Who Loves the Most?

Multiple times this week when I opened my Bible, it turned naturally to Luke 7. Each time, I found myself mesmerized by the verses and chose to re-read it. Jesus had an audience with a mixed reaction--the publicans or "sinners" thought that He had great news and followed Him while the Pharisees "rejected the counsel of God against themselves" (v. 30). One of the Pharisees, Simon, chose to invite Jesus to dine with him. At Simon's house, a woman who was well known in the community as a prostitute entered and began to wash Jesus' feet with a bottle of very expensive perfume. She dried his feet with her hair as she rained tears and kisses on them. The Pharisee then assumed that Jesus was not God because He would have known who she was--and have shunned her. But Jesus manner instead was to teach the Pharisee a lesson about love:

"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." Luke 7:41-43

Wow...Who will love most? I'd never noticed the wording in this passage before. The more in tune we are with our own sinfulness, the more in tune we will be with how much we need God's grace. The more focused on how blessed we are by receiving God's grace that we didn't deserve, the more we will love Him! It's only "good news" if you needed a cure. So, we in turn will tell the "good news" more as well. 

"Her sins which are many, are forgiven: for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little" (v.47). Then he tells her to "go in peace" (v. 51).

At Bible study a few days later, what was the lesson on? This same parable. :) Not a coincidence...