Grace brings peace

Why do we judge? Why do we view others with critical eyes?

The Pharisees were known as a group of people that knew the law, the Old Testament scripture. And, they held others to it, condemning those that didn’t obey. They were the “religious” of that day. They were a group of people that vehemently disagreed with the teaching of Jesus. They judged, and Jesus had recently preached about judging. Jesus was the enemy.

Interestingly, in the midst of his ministry, Jesus has dinner at the house of a Pharisee. Being the great teacher that he was, he brought Simon Peter, part of his inner circle. Imagine Jesus and Peter sitting around a table with a group of guys, judging their every word, every action.

The scene stops. The dinner is interrupted.

“A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” Luke‬ ‭7:37-38‬

A woman who had “lived a sinful life” busts in. One who had lived apart from God, now comes face to face with God. There is only one reaction. She is convicted. She bows. She is broken. She is humbled. She cries. She worships.

In an instant, her past sins don’t matter anymore. In an instant, bursting on the scene, into a room of guys judging her life, her every move, she doesn’t care. She is going to Jesus. No matter what.

And, Jesus begins to teach Peter. He doesn’t address the judging crowd, but He turns to Peter. Peter needed the lesson more than he knew. Jesus knew that Peter would leave Him in his most desperate hour. Peter would deny ever even knowing Jesus. Jesus knew that he, of all people, needed a lesson on grace.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”” Luke‬ ‭7:41-47‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The lesson. Grace drives love.

When Jesus forgives past sins in one’s life, love follows. If you have been forgiven little, you will love little. If you have been forgiven much, you will love much.

This woman loved much. An army could not have kept her from Jesus. She indeed loved a lot. She recognized the sinful life she had led and was completely broken.

If one doesn’t recognize shortcomings or failures in their own life, the natural outcome will be judgement of others. It is easy to find faults in others when you have none. As Jesus said,

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5

If one recognizes the failures in their own life, comes to Jesus, the outcome is grace. Grace from God and grace to others.

Jesus told the sinful woman, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” She left with a lighter load and full of love for Jesus because of the grace she had been given.

Where judgement lives, there is no peace, only division. Where grace lives, there is peace, the ultimate gift.

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