Luke 7:47b: “But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
The scene where today’s verse is taken is Jesus has been invited by a Pharisee to eat at his house. A woman from the city who was a sinner hears of Jesus being at the Pharisee’s house and shows up with an alabaster flask of fragrant oil. She stands at the Lord’s feet weeping and likely falls to her knees washing His feet with her hair, kissing His feet, and anointed them with oil. The Pharisee speaks to himself saying if Jesus were the prophet everyone says He is, He would know this woman was a sinner.
Let’s briefly unpack this scene. Jesus was a vocal critic of the Pharisee’s – the Jewish religious leaders of the day. The basis of their religious leadership, though, was their prideful public adherence to the Jewish Law. This was the “dos and don’ts” that the Jews had taken from the Mosaic Law and added a bunch of man-made restrictions for living in a righteous manner. Therefore, for a Pharisee to ask the Lord to come to his home to eat, one must be wondering what was the motivation of the invitation to such a vocal adversary.
Given the Pharisee’s thought to himself regarding his knowing the woman from the city was a sinner, he was clearly in judgment of this woman. However, if he was so judgmental of her, why was she allowed in his home? Perhaps he let her in to see for himself what he had been hearing about Jesus – He welcomes the presence of sinners. This religious “leader’s” heart was hardened – it was easier to judge the woman than it was to minister to her with a desire to show mercy and forgive her sin.
As for Jesus, the only way for us to know what was in the Pharisee’s heart was His receiving a word of knowledge through the Holy Spirit. He calls out the Pharisee by sharing a brief scenario where a lender had two borrowers – one owed 500 denari and the other 50. Neither can pay the lender, so the lender forgives their respective debts. Jesus asks the Pharisee which of the two will love the lender more for his act of forgiveness. The Pharisee responds by saying the one whom more was forgiven.
Jesus affirms the Pharisee’s response and then calls him out by pointing out all that the sinning woman had done for Him while in the Pharisee’s house, but the Pharisee had shown no courtesy to Jesus. The Lord then arrives at the point of His message, “her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” In this statement, Jesus clearly establishes the undeniable link of love and forgiveness. Where there is more love, there is more the forgiveness. Jon Courson affirms this truth when he says, “Because love sees more, love sees less.”
When we look upon the Cross, this is the image of this truth. “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall never parish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) God loves you so much, is fully aware of the burden of your sin, and seeks to show you mercy and forgive your sin, He sent His only Son – Jesus – to be the only permanent sacrifice for your sin. By your faith in Jesus and what He did at the Cross and His resurrection, you are forever forgiven of the judgment for every past, present, and future sin.
The thing about God’s forgiveness is it doesn’t stop with Him forgiving you. Now as a new creation with a new heart, He is looking to you to show the same kind of mercy, compassion, and forgiveness – in other words – the same kind of love to people in your life that Jesus showed you. That is how we can best share the Gospel message. That message is the undeniable link of love and forgiveness. When you love like Jesus, you will forgive like Jesus. Will you share it?