113 - Hearts That Love One Another#
113 - Hearts That Love One Another
(JP Text Group - Happy Angel Compilation)
The topic of sharing is: Hearts That Love One Another
Luke 7:36-50:
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and He went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment. 38 And standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank You. At this time, we receive the love of Lord Jesus, knowing how much Jesus forgives us, so that we can love Jesus with this love. People cannot see Lord Jesus, but our love is released to Your beloved children and to the world, so that they can see the love of Jesus Christ in us. Lord, grant us this strength and also give every brother and sister faith, to love one another, love our neighbors, and love those around us. Let them see the glory of Jesus Christ in us. Thank You and praise You, Lord. Especially bless the brothers and sisters who come to seek You, that they may stand up from weakness and walk towards health from sickness. Bless the time of gathering! In the name of Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen, Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, is it difficult to love one another? It is really difficult. Loving for a minute is easy, but loving for a lifetime is hard. How can we love one another? God's love for us is eternal, and eternity means there is no distance. The Bible says that God's love for us never ceases. Today, Jesus loves you. When you sin, Jesus still loves you. Do not doubt this. Never say that when I love God, He loves me, but when I am angry and sin, God does not love me anymore. That is not true.
God's love for us is an everlasting love, an unchanging love. He does not look at your behavior but still loves you. Amen! While we were still sinners, God loved us and let His Son die on the cross. This is God's love. When we were unlovable, God loved us. How much more will He love you when you believe in Jesus? So do not doubt God's love. Know how much Jesus loves us so that we can love one another. Last time, we shared that we need to know that God loves us and then speak out this love, knowing that God loves you, receiving this love to love others, because the Bible tells us.
John 13:34-35:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
People can see that we are Christians not because we carry a bag with "Immanuel" written on it and a cross symbol, saying, "You believe in Jesus." It is when the world sees us loving one another that they recognize we are disciples of Jesus, because God is love. Hallelujah! To love one another is a command that Jesus has given to each of us. What does a command mean? It means that everyone needs to do it. If you cannot do it, start by receiving from Jesus. When you receive, you will be able to do it. Love as much as you receive. We need to have hearts that love one another. Jesus' disciples are disciples of love, not a religious fellowship.
Last time we said we need to speak out Jesus' love. Today we continue to talk about knowing Jesus' love.
When you know how much Jesus loves you and how much He forgives you, your love will naturally increase. Amen! If you say Jesus does not love you, it is because you do not know what Jesus has done for you or what He has accomplished for you, and you have not changed. Two thousand years ago, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Why? At that time, God began to judge Jesus, but Jesus was innocent! Why did the innocent Jesus accept judgment on the cross? Because we sinned.
When Jesus was on earth, He died on the cross for our sins. How many sins did He die for? All sins. Amen! All sins of a lifetime. When we accept Jesus Christ and are born again, all sins are forgiven. In this matter, many teachings differ from ours. Some say that Jesus only forgives the sins before we believe in Him, and after believing, unless we confess our sins, God cannot forgive. Otherwise, it is not forgiven. Through this article, we can correctly see how much Jesus has forgiven us. Once you understand this, you will be able to possess Jesus' love and use this love to love others.
In the Old Testament, God's forgiveness of the Israelites was not complete; it was only for one year. They used the blood of bulls and goats. The blood of bulls and goats is limited. It can only replace the sins of one year. The Israelites had a day called the Day of Atonement. The tenth day of the seventh month each year is the Day of Atonement. On the Day of Atonement, all the Israelites did no work and went to the temple, where the priest atoned for the people's sins. The high priest would take the blood of bulls and goats into the Most Holy Place and say before God, "Lord, please forgive all the sins of the people." The high priest would sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. If God accepted the blood of the bulls and goats offered by the high priest, the people would be blessed. Amen!
The forgiveness of sins for the Israelites lasted for one year, and the following year the high priest still had to perform this work. This was the Old Testament, where the high priest had to offer the blood of bulls and goats for the people on the Day of Atonement. We are no longer under the Old Testament law, nor do we use the blood of bulls and goats. We are under the New Testament. When Jesus shed His precious blood on the cross once for us, all our sins were forgiven. The blood of bulls and goats could only forgive the sins of one year. But the precious blood of Jesus Christ can forgive all your sins. Amen! The Psalms say, "He forgives all my iniquities." All of this, in God's eyes, is past, present, and future. All sins are forgiven. Amen!
