Re:Verse reading–Luke 7:36-50 (day three)
“He who has been forgiven little loves little.” So. Love demonstrated is a function of forgiveness received. That would explain a lot. You want to love, but you just can’t get there. Your workaround is to settle for an appreciation of the idea of love, which most of the time looks like our definition of niceness. Or, it takes the form of fondness for the collective—humanity, people groups, “the lost”, etc. But the daughter outgrowing your expertise, or the boss emailing you, or the colleague besting you—these are problems you’re left with solving. Good luck with that. How about this: If nobody can love like a person forgiven, start there.
“Love demonstrated is a function of forgiveness received.” Thanks Bryan. I just had an AHA! moment.
“He who has been forgiven little loves little.” is a powerful parable. Jesus’s statement may have implied that his host did not show the level of love, admiration, and the respect for Jesus as the woman sinner demonstrated.
In my view, she knew her sins were many and she knew Jesus was the Holy one who would love her unconditionally and would forgive her sins. She probably knew in her heart Jesus cared for those who were weak in spiritual foundation and vulnerable in society. She came to Jesus for God’s grace, forgiveness, and mercy. Jesus was the source for her new life, the Jesus’s way of life. Jesus’ forgiveness of her sins gave her a new beginning! Love and forgiveness are powerful tools for a transformation of one’s heart and for lifting up others. Love can move mountains and gives people the opportunity to follow light instead of getting stuck in darkness.
In my view, the parable, He who has been forgiven little loves little, implies that we don’t need Jesus or may not love Jesus as much as this woman demonstrated if we think that we don’t have as many sins. Jesus pointed out that humans falsely measure love by the amount of sins and forgiveness one received.
From my perspective, none of us is pure in God’s eyes. We all sin based on God’s standards and requirements. If an outsider, such as the woman in this story, could demonstrate her love for Jesus in an extraordinary manner, how is about His followers?
This is a deep parable! What does this parable mean to you?