A Key Moment
Luke 7:50 Jesus
said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (NIV)
I’ve made many mistakes
through the years, both foolish and sinful, so I often look to Jesus not just
to accept and forgive me, but to fully understand my failures and to re-direct
me onto the path that He hopes I will follow. Every day, when I talk to Christ
in prayer, I ask for His grace because I know I don’t deserve it and I never
want to take such a blessing for granted. It would be so easy just to let go of
the past and convince myself that I’m not as bad as other people, but it
bothers me because I recognize how much Jesus has sacrificed in order to
forgive me.
When Jesus forgave the
woman in the story that is described in Luke 7:36-50, I see how much of an
effort it took the woman to humble herself before Jesus and be humiliated by
others around Him. She recognized that Christ was the only one who could
cleanse her of the past, accept her in the present, and allow her a better
future. He was the key that would unlock her from the past mistakes that imprisoned
her mentally and spiritually; He was the one last opportunity that she had of
being healed from her sins and restored to God’s favor; so she gave Him her painful
tears and treasured perfume in the hope of receiving mercy and grace.
I love how Jesus compassionately
responds: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” He grants
her the forgiveness she needs, but He also adds peace – the great shalom – to her
mind, heart, body, and soul. No matter what she had done in the past, from that
sacred moment she was fully restored as a child of God’s grace which is what we
all want when we seek God’s mercy through Jesus.
No matter who you are or
what you’ve done, please know this: Christ forgives because He cares. Your
faith can save you and you can know peace this day: just ask Jesus.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You
know everything about us and how we are deeply affected by guilt and sorely
troubled with regret. Allow us Your forgiveness and reset us on a path to
peace. In Your Holy Name, we humbly ask and pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the
pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Check out the
church at its website: www.erinpres.org.
Today’s image is one of
John’s latest lectionary drawings called “Water into Wine.” If you would like
to view a larger version, please click on this link: Waterwine.
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