205-Receive First, Then Willingly Give 3#
205-Receive First, Then Willingly Give 3
(JP Text Group - beloved compilation)
Luke 7:36-50
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and He went into 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:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! It is Your love that draws us to Your presence once again. We are willing to first receive Your forgiveness and then to give out Your forgiveness. Without knowing that You have already forgiven us, we lack the strength to forgive others; without knowing that You have already pardoned us, we cannot forgive those around us! Grant me this strength, let me first understand Your forgiveness from You; understand Your grace, and with Your strength interact with those around me. I commit this time to the Holy Spirit, please help every brother and sister to know You more deeply! In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!
The topic of sharing is: Receive First, Then Willingly Give, Part 3
What are we to receive? God's forgiveness. If you do not know that you have been forgiven by God, you will not let yourself go. Each of us has shortcomings and problems; if you do not know that God no longer sees your sins, these problems, these shortcomings, you cannot let yourself go, nor can you let others go. This is who we are. But God does not want you to live in unforgiveness and condemnation; He wants you to first understand that all your sins have been forgiven!
At this banquet, a woman appeared, and through this woman, we are told that all sins have been forgiven by Jesus. At that time, the custom among the Jews was to recline at the table while eating, similar to how the Korean people eat, with feet pointing outward, half-reclining, using one hand to grab food to eat, and the other hand supporting the table. When you enter, you would see a row of feet or two vertical rows of feet, with feet everywhere and heads inside. The Pharisee invited Jesus, and Jesus did not refuse.
Brothers and sisters, whether we are evangelizing or saving souls, do not look at a person's current state. You cannot say that this person is worshiping idols and cannot be with them, fearing that being with them will infect you. That proves your understanding of Jesus is still insufficient. Jesus knew that the one who invited Him was a Pharisee and also knew that Simon did not truly hold Jesus in high regard, yet Jesus still went. What was Jesus's purpose in going? To give the truth to Simon. Our Jesus does not refuse those who invite Him; this is our Lord Jesus!
Brothers and sisters, what is your purpose in coming here? You are not here to see me or others; you are here to seek Jesus Christ. When you seek Him, He will surely let you find Him; if you come to Jesus with problems, He will certainly provide you with the answers you need!
Brothers and sisters, the more you desire to see Jesus, the more you will receive. Many people come to see Jesus with pressure, and after seeing Jesus, the pressure will diminish, ultimately entering into Jesus's rest. This is what we need to understand. No matter what problems you encounter, seek Jesus.
The Pharisee who invited Jesus did not truly regard Jesus; he merely thought of Jesus as a teacher, a well-known figure, asking Him to come to his house for a meal. However, during the meal, a problem arose. While they were eating, a woman came in, and the text mentions that this woman was a sinner. The Pharisee knew this woman was a sinner; did Jesus know? Of course, Jesus knew. When they saw this, the Pharisee Simon thought to himself, “If this man were a prophet.”
Brothers and sisters, in Simon the Pharisee's heart, what was Jesus? Not necessarily a prophet; he said, “If He were a prophet,” indicating he was not sure Jesus was a prophet. He thought, “If you were a prophet, you would certainly know what kind of woman this is who is touching you, for she is a sinner.” Simon was still observing Jesus, watching what Jesus was doing, seeing if Jesus could discern what kind of woman this was. In fact, Simon did not regard Jesus as the Savior.
Your understanding of Jesus directly affects your ability to receive. If you think Jesus is just a teacher, you will only gain some knowledge from Him; if you think Jesus is a doctor, He can heal your diseases; if you believe Jesus is your Savior, He can save you in all things!
This man, if he were a prophet, would know who is touching him, what kind of woman she is, for she is a sinner.
Brothers and sisters, in Simon the Pharisee's heart, this woman was a sinner, a filthy woman, a woman looked down upon. But in Jesus's heart, this woman was a forgiven person, someone who understood God's love and was serving. Perhaps those around were looking and saying, “What is this woman doing? We are eating, and she comes in crying, wiping Jesus's feet with her tears.” They might have felt disgusted, thinking, “What are you doing? You sinner! We all look down on you!” Because of this, they looked down on everything she did, even if it was right, they considered it wrong; this is human perspective.
But in Jesus's heart, this woman was serving! I want to tell everyone: first, do not let the world define you. Perhaps the world says you are a person who has made mistakes, a sinner, with a bad temper, and not good in many aspects. But in God's eyes, you are a forgiven person, you are someone who has received God's love. When you understand how Jesus sees you, you gain the strength to live.
To help them correctly understand this woman, Jesus used the story of debt. A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Verse 42 says that because they could not pay, the moneylender did something; the Bible says the moneylender canceled the debts of both. How much did he cancel? All of it. So brothers and sisters, you are a forgiven person. How much sin has Jesus forgiven you? Is it all? Has He left even a little behind?