Looking at this article, a Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him. Our Jesus is truly wonderful; He does not reject anyone. Jesus did not reject the leper; He did not say, "Stay away from me; you are unclean." When encountering someone of high status, He did not say, "You are so wealthy; I need to change my shoes before going to your house; I am too dusty." Jesus did not reject anyone.
It does not matter if the Pharisee is proud; as long as you invite me, I am willing to go. Brothers and sisters, we should not be afraid. We are children of God; you are the children of the Creator of the universe. Do not be afraid in front of the noble, and do not be proud in front of the poor, because we are all loved by God. Hallelujah!
Jesus went to the Pharisee's house, but the Pharisee did not treat Jesus as a distinguished guest. At this time, a story happened. There was a woman in that city who was a sinner. Reading through the four Gospels, we know that this woman was a prostitute. The Pharisee knew this woman, and later they said, "Jesus, if you were a prophet, you would know who is touching you and what kind of woman she is, for she is a sinner." We were also sinners in the past and looked down on those who sinned. Before believing in Jesus, we looked down on those at the bottom of society, those with bad behavior, thinking they should die, as if we were not sinners ourselves. The Pharisee thought the prostitute was a sinner, and such a person was not worthy to touch Jesus, but someone like him could communicate with Jesus.
This Pharisee was named Simon, and he did not treat Jesus as a distinguished person. Instead, it was this sinner. Why do we keep emphasizing this sinner? This is a person who has sinned, and almost everyone in the city knows her bad reputation and behavior. But she knew that Jesus was reclining at the Pharisee's house, so she brought an alabaster flask of ointment, stood behind Jesus, weeping at His feet. Her tears wet Jesus' feet, and she wiped them with her hair, kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. What was this woman doing? Are we wondering: How could Jesus be so calm? This woman came in and did a series of things, and Jesus remained unmoved. Isn't it incredible that this woman would do such things? We need to understand the biblical background to interpret this correctly. Later, Jesus' evaluation of this woman is:
In verse 44, Jesus said to Simon: "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet."
The region of Israel has a lot of wind and sand, with almost two-thirds being desert. Huge winds blow all year round. In Middle Eastern movies, people wear a cloak when going out, covering their heads and leaving only their eyes exposed because the wind and sand are too strong and the temperature is high. Even so, when they get home, they must cleanse themselves. The first step is to cleanse themselves, regardless of wealth; if they are wealthy, the servants in the house will prepare water for the master to wash his head, feet, and change clothes, and reapply ointment.
For the poor, there are six clean stone jars at the door. Do you remember the first miracle Jesus performed? The six large stone jars at the poor's door are there for people to wash their hands and faces before entering the house. Because the wind and sand are so strong, feet are the dirtiest. Simon invited Jesus to his house but did not give Him water to wash His feet. What does this mean? It is as if you are an insignificant person and did not treat Jesus as a distinguished guest. So Jesus said, "Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water to wash my feet, but this woman wet my feet with her tears." This was a unique foot washing in the world! This was precious water; this woman gave her all to Jesus.
How could she do this? Everyone said this woman was a sinner, and how could such a person come here? They all looked down on her. But this woman acted as if the people around her did not exist. She only loved Jesus. Amen! Where did this strength come from? As we continue, after the woman wet Jesus' feet with her tears, she dried them with her hair.
Brothers and sisters, a woman's hair is her glory! Men can shave their heads without issue, but no woman would walk around with a shaved head. The Bible says that a woman’s long hair is her glory, just like the veil at a wedding. Hair is very important to women. This woman also loved her hair. After her tears wet Jesus' feet, she dried them with her hair. There is nothing more precious than hair; she dried Jesus' feet with the most precious thing she had.
Verse 45 says: "You did not kiss me."
We still need to talk about the biblical background. In the past, some people debated that whatever Jesus said in the Bible, we must follow. I said, "Do you not know some of the biblical backgrounds?" We need to understand the biblical background.
He was wrong. By saying this, you are nullifying God's word and limiting God's word. God's word does not distinguish between nations, regions, or time; we should hold fast to it.
Some even said we should not celebrate Christmas because the Bible does not mention Christmas; we should celebrate Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. We can celebrate such festivals. We do not do what is not in the Bible, but we must obey what is in the Bible.
