You probably couldn’t have orchestrated a more stark contrast. A Pharisee, a he, and a sinner, a she, with Jesus in their midst.

He had no water for Jesus’ feet, though custom would have dictated that would have been the respectful thing to do. She, on the other hand, wet the feet of Jesus with her tears and wiped them with her hair — kind of an outrageous thing to do. He had no welcoming kiss on the cheek for Jesus, but she would not stop kissing Him, though still at His feet. He made no effort to minister to Jesus, offered no oil for His head. She broke open an alabaster flask of ointment and humbly poured it out. Guess where? Yeah, she is still bowed at the feet of Jesus.

In essence, the Pharisee met the Messiah with, “Meh! No big deal.” The sinner however, though her behavior would have been considered “over the top” by many, could not adequately express her adoration for this Friend of sinners.

And what I’m chewing on this morning is Jesus’ diagnosis of the dynamic at play.

And Jesus answering said to [the Pharisee], “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged rightly.” . . . .”Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven— for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

(Luke 7:40-43, 47 ESV)

Pretty clear cause and effect diagnosis by Jesus. Forgiven much? You’re gonna love much in return. Not so much? Not so much love in return. And it occurs to me that how we determine “much” is kind of important.

If Simon, the upstanding Pharisee, a pillar in his community, is comparing himself to this woman, a no name known only as a “sinner”, then maybe compared to her “much” sin, his sin isn’t so much. But what if Simon could have grasped standing before the Holy, Holy, Holy God? Then how much would he recognize his need for forgiveness? Pretty much!

And it brings to mind something else that Jesus said.

“And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”

(Matthew 24:12 ESV)

In context, I think Jesus is saying that generally in the world the inclination to love will “wax cold” (KJV) because of the “overwhelming spread of evil” (MSG). Increased wickedness is going to lead to decreased affection.

But I’m wondering this morning if, as the world gets worse, we followers of Jesus might be tempted to count ourselves better in comparison and thus run the danger of starting to think, “I didn’t really need to be forgiven much.” And if that starts happening, if we start seeing the debt erased for us as somehow lesser than the debt others need erased, might we be in danger of “loving little”, or at least loving less, because we think we’ve been forgiven less? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Or, what if we fail to recognize that each day we’re still, in a sense, accruing debt as the flesh wins over the Spirit way too often? While we may not view that debt being “as great” as the debt being accrued by the sinners around us, if we fail to recognize the daily “wages of sin” we’re earning — thus failing to confess our sins, thus failing to recognize how much we continue to be forgiven — then what happens to our love for the Savior? Is it possible that the love which once burned intensely, as it was fueled by our daily awareness of our own desperate condition, is now but a flickering flame because, hey, compared to the world around us, we’re looking pretty good?

Yeah, it’s possible. Jesus said so.

“I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” ~ Jesus

(Revelation 2:3-4 ESV)

Loving much, or loving little? Forgiven much, or forgiven little? Being forgiven much, or being forgiven little?

Worth chewing on I think . . . especially amidst a world that might make us think we’re better than we really are and His grace is less needed than it really is.

Forgiven much and being forgiven much. By His grace.

O’ that I would love much and grow to love much more. For His glory.