

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Today’s Scripture Reading: Luke 8:1-21; SOAP / Luke 8:21

But he replied to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

Luke 8:21 NET

As I was reading back through my notes on verse 21 and thinking about how to put what I had journaled into words, the words from an old church camp song came flooding through my mind. I don’t remember all the words but it included several verses about not being able to get to heaven on roller skates, or in a rocking chair, or with a limousine. If I could add one verse to these after reading today’s passage, it would be “Oh you can’t get to heaven by who you know.” That’s the jest of today’s passage and Jesus’ response to His mother and brothers desire to see Him. Actually, the commentary I read said they were concerned for His health and wanted to take Him home to rest. However, being in the middle of a very important lesson for which a very large crowd had gathered no doubt influenced His answer. No disrespect was intended only the need for them and all who were listening to understand that, first and fore-most He was God’s son and thus it was those who were “hearing the Word of God and doing it” that bore the truer family-ties.

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Romans 10:17 NLT

More than once in sharing the Gospel with someone or in response to asking someone if they are a believer, I have received answers like – “Yeah, I’ve been baptized and go to church every Sunday”, or “I’ve always tried to live the good Christian life”, or “well, I don’t go to church any more but my mom and dad took me every week when I was growing up …” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that those who answered like that aren’t saved but we certainly can’t hang our hope of salvation on going to church or living a good Christian life. Salvation comes through faith alone in Christ alone, and as Paul wrote – faith comes through hearing and hearing by the Word of God. We are saved by grace through faith – not church, or baptism, our good works, our ‘knowledge’ of Jesus, or our earthly family ties.

It is worth noting and perhaps helpful to understand that Jesus’ response to His mother and brothers came shortly after His sharing the parable of the sower. A lesson on a sower and his seed and the responsibility of those who hear the Word to let it penetrate the heart and bring about good works. The lesson is the same for His mother and brothers. They cannot depend on who they are to Him but must respond to who He is to them.

Sandwiched in between the parable of the sower and and the response to his family came a brief statement about letting your light be seen. This follows the teaching on the seed that landed on the good soil – defined as “the ones who, after hearing the Word, cling to it with an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. One commentary explains it like this:

the meaning of Luke’s verses seems to be that listeners are to be like the good soil, accept the seed, and produce fruit (Luke 8:8). In the same way, people are to “enter” and “see the light,” working hard to understand the truth and application of Jesus’ teaching (Luke 8:18).

Bibleref.com on Luke 8:15-18
Some Application: Turning facts into action (or knowledge into wisdom)

I feel like I am constantly learning more about who Jesus is and who He has called me to be. So I loved seeing that even though Mary had the personal knowledge of who He was, backed up by the angelic announcement, she was still learning more about who He was, what it meant, and how to deal with it.

We don’t get to heaven because of who our family is or what they believe – but solely because of what we do with what we hear in the Gospel. For example Romans 3:23, 6:23; John 3:16, 6:47, and 13:34.

Response to God’s Word

Father, I have heard Your Word all of my life and I believe … You are Go, the Father-make of heaven and earth. I believe You so loved the world – me included – that You sent Your only son to live and die for me. I believe He lived a spotless life despite the pain and temptations He faced – He stayed TRUE to living out Your will for all to see. I believe He was born of the virgin Mary, and that He intercedes for me at the right hand of Your throne and is able to forgive my sins. I believe He left examples and instructions on how to live and that You have empowers me, as a believer, with the Holy Spirit so that I might live as You have called me to live – the same Spirit who teaches me all things and reminds me of everything You’ve said. He also convicts me of my sin and leads me to repentance. I believe in the Holy Spirit, and pray that I might be always yielded to His teaching, leading, and conviction toward repentance. In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen and Amen!

Want More?

