To Those Who Are Forgiven Most

I was doing my usual Bible reading this morning and came across the story about when Jesus was invited to eat at a religious leader's home. A woman who was a sinner came in to the house with an alabaster box of ointment, and the Bible says with many tears and using her hair she washed the feet of Jesus and anointed his feet with the contents of the box. The story goes on to say the religious leader said within himself, "If Jesus knew what manner of woman this was, he would not allow this."

Jesus then tells the man a story about two people who owed debts; one large and the other small. Both debtors were forgiven of what they owed, and Jesus asked which one would be the most grateful. The man replied, "I guess the one to whom the largest debt was owed." Jesus congratulated him on the correct answer, then turning to the woman said to her, "Daughter, your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you."

I found something interesting in this story; the woman, when she heard about Jesus being at this man's house for dinner showed up to anoint the feet of Jesus.  Now I don't know about you, but if I'm throwing a dinner party and a stranger shows up, I'm probably not going to let them come in and accost my guests. This makes me wonder, how did the religious leader know she was a sinner, and why then if he knew this did he allow her to come in?

The skeptic in me thinks maybe he knew she was a sinner, because he had been one of the men who was visiting her?  After all, Jesus said there were two debtors in his story. Perhaps the woman was not the one with the greatest sin in the story he was telling? Maybe he was talking about this religious leader? Just a thought.

What this story made me think of, is all of those people out there who are living without Jesus in their lives, and how I treat them. Am I like this religious leader who, knowing people who are in sin, and just stand back looking down piously on them thinking to myself doesn't Jesus know what they do? Do I help them find the truth about who Jesus is, and what he can do for them? Or do I remain silent?

This passage of Scripture has kind of opened a can of worms for me I think. It definitely given me something to think about. I want to be more like Jesus and less like the religious leader in this story, I mean I know I've been forgiven for much, so I need to go and let others know too.