How to be a Lover – Luke 7:40-49: Parable of the two debtors
Just a few simple facts that are being brought forward; firstly, gratitude is the true motivation of love. When we are aware of how much God has done for us we are truly grateful. A heart of thanksgiving for life’s blessing and opportunities enables a sense of indebtedness but may not make us sensitive to the needs and plight of people less fortunate. There is a situation that some may relate to; we are grateful to what God has done, but not able to break out of the cycle of the idea that God has blessed us because we are good, and we try to be good because God blesses us. This problem is hypocrisy. Another point to include is profound gratitude is the result of forgiveness. For those who love little, they because they have been forgiven little; for those who love profoundly because they had been forgiven immensely. The twist of this parable is that, it is not the adulterous woman who had the larger debt, but the Pharisee’s pride-festering hypocrisy was a far greater debt. Carefully constructed self-righteousness has led to self-sufficiency that will begin to lead us to believing that God is privileged to have us among His chosen people. The sign that we are overextended in debt is that we think someone else needs forgiveness more than we do.
The forgiven woman becomes our role model, our focus. The warm and gracious people of the world are those who have been forgiven. The greater the depth of contrition, the higher the heights of compassion. When we know that we are sinners saved by grace, we become lovers communicating hope to others. There is nothing we can do or say that will negate Christ’s love – except the pride of Simon. Only a sinner needs a Saviour. If there is no realization of our need, no sensitivity of the distance between what we are and cold be – then we have blocked all possibility of being a lover.
Lastly, Jesus could give His beatific benediction only to the woman. Her confession of need was rewarded by forgiveness and the promise of evolving peace: “Go into peace”; go into an ever-increasing experience of God’s unifying, healing wholeness. What that means for us is that peace grows with each new realization of our sin. Each day has it realization of failure and missed opportunities. We will never be free of the consciousness of our potential or of the read availability of grace. Life can be separated into the tight compartments of daily adventure and freedom to fail. We need not carry any tension of unconfessed sin into our tomorrows. Peace is the gift of God that replace the anxiety of guilt.
To be a lover is to let God forgives us! Forgiveness will lead to a burst of gratitude. The way the woman cared for Jesus, is the way we are to care for people. We will never be able to do enough. For again how the woman cared for Jesus is how to be a lover. The more our Lord forgives us, the more we will become more sensitive, compassionate, open and forgiving lovers.
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