Thus, a faction called the head-covering faction emerged, where women cover their heads and are not allowed to preach, claiming they are upholding the Bible.
How should we preach the Bible to such a group of people?
I said it is easy. The way Israelites greet each other is by kissing each other. Does your church practice this?
He fell silent...
We just read, in verse 45, "When I entered your house, you did not greet me with a kiss."
This is the tradition of Israel; the way to greet is by kissing. When leaders from Arab countries come, our country's leaders also embrace and kiss on the cheeks. This is how people greet each other. We shake hands; this is the biblical background we must understand clearly. If you enter this house and they do not greet you with a kiss, it indicates that you are not a distinguished guest, but just an ordinary person who came in casually, which implies some disdain for you. Jesus was invited by the Pharisee, but these people did not sincerely treat Jesus as Lord; they treated Him as an ordinary person just having a meal together, with this contemptuous attitude. They did not even perform the most basic etiquette.
At this time, Jesus said, "Simon, when I entered your house, you did not greet me with a kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since I came in." In fact, Jesus' feet are the most beautiful feet in the world. Because wherever He goes, He always brings hope to others! And this woman keeps kissing Jesus' feet. This woman knew the value of Jesus. Amen! But Simon did not!
Verse 46 says: "You did not anoint my head with oil."
This oil refers to anointing oil, olive oil. Olive oil is a fragrant oil; after washing at home, one would anoint their head with olive oil, just like applying cosmetics after washing the face today. Simon gave Jesus nothing, but this woman anointed Jesus' feet with ointment. Do you see the difference? This woman was seen as a very lowly person, a sinner, an unworthy person in the eyes of the Pharisee. But this woman gave Jesus the best. How did Jesus view this woman? Jesus said, "Her love is greater than yours." Why did this woman behave this way? Because she understood that Jesus loved her the most. Hallelujah! She knew that many of her sins were forgiven. To help Simon understand this, Jesus told him a story.
Verse 41: "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt."
One owed five hundred denarii, and the other owed fifty. Both were forgiven by the moneylender. The one who was forgiven more loved more.
What does this help us with? Many people ask, "As a New Testament Christian, what should I do after I sin?" What should I do? Should I just let it go?
Today's article can solve your problem. It is a very important issue. First, you must understand that all your sins have been forgiven by God. We are debtors before God; everyone owes God a debt. No one can meet all the requirements of the law; everyone owes a debt to the law. What you owe may be five hundred denarii, and what he owes may be fifty denarii. This means you have violated the law more than he has, and I have violated the law less than he has, but we are all debtors to the law. The consequence of being in debt is that you must repay the debt. If you cannot repay, the law will condemn you for your offense, and you will die. The outcome is the same.
This is like the story Jesus told, "A certain moneylender." This moneylender refers to our Heavenly Father. Amen! Our Heavenly Father is that moneylender, and the debtors are all people in this world, all of whom owe God a debt. The Bible clearly states, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The glory of God is originally ten, but no one can reach ten. This is what it means to fall short. We cannot meet God's requirements. Everyone is a debtor, and there is no way to repay. When these two people could not repay, the master had mercy and canceled the debts of both. This shows not how pious these two people are but how great the grace of the master is.
Do you know how many denarii you owe? This is important. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other owed fifty. The master knew they could not repay and acknowledged that they could not repay, so he forgave them all. These two people were grateful. They said, "Master, you have been so good to us. Shouldn't we repay this debt?" They should repay, but they cannot. Brothers and sisters, first, you must understand this: before believing in Jesus, we were all sinners, owing God. Moreover, we cannot repay. In this situation, the Heavenly Father says, "I forgive you all your debts; let my Son Jesus pay it all for you!" For example, the master forgave the debts of both, and they no longer owe the master.
The master forgave them all according to what they owed. Have you ever calculated how much debt you owe God? It does not matter how much debt you owe God; God forgives it all. If someone says, "God did not forgive all my sins; He only forgave part of them," it is equivalent to the master saying, "Aren't you the one who owes me five hundred denarii? You cannot repay? How about this: I will forgive you forty-nine denarii." Is he still a debtor? He is still a debtor. That is not called complete forgiveness. Jesus offers us complete forgiveness; no matter how much we owe, God forgives it all!
