To Whom Much is Forgiven

Daily Devotional – Monday, July 17, 2022
Therefore, I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
Luke 7:47 (NKJV)

In Matthew Chapter 9, the Pharisees ask Christ’s disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11).

In Luke Chapter 7, though, it is the turn of Simon the Pharisees to host Jesus. No one expects Christ to dine with sinners in the house of a Pharisees but it happens. A woman of loose morals gatecrashes the party and anoints Jesus with fragrant oil.

Who Will Love Him More?

If this man is a prophet, Simon concludes, He should know that this woman is a sinner. Jesus, having read Simon’s mind, decides to teach the Pharisee a lesson in love and forgiveness using a parable.

Christ narrates:
“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:41-42).

To Whom Much is Forgiven

Simon answers, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”(Luke 7:43). According to Jesus, the woman’s “sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” (Luke 7:47).

Like this woman, whom Simon condemned, when we consider how far we have wandered from Jesus, we appreciate how much He loves us. It does not matter what self-righteous people think about us or the enormity of our sinful past.

How much and how often has Jesus forgiven you? Will you respond like the sinful woman and pour your heart to Jesus? The more you appreciate your sinfulness, the more you will value the love of Jesus.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me unconditionally and forgiving me my innumerable sins.