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He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others at table said
to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to
the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke
7:48–50
These loving words from Jesus were spoken to a sinful woman who
showed up unannounced at a dinner Jesus was having at the house of
a Pharisee. The Pharisee looked down upon her in judgment, but she
didn’t care. In sorrow for her sins, she anointed Jesus’ feet and
humbled herself before Him, bathing His feet with her tears and
drying them with her hair.
The conversation ends with Jesus looking at her and telling her
“Your sins are forgiven.” Note the reaction of those who were at
the table. We are given an insight into their interior thoughts.
They said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives
sins?”
Those who have been born and raised within the faith have always
understood that God forgives. We were taught this from an early
age, learned much about it in preparation for the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, and have heard this message throughout our lives in
one form or another. But imagine never hearing about or
experiencing the forgiveness of God throughout your life, and then
suddenly one day you do. Imagine what these people must have been
experiencing as they encountered the forgiveness of sins for the
first time in the Person of Jesus as He forgave this sinful woman.
They may have been a bit confused by this, but, perhaps more than
anything else, they would have experienced a holy awe and amazement
at what God had done. They saw this sinful woman come in, they
sensed the judgment and demeaning attitude of the Pharisees, they
saw her express sorrow and humiliation, and then they saw Jesus
forgive her.
Are you amazed at the gift of the forgiveness of your sins and the
sins of others? Or do you take forgiveness for granted? The wonder
and awe that the people manifested at the forgiveness of the sins
of this woman should help us to examine our own attitude toward
God’s mercy and forgiveness. We need to continually foster within
ourselves the same amazement at God’s mercy that these people had.
We must work to never take forgiveness for granted or to see it as
just one more normal part of life. Rather, we must see it as
extraordinary, ever new, ever glorious and forever awe
inspiring.
Reflect, today, upon the awe-inspired words of these first
followers of Jesus: “Who is this who even forgives sins?” As you
do, let God fill you with the deepest gratitude for the forgiveness
He has offered you. Renew your appreciation for this unmerited gift
from God and allow that gratitude to become the source of your
ongoing amazement at the mercy of God.
My forgiving Lord, Your mercy and compassion for the sinner is
truly awe-inspiring. Thank You for loving me and all Your followers
with a love so deep. Please fill my heart with a holy awe at Your
incredible mercy. May I always be amazed at Your forgiveness and
always be filled with the deepest gratitude as I experience it in
my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
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Featured image above: The Feast in the House of Simon
the Pharisee by Paolo Veronese, via Wikimedia Commons
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