Always remember: Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross, and all your sins have been forgiven! You are completely forgiven; if someone tells you that you still have sins that need to be dealt with through effort or some actions to cleanse them, they are certainly wrong.
Because Jesus said very clearly, a moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii. Did the moneylender say, “I forgive you forty-nine denarii”? No. It was all forgiven; the moneylender canceled the debts of both, meaning the first person was forgiven five hundred denarii, and the second person was forgiven fifty. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, we may owe different debts to God; some owe five hundred, some owe fifty, but we are all debtors. Through Jesus's cross, when He shed His blood, our sins were all forgiven. This was not because our actions were good enough, but because He showed mercy, grace came upon us. Amen!
When Jesus said that the moneylender canceled the debts of these two, who would appreciate the moneylender more? Simon the Pharisee said, “Naturally, the one who was forgiven more.” Brothers and sisters, Simon was not completely hopeless; he did not say the one who owed more. The focus is on the forgiveness, but how did Simon say it? “I suppose it is the one who was forgiven more.” The focus is on the forgiveness. Amen!
Where your focus is is crucial. If it is on sin, then every day you will deal with your sin, no matter what method you use; if it is on God's forgiveness, then Jesus Christ's forgiveness will continually appear in your life. Hallelujah!
Simon said it was the one who was forgiven more. Jesus said, “You have judged rightly; forgiven much, grace received freely.” Amen! It is not something earned by doing good deeds; the master canceled all his debts. It is not because he had anything special, but because the master had compassion. Amen! We are such forgiven people.
In Psalm 103:2-4,
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. 3 Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
Brothers and sisters, this is the Father's grace towards us. Our focus should not be on sin but on God's grace, understanding God's forgiveness, understanding His benefits. God says do not forget all His benefits; He forgives all your iniquities, heals all your diseases, redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. This is all God's grace! It is not the result of your efforts but because He is willing to give. When God is willing to give you grace, what can you do? Accept it! Receive it! This is the best response to God!
If you want to truly have the strength to forgive those around you and love them more, first receive His forgiveness from Jesus. If you do not understand His forgiveness, you will not have the strength to forgive, to tolerate those around you. So Jesus turned and looked at the woman. Brothers and sisters, when this woman came in, it seemed Jesus had never seen her before, but the others in the house were all looking at her, thinking, “This woman is a sinner! How did the Pharisees know this woman was a sinner?”
Some historical records indicate that this woman might be Mary Magdalene, the prostitute Mary. Generally, only such people would attract the attention of almost all men. In that era, women were rarely recognized; why? Women generally wore veils on their heads. The reason for this was simple: to prevent religious figures like Pharisees from sinning. Men took measures to prevent themselves from sinning by having women wear head coverings. Walking on the street, everyone looked similar, and it was hard to tell who was who, thus naturally preventing sin.
But prostitutes were different; they would take off their veils, revealing their faces. So at that time, if someone saw a woman without a head covering, which was something Islamic women wore, only showing their eyes, or just a veil, it was hard to distinguish who was who, good or bad. But once a woman walked around with her face uncovered, she was certainly a prostitute.
In the Corinthian church, it was mentioned that women should cover their heads, referring to this matter. It meant that normal women should not walk around without head coverings, or others would think they were prostitutes. Paul said you should cover your heads because, in that era, women's status had just been liberated. Women could gather with men, after all, it was the church under the New Covenant. When they entered the church, seeing so many people, a few women would chatter together without head coverings. After leaving the church, they still did not cover their heads, and many men might say, “So many prostitutes came out of the church.” So Paul said you should cover your heads; do you understand?
So many men knew this woman was a sinner. It was obvious this woman was one who exposed herself. They thought, “Jesus, do you know who this woman is? We all know what kind of person she is!” It seemed Jesus had not turned to look at this woman until this moment when He turned to the woman and 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 did not greet me with a 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.”
In the region of Israel, the wind and sand are particularly strong. After walking around outside, your hands and feet would be covered in dust. The first thing to do when you get home is to wash your hands and feet. When inviting someone to your home for a meal, the first thing to do upon entering is to offer them water to wash their hands and feet; this is the most basic courtesy! But did Simon the Pharisee do this? No.
However, this woman came in and immediately began to serve Jesus. You could say this woman was giving; how could she have this strength, not caring how the men around her would look at her, rushing to serve Jesus? Where did her strength come from? She understood that her many sins had been forgiven, which produced the power of love, the power to serve. She understood that after being forgiven, she willingly came to give, not out of compulsion, but voluntarily and gladly served.
And although the Pharisee Simon invited Jesus, he did not know Jesus well; his understanding of Jesus was very limited, especially regarding forgiveness and love. Jesus said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet.” This Pharisee was focused on the woman, looking at her appearance and her past.
