Love Motive

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Luke 7:41-43

Here is the master teacher in one of His many brilliant moments. The situation was rather simple and the outcome profound. Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus over to dine at his home. Hospitality was a highly regarded value in the Jewish culture. At a minimum, providing an excellent meal with the proper setting was expected. During this meal, a woman with a known disreputable character comes in and blesses Jesus, cleaning His feet with her ointment, tears, and her hair. To himself, the Pharisee scoffed at the behavior because of this woman’s character. Jesus on the other hand, tells a story.

The story was about debts, the real debt being discussed was sin. Leading Simon to judge for himself, Jesus puts him this Pharisee in the story as an arbiter. He had to judge who would love more, a response coming from the canceling of debt. The obvious answer was not so obvious to either Simon or the crowd. Ironically all men have a massive debt. The canceling of such is catalytic in the motive of love. To the extent that a man realizes the size of canceled debt, is the measure in which he loves. Jesus illustrated this principle beautifully with this woman desperate to love on Jesus. Understanding both the depth of sin and the extent of forgiveness is what moves love into action.

DO THIS TODAY: Consider the debt you own because of your sin and praise God for His mercy!