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Luke 7:36-50
36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
37 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,
38 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.
39 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."
40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.
41 "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 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?"
43 Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44 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.
45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.
47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48 Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
I consider this miracle as the miracle of the miracles. We can be healed of our sickness or inabilities or even be raised from dead, yet what good it is unless we do not have forgiveness of our sins?
Why this woman is called a sinner? There are others who are sinned also. We could never hear Peter the sinner or Martha the sinner etc. This woman has in her mind that she is a sinner and that she did it against the Lord. It was not a momentary feeling, but a firm decision to change life forever. Jesus did not find a saints face or a adulterers face or a guilty face on her, she had the face of a sinner. May be that is why Jesus decided to give her a chance.
Let me narrate a story. Almost 22 years ago, a newborn girl child was found abandoned near the Ernakulam Fine Arts hall, in the river shore. The authorities of the school where my child is studying now, has decided take care of her. Three years later a couple from Belgium came forward to adopt her, and they took her to their land. She grew up as a known singer in Belgium; the land honored her with many awards.
When she is grown one day she came back India. She wanted to at least see her mother. She came with the adopted parents and gave advertisement in news papers. 114 women came to see her claiming to be her mother. She had a talk with all of them, and yet she was discouraged. She said she could not find a sinners face in any of those 114 woman who came there, so how could I ever find my mother. With tears she returned back to her adopted land.
If we go to Jesus with the face of a sinner, our sins, which are many, will be forgiven and we will be given a new chance to live a better life. We will find freedom in Christ. Only stumbling block in our spiritual growth is our own sins.
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