She’s a sinner!

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany 

February 15, 2022

She’s a sinner!

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:50

 Read: Luke 7:36-50

Jesus was announcing the coming Kingdom of God, but the expectations of the people differed from the reality of God’s Kingdom. In Jesus’ Kingdom, there is exceeding joy, forgiveness of sins, and love. Jesus was teaching there will also be serious opposition to God’s Kingdom. In today’s passage, all these realities are demonstrated in a simple gathering around a dinner table and a discussion about sin.

Sin is not just a nuisance or a simple difference of opinion about morality. Sin cuts to the core of our being and is a compelling force within us vying to be the operating system of our life. Sin is so insidious, so destructive of life, that the Apostle Paul teaches the only way to overcome the power and practice of sin is to surrender our lives to be crucified with Christ. (See Romans 6 and Galatians 2)

In our story today, the Pharisee saw the woman clothed in sin. Jesus saw her clothed in his acceptance. While Jesus had been announcing God’s Kingdom, the woman had an epiphany. She believed Jesus was the Messiah, and she came to express her adoration and love for him. Jesus didn’t diminish the seriousness of her sinful life. Jesus did demonstrate the vastly superior Kingdom of God where there is joy, love, and forgiveness of sins.

The reality of Jesus’ Kingdom is that there is not a nickel’s worth of difference between me and the Pharisee and me and the woman. There is a huge temptation within me to think God’s getting a pretty good deal when he gets me, because I can diminish my sins by thinking they are few and for the most part inconsequential. There is also the reality that my sins are just as deadly, just as shameful as the woman’s sins.

My Takeaway: The question I face is whether I will wallow in my arrogance, or will I, upon receiving Jesus’ forgiveness, humble myself at his feet in love and adoration.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.