Brothers and sisters, God's grace absolutely exceeds our sins. Although you have many sins, God can wash them all away. Because God has the power to forgive your sins, Hallelujah! Every person who believes in Jesus is forgiven by Jesus, Hallelujah! Even those who think they are righteous and feel they have lived a terrible life, God forgives all your sins. Or if you have not committed many sins in your life, God also forgives all your sins. Thank God! Those who understand how much Jesus has forgiven them will love Jesus more, while some people who have not committed many sins in their lives will have very little love for Jesus.
Many people cannot wholeheartedly love the Lord because they do not know how much Jesus has forgiven them. They only think that past sins are forgiven. In fact, Jesus has forgiven you all your sins. Two thousand years ago, on the cross, when Jesus said, "It is finished," He placed all the sins of humanity upon Himself. He paid the price for our sins and died. This is what Jesus did for us.
Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? And why did He have to be hung on a tree? In fact, Jesus could have died in another way, such as having His head chopped off, which would not be so painful. Before being crucified, He was beaten to a pulp by Roman soldiers. Those who have seen "The Passion of the Christ" know that the scourge tears the flesh from a person's body, and when pulled out, the flesh is shredded, yet it does not injure the bones. The Roman punishment at that time was extremely cruel.
The Bible says that not one of Jesus' bones was broken, but almost all His flesh was torn away. The Bible says, "I can see my bones..." Many pieces of flesh fell off. Why did Jesus have to suffer such a cruel punishment? Since He died for us, the law says, "The wages of sin is death." If He died, that would be the end of it, or being stoned to death would be better. So why did He have to endure such scourging before being crucified?
In fact, everything Jesus did was for us, to let you know how much sin has been forgiven, to let you know how much blessing you can receive from Him. The Bible ultimately explains why Jesus had to suffer scourging: because by His stripes we are healed. When you are sick, every time Jesus suffered scourging, it was enough to make the disease leave your body. The ultimate purpose is still to let us understand how much the Lord Jesus loves us. Because of the punishment He endured, we have peace. Because Jesus often experienced affliction, His lack of peace brought us peace, so we are called "children of peace," and He is called "Prince of Peace." Thank the Lord; this is the reason.
Knowing that Jesus did this for my sake, when you understand this, you will love Jesus more. Why did Jesus have to go to the cross? Being stoned to death would be better. Last time we talked about how from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, He was hung on the cross, with blood dripping down. That was an extremely painful and prolonged death process. Why did He have to go to the cross? It was for us.
Galatians 3:12-13:
12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” Amen!
Do you see what the Bible says? The law is not based on faith, which means the law does not involve a matter of faith. Only under grace is faith needed; the law does not require faith; it requires you to act. As long as you do it, you can live. It does not matter whether you have faith; you must do it. If you do it, you will not die; if you do not do it, you will die. Therefore, under the law, people often live under a curse.
Unbelievers also often live under a curse. Many people are truly like this; when buying a house, they check the feng shui. When getting married, they choose a date. When selecting a spouse, they check for compatibility. Even the arrangement of furniture at home is checked to see if it will bring disaster. On the first and fifteenth days of the month, they must do something; today is not suitable for traveling, marrying, or eating certain things. They have set many laws for themselves. Unbelievers have even more rules; you just do not know it.
Unknowingly, they are bound under the law of death and fall under the curse. When strange problems arise at home, they start to think, "Is there a particular reason why my home is not peaceful lately?" They always think they have not done well enough and have offended heaven or some god... In fact, this is the law pulling people under the curse. When Jesus was hung on the tree, He saved us from the curse of the law. Amen! There is a curse in this world, but it does not affect you. Amen!
A few days ago, a sister told me, "I like a boy who is six years older than me, but my family strongly opposes it." Why do they oppose it so strongly? Her family said this age difference is incompatible and not suitable for marriage. This sister was very troubled. What should she do? I replied, "You have already believed in Jesus; you are no longer under such a curse. There is no such problem anymore. Because Jesus is much greater than that curse, Jesus has already borne all kinds of curses for us. Do not believe in fate; our fate is in the hands of our Lord Jesus. He is a loving Lord, a gracious God. What are you afraid of?"
If you are not in the hands of Lord Jesus, you really need to plan carefully how to avoid falling under the curse. Some say, "I am destined to be alone for life..." How can one live like this? I used to know a sister who got married at thirty-seven. Her family was very well-off, and she was beautiful. This sister was about to get married, but her father said they should first find someone to calculate their birth dates. After calculation, they were incompatible. Strangely, this sister had been calculated from her twenties to thirty-seven, and all the men she met were incompatible with her.
