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This past weekend, my friend, Jeff preached on a passage from Luke 7. It was the account where Jesus visits a Pharisee’s home and his visit is interrupted by a woman who “was a sinner.” Commentators agree from a closer look at the original text, this woman was likely a well-known harlot. Since the account is short I’ll share it with you here.
Luke 7:36-50
36 uOne of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 vAnd behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wwiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If xthis man were ya prophet, he zwould have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred adenarii, and the other fifty. 42 bWhen they could not pay, he ccancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; dyou gave me no water for my feet, but eshe has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 fYou gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to gkiss my feet. 46 hYou did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, iwhich are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, j“Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among8 themselves, k“Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, l“Your faith has saved you; mgo in peace.”
There are many, many wonderful truths we could talk about in this account but I want to point out one thing that I’ve been thinking about for a few days. Yes, a woman with a really bad reputation comes to house of the self-righteous Pharisee, Simon. She is not welcomed by these religious arrogant men. But Jesus received her with warm affection. We see here in this passage Jesus is rebuking the Pharisee for his lack of faith and unwillingness to see Jesus for who He really is. At the same time, Jesus is conversely praising the sinful woman for her great act of humility and worship. Then He says to the Pharisee, “I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven.” That’s where I stopped to ponder.
Even though his strong rebuke and warning were for Simon, he didn’t ignore that the sins of the woman were also great.
To get to the point I want to tie this to a present day story. Not long ago a friend reached out and asked if we could meet.
We sat down in her living room and I could see that she had a lot on her heart. After we talked for a bit, she said, “Well, the reason I asked you to come is because I want to share something the Lord has done in my life. I am praying for how God might want me to use my own personal journey to help others.”
I sat there curious and eager to hear.
“I had an abortion.”
She sat for a moment letting the weight of what she said sink in.
“I was a junior in high school.”
“I made some bad decisions and when I found out I was pregnant, I struggled to know what to do. I sought counsel from my mom and I could tell this was as hard for her as it was for me to know what I should do. She saw me as just a child. She didn’t know how this would affect my future. We felt and mulled over everything possible and we ended in a decision to go forward with the abortion.”
“I cried the whole time. I cried on the way there. I cried while I waited. I cried all the way up to the time they took me back. I cried on the table. The nurse said, ‘It’s gonna be okay, Honey.’ But I knew it wasn’t.”
“I woke up from the procedure and everything had changed.”
She looked at me matter-of-factly.
By the way she said it, I wasn’t sure what she meant. I asked, “What do you mean? Everything changed?”
“Hopeless. All I felt was utter hopelessness. I’ve never felt such a terrible despair before.”
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My friend went on…
“Over time it became apparent to those close to me that I was NOT OKAY. I was overwhelmed with guilt. It was suffocating. It got to the point that I just didn’t want to feel anymore. Finally, people began to ask what was wrong and, to a select few, I shared about my painful choice.”
“Most of them said things like,
It’s okay.
You did what you had to do.
It was for the best.
We understand.
You can move on.
“They kept trying to comfort me but there was no comfort…only that black stain that marred my heart. Even a million words of comfort just would not do.”
“Little did I know mom was going through her own dark journey of guilt.”
“What was I going to do? Would I ever feel hope again? Did I deserve it?”
“I didn’t think so. If I could just feel free from the guilt that plagued me!”
“It was years later that I found the healing and forgiveness I so desperately needed. It started when I spoke with a family friend who shared with me truths from God’s Word, and then I found my way to an excellent Christian counselor.”
“You see, everyone kept telling me, ‘It’s okay. You’ll be okay. It’s what you had to do.’ But that’s just it! What I did wasn’t okay. THAT was the problem!
“It was wicked.
Dark.
Ugly.
It nearly ruined me.”
“Thank God, everything changed!”
I learned that Jesus also saw abortion as dark and ugly and wicked. – People don’t want to say that. – They say Jesus is loving; and loving people wouldn’t say such things to someone who’s hurting. But He saw my sin for what it truly was. The way Jesus saw it was the way it felt. I was actually relieved to be able to admit this was a terrible mistake. But it doesn’t end there.
Healing came to me
Not because I decided to begin believing the empty words of comfort.
Not because I decided to push my feelings down.
Healing came because Jesus died for that ugly sin.
It’s as if He said to me,
Yes, this sin is terrible and destructive and wicked. It hurt not only your unborn child but it hurt you. It hurt Me. I came to bring life and give it more abundantly but the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy.
I paid the debt for that sin on the cross.
Know this! As ugly as this sin is, I forgive you. And I love you.
YOU. ARE. FORGIVEN.
YOU. ARE. LOVED.
As my friend finished sharing her testimony of healing with me she said, “I asked you here today because women need to hear it. They need to know that freedom is not is dismissing or minimizing this terrible, life and heart altering decision but in receiving forgiveness for it from a God who loves them and sent His Son to die for all sin.”
On my way to my car, I wondered how many women needed to know their debt can be forgiven? It’s true, friend. Whatever guilt you carry, whatever nagging sin that haunts you, Jesus can cleanse and heal your heart. He can set you free from the prison of guilt and regret. In fact, He longs for you to know this freedom and forgiveness.
I reflect on Jesus’ words in Luke…
I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven.
I reached out to my friend this morning and asked if I could share her story with you in my blog today. She responded, “100% Yes! The truth hurts, but it brought me healing.”
If you are struggling and want to talk to someone, please feel free to connect with me. tammy@tammyontuesday.com
I just purchased a book of Puritan prayers called The Valley of Vision and I want to leave with you this morning’s prayer as I close.
The Valley of Vision
Lord, High and Holy, Meek and Lowly,
Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
Where I live in the depths but see thee
In the heights;
Hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.
Let me learn by paradox
That the way down is the way up,
That to be low is to be high,
That the broken heart is the healed heart,
That the contrite (remorseful) spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
That the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
That to have nothing is to possess all,
That to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
That to give is to receive,
That the valley is a place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
And the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;
Let me find Thy light in my darkness,
Thy life in my death,
Thy joy in my sorrow,
Thy grace in my sin,
Thy riches in my poverty,
Thy glory in my valley.
Tammy - Great to hear from you, my friend!
Joey Heit Conway - Loved this! Everything about it! Thanks for sharing