God Loves to Save, Whatever the Timeline
“Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”’
So this woman came in during dinner and washed Jesus’ feet and cried with joy and thanksgiving because her sins were forgiven.
But then after the parable, Jesus says “your sins are forgiven…go in peace.”
It’s no surprise why people disagree about “what you have to do to be saved.”
The thing is, this is entirely at Western culture question. If you read this from an Eastern, less-linear cultural perspective, that wouldn’t be a hang-up at all.
The point is that there are about a dozen lessons going on here.
For one, this woman is so loving and grateful because she had a lot of sins that needed to be forgiven. She arrives on the scene either already forgiven or in great need of forgiveness. From the context of the parable, Jesus hints that she is so loving because her sins have been forgiven. She could have been forgiven elsewhere, but came to show her gratitude. In her coming to show that, it was publicly proclaimed that Jesus could forgive sin.
There are a lot of things in the Bible that tangle up cause and effect. Are we like a city on a hill because we are God’s people, or are we God’s people because we shine out His glory like a city on a hill? Are we forgiven our sins because we forgive others their sins or do we forgive others because we’ve been forgiven? Am I happy at work today which makes me grin no matter what, or am I grinning no matter what and that makes me happy at work today?
Exactly.
As all of this happens at the same time, look at what is happening instead of getting bogged down in the order.
Jesus is forgiving sin and people are responding to Him in love. Our faith is saving us even as God is saving us and giving us faith to believe in Him.
Rejoice and be in awe today. He loves to save us.
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