In the end, someone said, "You are destined to be alone for life." Who would believe such a thing? Later, this sister developed depression and was very distressed. She was afraid that if she married a man, either she would die or he would die, so it was better not to marry. Until one day, she believed in Jesus, and we told her not to believe in those so-called curses anymore. The curse was completely removed from the moment she believed in Jesus because Jesus bore all your curses when He was hung on the tree. Do not believe in fortune-telling or feng shui anymore; those things have lost their effectiveness in your life.
Trying to obtain blessings through keeping the law puts you under a curse. The law says that everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. We have sins and cannot escape the curse. Where does this curse come from? It comes from the law! Carefully read the latter part of Deuteronomy 28. There are many curses that say, "If you do not obey the commandments and statutes that the Lord your God has given you, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you until you perish." This is the curse! Before all the curses, the Israelites had to say Amen. However, when they received blessings, they did not say Amen. Why? Because they were under the law and did not have the qualification to say Amen in front of blessings, because it was not received freely; they had to pay a price.
Under grace, I want to tell you that Jesus bore the curse for us, and you can boldly say Amen in front of God's blessings. We are completely different from the people of the Old Testament. When we say, "Lord, I have sinned today; what should I do?" You need to come before Jesus and say, "Lord Jesus, I finally know how many times You have forgiven me."
Once, Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, my brother has sinned against me seven times today. I have already forgiven him; is that enough?" Jesus said, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." Since Jesus told His disciples to forgive others like this, God's forgiveness for us must exceed seventy times seven. Amen! Jesus' forgiveness of our sins is eternal, endless forgiveness. You say, "Lord, I have sinned twice today." The Lord Jesus forgives you, knowing you have sinned twice, and the Lord Jesus forgives you. You have said to Jesus twice, "Lord, You love me so much." If you sin twenty times, you think of Jesus forgiving you twenty times. Each time will shift your focus back to Jesus, which will give you a grateful heart.
Now many churches teach that if you sin, be careful; God will punish you. Be careful that God will bring disaster upon your family. You are in fear, and you do not feel grateful to God, let alone dare to love God. When you truly understand, like this woman, that she was indeed a sinner, Jesus did not deny her sin, just as we who accept Jesus will also sin. This is acknowledged. It does not mean that when we talk about grace, we are without sin; that would be heresy. Acknowledge that we will sin today and tomorrow, but we are still righteous. This is two concepts.
Because our identity as children of God does not change. Although I may sin, God still loves me. God's forgiveness for me is everlasting because His love for me never ceases, and His forgiveness for me is also everlasting. For people, if you do not forgive someone, you cannot love them. Can you understand? For example, if you hate someone very much, you will not love them. The more you hate them, the less you can love them, unless you remove that hate, then you can love that person.
God loved us first by forgiving us. You must understand this. Before God loved us, He first paid the price for our sins. This matter must not be ambiguous. If the sin remains on us, God can only condemn us with the law and put us under the curse. But today, Jesus has died on the cross; He paid the price for our sins and died on the cross to redeem us from the curse of the law. Therefore, from today, you are no longer under the curse of the world.
Any curse has no effect on you. Do not say that the house facing the street cannot be lived in; what is wrong with that? Where Jesus is, there is Jesus' blessing. We do not live under the law; we live in Jesus Christ, because Jesus has redeemed us from all kinds of curses with His body and His life.
Understanding how much Jesus loves you begins with understanding how much Jesus has forgiven you. Amen! If you sin ten times today, Jesus forgives you. A person who understands that he has sinned ten times knows that Jesus has forgiven him ten times; his love for Jesus will be ten times. If a person sins one hundred times a day, and he understands that Jesus has forgiven him one hundred times, his love will increase more and more. This is just like this woman; it is the same as the story Jesus told us.
The one forgiven five denarii loves his master only five denarii. The one forgiven fifty denarii says, "Wow, you have forgiven me so much debt! How can I repay you? I really love you!" Amen! What does this resemble? Perhaps you do not have a concept of fifty denarii. Let me give you an example: now you owe ten million, thinking, "That's it; I will never be able to repay this in my lifetime. What should I do?" For example, a few days ago, someone said the stock market is doing well, and I want to buy stocks. They mortgaged all their houses and borrowed money from all their relatives and friends, and in the end, they lost it all.
