by John Lowe
(Laurens SC, USA)
But Christ, who is also God, knew not only the character of the woman and that she had been converted, but He also knew the secret thoughts and reasoning’s of the Pharisees, and when He answered them, He showed that He was more than a Prophet. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. Then Jesus gave this parable, “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?” Five Hundred pence, was about $70.00, and fifty pence about $7:00. The debt of one was ten times that of the other. To put this into the proper perspective, you need to know that one pence was what a common worker got paid for a day’s labor, so one man owed 500 and the other 50 days. But make a note of the symbolism here, for in the parable the two debtors are like the woman and Simon, and the one to whom the debt is to be paid is God. The law at this time permitted a man to take his debtors to court, and the outcome could be that the debtor, his wife and his children could be sold to pay the debt. They would become slaves to their creditor or to another, but notice here that the man does not take them to court, but that he pardons their debt. They both appreciated his great kindness that he showed them by forgiving their debt, but Jesus asked the Pharisee, which one of them would love him, the most. What can we learn from this teaching of Our Lord? I believe that there are several things here for us:
1. That sin is a debt; and sinners are debtors to God Almighty. God has a case that He can make against each of us for the injury that we have done to Him through sin and disobedience; and for the omission of our duty to Him, that is, for ignoring him and neglecting the prayer and praise that are due Him.
2. That some are deeper in debt to God, because their sin is greater. The Pharisee was the debtor that owed a lesser amount, but he was a debtor, just the same. However, he did not think of himself as a debtor; but he believer that God was indebted to him because of his righteousness that came through good works. This woman, who had been a scandalous, notorious sinner, was a great debtor.
3. That whether our debt is more or less, it is more than we are able to pay. Silver or gold will not pay our debt, neither will sacrifice and offering, and no righteousness of our own will pay it. Our repentance and future obedience will not pay it, because that is what we are already obligated to do.
4. That the God of heaven is ready to forgive poor sinners upon the basis of the Gospel, even though their debt may be very great. If we ask forgiveness and believe in Christ, our sins will not be the cause of our ruin. God has made it known that He will be gracious and merciful, and ready to forgive sin, and His Son has purchased a pardon for all who repent and believe. His Gospel promises forgiveness to us, and it is available too all.
5. That those who have their sins forgiven, are obliged to love Him, and the more that is forgiven them, the more they should love Him.
Jesus had asked Simon, “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. Simon’s words were more than an answer; they were a judgment as well, since by his answer, he without knowing it, pronounced judgment against himself. It was obvious from his treatment of Jesus, that he did not love Him. He did not believe that he was a sinner, and for that reason he did not need a Savior. The woman, by contrast, loved God very much. She had
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