June 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

While Jesus was eating in the house of Simon the Pharisee, a woman who had once been a prostitute wandered in. She walked around the table at which the host and his guests were reclining—they were reclining on couches, with their bare feet away from the table—and stopped at Jesus' feet. There she could not restrain herself. She became very emotional. She cried, letting the tears drip on Jesus' feet. Then she wiped his feet with her hair and anointed them with a costly ointment.

Simon the Pharisee did not get emotional about Jesus. In fact, he had not even shown Jesus the courtesy due an honored guest.

In this room—as in many rooms—there are two reactions to Jesus. One person is coldly indifferent. The other cannot control her feelings of gratitude and adoration.

The Lord explained this event with the help of a story: A person who has been forgiven a debt of $500 will show more gratitude than a person who has been forgiven a debt of $50, won't he? Even Simon the Pharisee agreed to the truth of this saying. Then Christ said: "This woman has been forgiven much because she loved much."

Let's make sure we read that correctly. Her love is not the reason why she is forgiven; her gratitude is proof of her forgiveness. It is true that Jesus' final word to her is: "Your sins are forgiven," and "Your faith has saved you." But he did not say, "Your love has saved you." Her display of love was a fruit of forgiveness. Otherwise she could not be the illustration of Jesus' story that when you are forgiven much, you love much.

Sometimes we are painfully struck by the cold reaction some people have to Jesus. They certainly don't get emotional about him. And their gifts are cheap. We must understand, then, that the gifts we offer him are in proportion to the forgiveness we received from him.

REFLECTIONS

How would you describe your relationship with Jesus? To what extent are you open and demonstrative about him?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.