Now they cannot live anymore; some people curse themselves, and some even jump off buildings because they see no way out. Another person says, "What should I do? I need to work hard to repay my debt." His friends all say, "We will not ask you to repay the money." How will you treat these people? When they come to your house for a meal, you will say, "Come, come! I wish you would come to my house every day!" Because you know how much they have forgiven you. If you owe someone ten dollars and they say, "You do not need to pay it back," how will you respond? "Isn't it just ten dollars? If you do not want it back, then fine; you will not lose anything." Is there a big difference between ten million and ten dollars? What does this mean?
Understanding how much Jesus has forgiven you will determine how much you love Jesus. If you misunderstand this, thinking, "If I sin ten times today, I need to be careful; God has ten opportunities to punish me, ten ways to deal with me," you will be very afraid. In the future, you will never let yourself make even the slightest mistake, but you cannot avoid it. Conversely, if you know you have made ten mistakes, you say, "Lord Jesus, I know You paid the price for the mistakes I made on the cross. You will not pursue the consequences of these ten sins against me. I know You love me. At least You have loved me ten times today." Hallelujah! This person's life will change. This is the true meaning of what Jesus wanted to convey in this passage.
Jesus asked Simon, "Which of these two will love his master more?" Simon said, "Of course, the one who was forgiven more." Jesus said, "You have judged rightly." Then He said to the woman, "You all say she is a sinner; I also acknowledge she is a sinner. You all say she has committed many sins; I also acknowledge she has committed many sins. But do you know? Many of her sins have been forgiven." Wow, Jesus explained this matter in this way. Jesus did not say, "Yes, the woman you mentioned is morally very bad..." If He had said this, after this woman left, she would be pointed at by others, looked down upon for the rest of her life, and would crash into a wall after leaving. What hope would she have? Jesus did not say this; Jesus always brings hope. This is our Savior.
When Jesus treats those who think they are righteous and feel good about themselves, He points out their problems. Jesus accepts those who are looked down upon by society, such as tax collectors, fishermen, and prostitutes. These people know they have various problems; they feel unworthy, but Jesus accepts such people. Hallelujah!
If you say many people look down on me, my home life is terrible, and I cannot get along with my husband or son, and I have no money. But Jesus has not discarded you; instead, He says He loves you more. The more you feel your own lack, the more you need Jesus' love. Hallelujah! The Bible specifically tells us this. None of us can keep the law. Those who try to keep the law with their good behavior fall under the curse. But those who openly acknowledge their shortcomings, admit they have deficiencies, and acknowledge they have indeed sinned will receive Jesus' forgiveness.
It is not that in Jesus Christ we are no longer condemned, so we can do whatever we want. Those who speak like this do not understand how much Jesus has forgiven them. This means they do not understand what God's grace is. When we understand that Jesus forgives us ten times or one hundred times, we see Jesus' love, and we will not sin; we will truly have a grateful heart toward God.
The Bible says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Why does God say this? "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Have you sinned? Yes, you have sinned. God does not condemn you; God uses this word. If you have not sinned at all, this word has no effect on you. You say, "I have not sinned at all; why would You condemn me?" It is very unfortunate for such a person; God can always find his sin.
But if you acknowledge, "Yes, I am in love, but I will still sin," God says, "I know you will still sin, but I tell you, you are not condemned in Christ Jesus." Understanding how Jesus forgives you in this way will lead you to love Jesus because His forgiveness is truly great, and His love is truly great. First, see how much Jesus loves you, and then you can forgive others.
There is another story about two people. One person cannot repay his debt, and the master forgives his debt. But another person, who owes him five denarii, grabs that person and puts him in prison because he does not feel that his master’s forgiveness is great. Therefore, he cannot forgive the one who owes him. Today, if we understand that Jesus has forgiven us all our sins, which is truly too much, how can we count it?
Tomorrow morning, if you curse someone again, you say, "Lord, I know this sin is also forgiven. Please give me the strength to overcome this sin." Do you understand? This kind of prayer adjusts your focus back to Jesus each time. When others curse you, you say, "Jesus has forgiven me like this, so I also forgive you." This is a cycle. If you say, "Lord, I have sinned today. What way will You punish me? Will You make my child sick? Or will You curse me a few times?" When others curse you a few times, you retaliate even more. This means if you receive punishment from God, what you give out is also a curse. Amen!
