MARCH 14 READING…Luke 7
Our reading today begins with Jesus showing His identity by the mighty miracles that He performed. He begins by healing the servant of a Roman centurion. He does this, and He never actually sees the sick servant. Jesus is blessed and encouraged by the faith of this Gentile man, who believed that Jesus could do this work just by speaking it. Oh, that we would have such faith in Jesus…He is the creator, and all of nature bows in His presence…is there anything that He cannot do? The answer to my question is quickly answered in the second event that Luke records for us in this chapter. Jesus raises a widow woman’s son from the dead. The response of the people was to declare that God had visited His people…they don’t know how right they were. We know that the Lord has promised that when His people meet in His Name, He will be there in the midst of them. I have often wondered if we really believe this when we meet? I have wondered if we gather with the expectation of the living Lord being there with us?
Jesus teaches us about forgiveness in this chapter. A Pharisee actually asks Jesus to come and dine at his house. A sinful woman, many believe a prostitute, comes and breaks an alabaster jar and anoints the feet of Jesus. This is very similar to what will happen at the beginning of Jesus passion week, just outside of Jerusalem. This event happens in the region of the Galilee, and we are not told who the woman is. The Pharisee made the comment about the fact that the woman was an unclean sinner, and if Jesus were a true prophet, He would know what kind of woman she was. Of course, Jesus knew exactly who she was, and used this event to speak about the reality of true forgiveness. So, Jesus spoke a parable about two debtors who owed their creditor…one owed twice as much as the other. Jesus asked which one would be more grateful if the creditor forgave their debt? Simon the Pharisee rightly answered that the one who had been forgiven the most would certainly be the most grateful. Then Jesus pointed out to him the difference between Simon’s response to Jesus and the woman’s response. Jesus then forgave her sins and promised her salvation. Notice that Jesus never says that to Simon the Pharisee, and notice that those there missed the point of what Jesus was saying, for they were just upset that Jesus dared to forgive sins. We need to honestly see ourselves as the “chief of sinners” …that our gratefulness to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, and our salvation, will be truly great!
Please share your thoughts from today’s reading.
TOMORROW’S READING…Luke 8
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