Have you ever felt like you were buried under a weight, unable to get out? Have you looked at your own life and wondered how you could ever get things right? For many of us, there is a real attraction to the idea in fictional stories that we could go back in time and get a “do over,” so we could make up for past mistakes. But the truth of the matter is that we have to live with our mistakes, our shortcomings, and own sins. We cannot undo them; we cannot make them go away. The other difficulty is that we all know that we are worse than others are aware of – we have thought things, said things, and done things that we are ashamed of and have hidden from others. Is there any hope?

The good news of the gospel is that our hope is not found in the small size of our sins, but in the great worth of Jesus. Luke gives us an account of Jesus with a notorious sinner to show us this. As we look at Jesus interacting with the woman, we must be careful not stand as an observer, judging ourselves to be so much better than her. We must look with an understanding that we too are great sinners in need of forgiveness from Jesus. When we see that, we will indeed be changed, being “Forgiven Much, Loving Much” (Luke 7:36-50).

I. Devotion of a Sinner
A. An Uninvited Guest
B. Overcome by Love

II. Derision of a Pharisee
A. Judging the Woman
B. Judging Jesus

III. Difference of Faith
A. The Debt We Owe
B. The Forgiveness We Find

Questions for consideration: (1) For what are you thankful to Jesus? How does that show itself in your life? (2) What is the danger for those who attend church in how they can react to those who have sinned more publicly? (3) Where can you find peace? What does that look like in your life?