If you receive forgiveness from God, what you give out is God's love. We receive the gift of no condemnation, which is unconditional, because Jesus on the cross accomplished all this for you. Everyone needs to receive this gift, this gift of no condemnation. The more you receive, the more love you will have.
Verse 47 says: "I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven."
This woman also knew she had committed many sins, but Jesus said, "Many of your sins are forgiven," meaning, "Up to now, all the sins you know, I have forgiven." Hallelujah! Because her love is great, but he who is forgiven little loves little. It does not mean that God's forgiveness for us is little. It means we understand that Jesus' forgiveness is too little. Can you understand?
Understanding how much Jesus has forgiven you will increase your love. If you think Jesus only forgives you a little, saying, "Every time Jesus only forgives me when I confess my sins. At other times, He is always correcting me," then you will not feel that Jesus is lovable, nor will you feel how great God's grace is. But when you know that Jesus' forgiveness is unconditional, that He is always forgiving you and always loving you, then you will have God's love within you, and you will use this love to love those around you who have hurt you, those who are unlovable. Amen!
So the motivation is different! Under the law, God says, "If you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." But under the New Testament grace, God's approach has completely changed. God's intention is for you to forgive others because God has forgiven you. Do you see the difference? Thank the Lord!
1 John 4:10-12:
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.
This is the definition of love. Brothers and sisters, the Bible defines love as not that we love God, but that God loves us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The following says that when you think about how God made propitiation for your sins, you can love one another. John continues, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." Amen! The heart that loves one another is not something that can be shouted out with effort. Some churches loudly teach, "You must strive to love one another," and it becomes a superficial act. If you clearly hate this person in your heart, how can you love him? In the end, it all turns into hypocrisy.
I have mentioned before that there was a sister's church that forced everyone to hug each other when they came in, saying, "Because I love you." The service staff stood at the door, and when someone came in, they would say, "Jesus loves you; I love you too. Come in." This sister said, "I really dislike them hugging me; it feels fake. I clearly do not love them, yet I have to tell them I love you." It became a very painful thing. Because there is no love in the heart, it becomes an act.
The Bible tells us that today we can love one another because we know God has loved us. The more you understand how much God loves you, the more you can truly love one another. The Bible says, "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." If we are not complete inside, we will complain, grumble, be cynical, and have many negative words come out. But when God's love fills you, you will be complete inside, and what you give out will also be perfect love. Amen!
Because that is not yours; it is Jesus Christ's. I want to tell brothers and sisters that you must know that all your sins have been forgiven. Understand how much Jesus has forgiven you, and you will receive much love from Jesus. Look at how much you lack, how many mistakes you have made, or how many failures you have had. Every time you fail, know that God has accepted you. God loves you; God does not discard you. Every time you encounter this problem, refocus your attention on Jesus Christ.
Finally, Jesus said to this woman: "Your faith has saved you; go in peace!"
Jesus did not say, "Woman, you took that precious ointment and anointed me; you washed my feet with your tears and kissed my feet. Your series of actions have moved me, so go back; your sins are forgiven." If it were like this, everyone would have to work hard to please God. Jesus said it is not your actions but your faith that has saved you. It is our faith that saves us. Brothers and sisters, when you believe in Jesus, Jesus has already accepted you. Jesus says to you, "Go in peace; do not be afraid. Do not care about others' judgments of you, for I have already forgiven you." Amen! Thank the Lord!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise Your grace. You tell us that in this world we should love one another, for this is the command You give to each of us Christians. Before we love others, we must first forgive others. If we cannot forgive others, we cannot love others. You let us think about how much Jesus has forgiven us, seeing our shortcomings. Even so, Jesus still loves us! Every time we see ourselves sinning, we see Jesus' forgiveness for us again, because You made propitiation for my sins on the cross. I am willing to focus on Jesus because You are the propitiation for my sins. You forgive me every day, and when I see this, I know how many times You have loved me.
Just like this woman, Jesus loved her many times; all her sins were forgiven. All my sins were forgiven; Your love for me never ceases. I also carry this love and forgiveness to love those around me, even if they have hurt me and are unlovable. I am willing to accept them as You accept me, because this way, my heart will be filled with Your perfect love! Thank You and praise You, Lord. May I live out love this week. Jesus, give me strength. In the name of Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!