Express Newspaper
Finding Faith Article
By Pastor John Snyder
House of the Lord Fellowship
Saturday March 2019
In Luke 7:36-50 it shares the story of a woman who comes to Jesus and blesses Him.
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 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 people 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 forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “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—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven… Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The woman in this account comes to Jesus with great sin in her life, but she also comes with great humility and repentance. She is saved by not by virtue of her goodness, but by the virtue of God’s love, grace, and mercy. What we have done or not done is not the issue that matters. What matters is that Jesus came into the world 2,000 years ago to become the Savior to the world. Jesus paid the price for sin by becoming the perfect sacrifice for us, so that anyone can receive Him as their Lord and Savior. The invitation of salvation by God is given to all. He desires for all of us to be saved. He made a way for all to come to know Him. Jesus didn’t come to condemn, but rather to show His great love for us.
John 3:16-17 says, “for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”.
1 Timothy 2:4 says that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth”.
In 2 Peter 3:9, it tells us that “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
The woman in this story demonstrates that the amount and depth of our sin do not prevent us from coming to God. He will take us as we are. He loves us. He paid the price so that we can be forgiven, free, born again, and have eternal life. The door is always open to accept God into our lives. We have access to God. He is waiting for us to come to Him and be saved.
If you do not know God, take Him up on His offer. Don’t think you have sinned too much to be accepted by God. Just receive Him in your heart as your Savior. God loves you with a love that passes all understanding, and He has great plans in store for your life!
