Daily Devotional • May 19
A Reading from Luke 7:36-50
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and when he went into the Pharisee’s house he reclined to dine. 37 And a woman in the city who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair, kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Meditation
The Pharisees were human, as we all are. In the Jewish community, they had the responsibility of protecting that which was “holy” not just for individuals, but for the sake of Israel’s covenant identity. They believed that if Israel was faithful to the Law, it would usher in God’s blessing, perhaps even the coming of the Messiah. It is not hard to see how this focus could blind them to the spirit of the law: Love God and love your neighbor. To forget humility and blindly enforce the law is to lose sight of God’s almost infinite capacity for pardon and forgiveness.
Take a moment and picture the people you have encountered in the last couple of days. Who touched your life the most? Who made you smile or caused your heart to leap for joy? Who did you avoid or ignore? Human beings are sometimes delightful, often confusing, and constantly messy.
If we are honest, most of us are all these things in any given day! Our constant need for forgiveness is one of the qualities that we all have in common. What often eludes us is that denying or attempting to mask this need forms a brittle shell of illusion that separates us from so much joy. Starting the day with a simple acknowledgment of our human weaknesses can radically change the way we interact with both God and our fellow human beings. “Who is this who even forgives sins?” It is our risen Lord who reminds us that our faith saves us and then sends us out in peace to love and serve him.
The Very Reverend David duPlantier has served as Dean and Rector of Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans, LA since 2002. He is founder and Chair of the board of the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing initiative: https://jerichohousing.org
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Mombasa – The Anglican Church of Kenya
St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, River Hills, Wisconsin
