Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little
I’d like to talk to you about the joys of being in debt. I don’t mean being in debt financially. I am talking about the fact that there is joy in being grateful. Grateful people are giving people. They are people who realize their debt to the Lord Jesus, and consequently, they end up being giving people as well.
Luke 7 tells us the story of a meal where Jesus, a Pharisee named Simon, and a woman of the city who was a sinner were in the same room at the same time. During the meal the woman anointed Jesus’ feet with very costly ointment. The reaction it drew from this Pharisee was condescension and arrogance. Jesus responded by telling Simon a story and concluded by saying, “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins [the sins of the socially wicked woman] which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”
Grateful people are giving people. The reason she gave the ointment is because she saw herself a debtor. Grateful people do not feel superior. When this incident occurred, the Pharisee thought in his own heart, “If this man were really a prophet, He would know what a wicked woman this was.” That was arrogance. That was saying, “I know better. I know who this woman is. If Jesus were really a prophet, then He would know.” He had a superiority complex. Comparison always does this. People who feel superior do not feel thankful. People who feel superior feel comparative. All you have to do is find someone who makes you look good and then make that comparison.
Verse 37 tells us this woman was a sinner. That is not to say that the Pharisee was not a sinner, but socially he was acceptable and her sin was not acceptable. Both of them compared to God were sinful. Both of them compared to Jesus were sinful. But the Bible says he thought in his own heart, “If Jesus really was who He claims to be, then He would know.” Moral superiority is perhaps the most dangerous. If I have some ability that really doesn’t matter, maybe in a sport, I may be better than the other people with whom I play. That may be a cause for some kind of arrogance, but it can be even worse if I have knowledge or intelligence that other people don’t have.
Perhaps the worst is a feeling of moral superiority, feeling you are morally better than another person. I’m not saying we should excuse sin or that this woman’s sin was not an offense to God. What I am saying is that if I feel that I am good because I am better than another person morally, that is a horrible place to be. It leads to a feeling of superiority and such a feeling is totally incompatible with gratitude. Grateful people are giving people.
Grateful people do not feel entitled. Who owns whom? Verse 36 says, “And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went unto the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.” The Pharisee did a turn of kindness, at least that is what it appeared, but it was also an act where Jesus owed him. Jesus needed this meal and this Pharisee provided it. So, a question to ask ourselves when we are giving is, “Who owes whom?”
Jesus spoke about a Pharisee who prayed and when comparing himself to a publican, a tax collector who would have been a socially unacceptable sinner, he said, “I thank thee, that I am not as other men are…even as this publican.” Then, he proceeded to tell God how good he was. In other words, “God, You owe me. I am a great man. You owe me some kind of gratitude or reward for what I have done.” God will never be in debt to any person. God doesn’t owe me anything but judgment, but He gave me His Son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross for my sins. So, who owes whom? An entitled person is not a grateful person.
Sometimes giving can be used as a tactic. There are those who are politicians, whether that is their full-time occupation or they have another occupation but know how to move people. They may not be a lobbyist in Washington D.C., but they collect debtors. They dispense their favors, virtues, and money and pat people on the head thinking, “Wow, they owe me.” A grateful person realizes, “I owe God.” If I am always looking at people who owe me, whether they owe me money or something else, that feeling of entitlement is antithetical to being grateful.
Ultimately, grateful people are giving because God is forgiving. In verse 44 Jesus turned to this Pharisee who had provided the meal and said, “Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears.” Which would have been more costly, the tears or the water? The point was, this lady was giving out of a feeling of gratitude for what she deserved and what Christ offered, which was forgiveness.
Grateful and happy people think of themselves as the debtors. I’m not saying a happy person is in financial debt. No, a happy person doesn’t feel superior to others, doesn’t feel entitled, or that they are owed anything by God or man. They are giving because they know that God is forgiving and because of that, they live a life that is happier, healthier, and full of gratitude.