Check out today’s blog at Love God Greatly

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, He Sees He Knows He Cares, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time, The Gospel

Understanding Is Key

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Today’s Scripture: Luke 7:18-50; SOAP / Luke 7:47-50

 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:47-50 NET
The Whole Picture
The Alabaster Jar

Have you ever come in on the end of movie and wondered what in the world was going on, or what those closing words meant? It’s like starting a book at the ending paragraph and reading “… and they lived happily ever after”, which leaves you wondering who “they” were and what led up to the “happily ever after.” Today’s focus passage, like much of Scripture, is the happily ever after but the story starts in verse thirty-six, where a Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. The story isn’t so much that Jesus went – but what happened at the dinner. A woman, described only as a sinner, learns that Jesus is going to have dinner at the Pharisees house and she decides not only to go but to take with her a costly jar of “perfumed oil”, which she uses – along with her tears and hair – to anoint the feet of Jesus.

Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil. 

Luke 7:37-38
She’s a Sinner

It’s a beautiful picture and event that Jesus turns into a teachable moment for the Pharisee and for all who were listening then or reading it now. Luke writes that when the Pharisee saw what the woman did, “He said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.‘” Jesus responds to Simon’s thought with a lesson on cancelled debts between two debtors, one who owed much and one who owed little. His point being, that when both debts were freely forgiven, the one whose debt was greater would have more “love” for the creditor. This story is followed by a more pointed lesson, as Jesus uses a comparison of how they had each treated Jesus from the time He entered Simon’s house.

Simon

Simon recognized Jesus as a teacher and nothing more. Unlike, Simon Peter, who compared or saw himself in the light of Jesus’ righteousness – Simon, the Pharisee, compares himself to the sinner and sees himself as righteous and worthy of Jesus’ being in his home – but the woman as unworthy to even touch Jesus. When he does compare himself with Jesus, it is to acknowledge that he could see the woman for who she was but Jesus couldn’t.

  • He gave Jesus no water for His feet
  • He gave Jesus no kiss of greeting
  • He did not anoint Jesus’ head with oil
The woman/Sinner

She knew about Jesus but didn’t let her sin hold her back from Him. She went to where He was. She saw Jesus for who He was and she treated Him as such. Her love bearing witness to her faith and the forgiveness she had known.

  • She wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her tears
  • She did not stop kissing Jesus’ feet
  • She anointed Jesus’ feet with perfumed oil
The Meaning

Jesus, then sums up the lesson and the comparison with the revelation that even though the woman’s sins were many – she was completely forgiven; and her love, poured out in tears and oil and the use of her hair, showed her understanding of this. However, while Jesus’ illustration pointed out the Pharisee, who was a strict and religious follower of the law, had sinned less, didn’t understand the depth and debt of his few sins, and placed no value on the forgiveness of the debt or the forgiver.

As the end of our focus passage reveals, those at the table did not truly understand who Jesus was, as they questioned his authority to forgive sins. You may remember this question being asked before in Luke 5:20-21, but it is a vital question we should all ask at some time:

  • Who do I believe Jesus is?
  • AND – Do I believe He can forgive sins, be they ‘big’ or ‘little’, many or few?

Don’t miss that the woman understood exactly who Jesus was and it showed, but it wasn’t the evidence of her love that saved her, rather it was the evidence of her faith – as Jesus tells her, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”

Some Applications / Turning facts into action (or knowledge into wisdom)
  • The Apostle Paul says that we are to be honest in our evaluation of ourselves, measuring ourselves by the faith that we have been given – Romans 12:3-5.
  • In other words we are to see (judge/measure) ourselves in the light of Jesus not the light of others – Romans 12:1-2.
  • Seeing our sins, seeking, and finding forgiveness should promote, provoke, and reveal evidence of our love and appreciation for Jesus and what He has done for us

Response to God’s Word

Father, how deep Your love is for us, so vast beyond all measure – that You should forgive one, let alone the multitude of our sins. YET! in love, in kindness, compassion, abundant grace, and mercies that are NEW EVERY MORNING, You have forgiven much – and I am forever grateful! Thank You Father for the reminder to not judge others by their sins and to not think I am better or more righteous than another. May my love bear witness of who You are to me and what You have done for me – and may I respond to You accordingly!

Vital and Revealing Questions
  • Who do you say Jesus is?
  • Do you believe he can forgive your sins – big or little, many or few?
  • What do you believe saved you?
    • Your Faith
    • Strict/religious keeping of the God’s Word
Know These Truths