I'm Not Perfect, Just Forgiven

There was once a good-living preacher named Simon. He did all the things that good people were supposed to do. Everyone in his community knew him as a righteous man – he was respected and admired by all. He did not hang around “bad” people. He did not want his reputation tarnished. He was offended by their lifestyle, their many sins.

One day, an influential young preacher was passing through the area. Simon naturally invites him over for tea, as well as all his good-living pals. The religious elite of the town gather together to hobnob with this preacher who everyone in the region has been talking about – a man with unique authority, insight and power that crowds clamour to see.

Somehow during the meal an infamous woman slipped in to the gathering. She was a woman who was despised by all the good people as a notorious sinner. She walks to where the young preacher is reclining at the table (in those days people did not sit on chairs, they reclined on cushions). Tears are running down her face, and they spill on to the preacher’s feet. She uses her tears to wash his dusty feet, and then rubs them dry with her long hair. Freaky!! Then she kisses them and pours some perfume on them. Simon is outraged. How dare this evil woman touch his guest in this way! And as for the young preacher, shouldn’t he know what sort of person she is? How can he stand her presence, let alone her touch?

The young preacher – whose name was Jesus – turns to Simon and tells him this story…

 “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii (about $50,000), and the other fifty (about $5,000). 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?”

Simon answers “I guess the one who owed the most money”. “You’re right” says Jesus. The Bible says that we all have a debt that we owe God. No-one likes getting bills, and sometimes its easier to ignore them, which is what many people do with God. They deny His existence or the existence of any debt. “I’ve lived a good life”, they say with Simon, “if there is a God He will probably say I’ve done OK”.

Jesus pointed out to Simon that it doesn’t matter whether you are an obvious “sinner”, or someone with just a few “little” sins to their name, you still have a debt to God. God loves to forgive the big debts and the little ones. The “sinful” woman showed great love to Jesus in faith that He would accept her instead of rejecting her like others had. Jesus rewarded her faith by forgiving her sins.

Don’t ever think that God is not interested in people like you. He loves all people equally, and wants everyone to be a part of His family both in this life and the life to come. Being in that family does not depend on how good you are, it depends on how good God is. God wants to forgive you. Will you acknowledge your need of forgiveness, and accept God’s gift?