Brothers and sisters, this is a common mistake. The Pharisee Simon did not recognize this woman as she is now; he only judged her present based on her past actions. Someone might say, “You used to be a loser.” But that person has long believed in Jesus; how can you still look at them with that past perspective?
Simon the Pharisee looked down on this woman. We all have our mistakes, so our perspectives need to be updated. We cannot remain stuck in the past. It is like a joke that says people in a certain area still think we cannot afford tea eggs; their perspective is stuck fifty years ago. But that is not the case anymore!
In this rapidly developing information age, perhaps if you do not see someone for three months, you need to reassess them. Amen! Do not use past perspectives to view your present self or others. Jesus's intention is for you to take another look at this woman and see what kind of person she is. Have you perceived this woman with your heart? Have you looked at her as I do?
I entered your house; you did not give me water for my feet, but this woman has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair; 45 You did not greet me with a kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since I came in; 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment. These are all basic courtesies. As I mentioned, the wind and sand are particularly strong, and the skin is prone to cracking. When you travel to Israel, you will find that they have many cosmetics, especially olive oil. After walking outside, washing your hands and feet, you need to reapply cosmetics. The Bible mentions that you did not anoint my head with oil, nor did you anoint my face with ointment. That ointment is like our modern cosmetics. After going out, with the wind and sun being harsh, there were already relatively advanced cosmetics at that time. Simon did not lack these; he just did not think Jesus was worthy enough to serve Him well.
Brothers and sisters, it is precisely because he did not know Jesus, and his understanding of the love and forgiveness Jesus gave him was very limited. Brothers and sisters, why do we need to continue listening to the Word? I am not here to give you knowledge or teach you theology; I just want you to know Jesus more, to understand Jesus's forgiveness, that He has forgiven all your sins. When you understand His forgiveness, you will understand His love and know how beautiful He is. Receiving this forgiveness and giving it out will be God's love!
Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.
The reason this woman could do these willing acts of service is that she knew her many sins had been forgiven. When you understand that your many sins have been forgiven by Jesus, you will have more of Jesus's love! Jesus did not say to Simon, “Look at this woman; she is crying so pitifully. Because she cries more, I love her more; because she keeps kissing my feet, I must respect this woman.” If that were the case, every Christian would have to act like followers of other religions, bowing and scraping, appearing more pious, or everyone would have to have a statue of Jesus at home, licking it every day to show their piety. That is not how it is! The reason Jesus has such a high evaluation of this woman is that she knows her many sins have been forgiven, which produces sincere actions!
Understand: all your sins have been forgiven by Jesus. Your acceptance of Jesus will increase, and the love of Jesus that comes out of you will increase. Jesus's meaning is very simple: the reason she loves me so much and serves me so much, making you feel uncomfortable, is that she knows she has been forgiven much. Jesus said, “He who is forgiven little, loves little.” It is not that God forgives some people less; Jesus's forgiveness for everyone is complete. It is just that some people feel it is not that much, and their love for Jesus is less.
I believe Jesus had seen this woman before and had forgiven her sins. Now she came to this place to show her service after being forgiven. Amen! Her current service is the result of being forgiven. Brothers and sisters, only when you first understand Jesus's forgiveness will you produce different service and different results in your life. Everyone needs to understand this.
In this story, who will love Jesus more? The person who knows they have been forgiven much will love Him more; the one who does not know how much they have been forgiven will love less. Brothers and sisters, think about this question: when do you know how much Jesus has forgiven you? Many people ask me, “Teacher Ren, what should I do if I sin under the New Covenant?” When do you know how much Jesus has forgiven you? When you are weak, when you make mistakes, when you sin.
You should immediately remember one thing: Jesus has forgiven all your sins. Do not focus on your shortcomings; you should know: even if you have ten thousand shortcomings, Jesus still forgives you, and Jesus still loves you!
For example, when looking for a partner, if this person has a lot of faults and no good qualities, and you know all of them, can you still accept this person? No, you want someone perfect, handsome, good-tempered, able to earn money, and capable in the kitchen. This is the prince charming in your heart; you will look for such a person. But what kind of person does Jesus love? You cannot find a single righteous point from head to toe, and Jesus says: “I love such a person; that person is you!”
When you have shortcomings and weaknesses, you should adjust your focus to Jesus! You say, “Lord, I am nothing, yet You still love me, never giving up on me, never abandoning me.” Amen! We are forgiven because Jesus was crucified; we are under grace because He bore our sins; we are released because He shed His blood. You have no complaints, and at any cost, You saved me!
You are my Lord; You are my atonement. Thank You and praise You! You are my Lord! I am willing to receive Your forgiveness; I am willing to receive Your grace, and with Your strength, live through this new week. Please change me; continually renew me; let me see those around me with new eyes. Thank You and praise You; all glory belongs to You! In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!