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“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Luke 7:47, LSB

Sin creates a scar, and scars over time can callous over. We can see this when we see how our world reacts to all the traumatic events that seem to occur daily. We hear about a school shooting, and the din of the news media jumps to the issue of guns. When a child is bullied on social media and commits suicide, the media decries the wrongs of our social media, the pressures put on kids, and the need to stop bullying. We should be against people killing or bullying others, but what is the underlying problem? What is the value of life? How do we forgive wrongs? How do we view our neighbor? As we walk with hearts seeking to bring forgiveness, we may find that there is a great world that does not know how to forgive, nor does it understand the reality of being truly forgiven. When God breaks through, forgiveness is transformed. It is realized as something gifted, not earned. It doesn’t matter if a person realizes they are wrong or not for me to forgive them. Jesus forgave us without asking for our repentance. Our repentance is a sign of our realization of our forgiveness, not the other way around. It is also a realization of how great our need for forgiveness truly is. The woman knew her sin and responded as she felt the weight lift from her shoulders, but the leader did not fully understand his need, so his heart was hard and less able to show love. Let God’s forgiveness of you set you free to love others and show them the peace only our Lord can bring.

Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.