STILL MORE THOUGHTS ON FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness overflows in loving mercy towards others. Once Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee and was approached by a sinful woman who was undoubtedly scorned and rejected and considered unforgivable by the self righteous Pharisee. Luke tells us,

“When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven’."
Luke 7:37-48

God’s forgiveness is a powerful force; it never leaves a person unchanged. The woman’s joy in God overflowed with her demonstrative act of mercy and kindness towards Jesus. She became what she had received from Christ. That is why Jesus could say, “Her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much.” Forgiveness isn’t the reward of God’s love; it is the fruit of being loved by God. Her love to Jesus was the living witness of a heart set free! Oh what joy there is in God’s forgiveness! That joy caused David to pen these words:

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."
Psalm 32:1-2

David’s sin, the woman’s sin, my sin, and your sin are burdens that we desperately long to be relieved of. God’s forgiveness lifts that burden from our shoulders. That is why David shouts aloud “Blessed!” All hope for joy and happiness is contingent upon that forgiveness, because all hope and happiness can only be found in God. No wonder David, having experienced the joy of God’s forgiveness, invites others to seek God’s forgiveness:

“For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Psalm 32:6-7

God is like the high rock, the hiding place, and that reality of his grace and mercy and love transform us. John Piper says, “You cannot despise becoming what you enjoy about God.” When we receive forgiveness, love, and grace from God it means we cannot be unforgiving, unloving, and withholding of these things towards others. The joy of God’s mercy brings joy and liberation in showing His mercy to others. But this mercy and forgiveness brings to others what they need above all things including forgiveness: God Himself.

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8

Alexander Pope once said, “To err is human, to forgive divine.” Oh what a blessing is God’s forgiveness, the forgiveness that brings us God Himself.

Savoring the forgiveness that brings me to God,
Pastor Bill