Tag: Simon

The Profound Power of Forgiveness

Brent Pollard

Recently, I received fantastic news that the Department of Education has wiped out my massive student debt. Like millions of other people, I was still making payments on my student loans. So, my debt wasn’t unique. However, my inability to work due to my disability has made it difficult to make progress toward paying off that debt. I have been participating in the gig economy since 2013, and I must ensure that my assets stay within a specific limit to maintain my health insurance coverage.

When you are on a fixed income, you cannot afford to pay the DOE several hundred dollars monthly. Your loan quickly becomes delinquent. Thus, you can imagine my elation when I recently received an email stating, “The Biden-Harris Administration has forgiven your federal student loan.” My mom joked that the DOE included this information so I would know who to thank in 2024. Whatever the case, her words reminded me of Jesus’ Parable of the Two Debtors. 

And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred denarii, and the other, fifty. When they were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” (Luke 7.40-43 NASB)

The Humanity of Judgment

Let’s analyze this parable in its original setting of Luke 7.36-50 and draw some conclusions. The action takes place in the house of a Pharisee. During the meal, a woman notorious for her sins comes up to Jesus and offers Him a profoundly loving and humbling gesture. Simon, a Pharisee, interrupts this moving scene because he cannot overlook the woman’s sins. This reaction serves as a sobering reminder that it’s easy to become like Simon—quick to judge and blind to the splendor of the present because we’re stuck in our preconceived notions.

The Parable of Two Debtors 

Knowing that people were passing judgment on the woman, Jesus tells a simple parable. Two debtors, unable to make payments, have their balances wiped clean by their moneylender. Jesus’ question, “Which of them will love him more?” is profound. Gratitude is the topic of this inquiry. It’s about acknowledging our complete dependence on God and the immensity of His grace toward us. If someone fully comprehends the magnitude of their debt, receiving forgiveness can often overwhelm them with emotion.

The Depth of Love

The unidentified woman showed Jesus not only love but also profound comprehension and gratitude. Grace was something she realized she needed. Her tears reveal her sorrow, and her deeds reveal her love. Unlike Simon, who failed to extend basic courtesies, this woman lavished love on Jesus. She did this not because she felt like she should but because she deeply understood who Jesus is and what He offers.

Forgiveness, the Heart of the Gospel

The words Jesus spoke to the woman, “Your sins have been forgiven,” capture the essence of the Gospel and its power. The love of God brings restoration and redemption. Our faith in Jesus enables us to experience transformative forgiveness as a reminder. The guests’ question, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” exemplifies the revolutionary nature of Jesus’ message and mission.

A Call to Love and Recognize

The story concludes with a decisive mandate: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” It’s a call to reckon with our debts, comprehend the immensity of God’s mercy, and respond with profound, genuine, and transformative love.

In Conclusion

Do we love with the same depth and enthusiasm demonstrated by the woman in the Gospel? Or do we hastily pass judgment like Simon? Simon could not recognize the vastness of his debt but was acutely aware of the woman’s transgressions. His narrow perspective caused him to overlook the basic courtesies expected of a host. On the other hand, the woman was mindful of her need for grace, which led her to make a costly sacrifice by anointing Jesus.

Let us pray that Christ’s boundless love and forgiveness reshape us. May we recognize our need for grace and be ever receptive to His love, becoming instruments of His grace for all around us.

The Lost Loved By The Lord

Neal Pollard

The prostitute on the street with a painful past who’s made dreadful decisions. The grownup who’s the product of unbelievable dysfunction and endured issues like abuse, abandonment, alcohol, and anxiety.  The teen who has never been shown true, Christlike love. The religious adherent whose idea of God and the Bible has been filtered through a trusted, but false, teacher. There are endless individuals who fall into the category of “lost” by Scripture (see the parables of Luke 15), even if they would not identify themselves with that word.

A particular challenge for those of us who “inherited” the knowledge of the truth from our homes is to recognize our dependency upon God for salvation. We look at our lives which, though littered with sin and shortcomings, do not have the disarrayed appearance of lives like the ones mentioned above. We’re basically “good.”  It is so easy for us to be like Simon in Luke 7:36ff. We know our Bibles. We invite Jesus along. We are aghast at how lost those lost people are. We cannot fathom that Jesus would want them. Then, we find ourselves as the one who loves little because we think we have little to be forgiven of. We do not serve Him like we should, but we feel pretty safe.

By contrast, the lost often do not become Christians because they feel so unworthy of forgiveness or see their past as insurmountable chains though they long for freedom. They don’t know, but they need to know, that God longs for them and wants them. They have immense value in His eyes, and, if they come to Him, He will say, “Your sins have been forgiven…Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (Luke 7:48,50). Whereas pride might be our impediment, guilt is often theirs.

Each of us needs to find the balance between self-righteousness and self-loathing. If we are the Pharisee, we need humility. If we are the sinful woman, we need hope. But for that latter category, who we are in constant contact with, we must embrace and share the message that the Lord longs for them and sees their soul as precious enough to die for. They need to know He already did that as proof of His love (John 3:16; 15:13). Do you know somebody who is lost? Let them know the Lord loves them!

Businessman looking at a map spread out on the hood of a car