Giving the Forgiveness I’ve Received

At the end of every podcast, we like to ask our guests to share what God has been teaching them in this season of life. This week’s guest is Alan Robertson ,the oldest son of Phil and Miss Kay Robertson. He helped start the family business, Duck Commander and left there in the late ‘80’s to serve as a Pastor for 22 years at the White’s Ferry Road Church in West Monroe, LA.

Luke 7:37-38

A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

You know, we've been teaching out of the book of John, and there are so many things that are motivating. But one thing that has really spoken to me, and I find myself using it quite a bit, is the story in Luke 7 where Jesus is being anointed by a “sinful” woman. 

Versions will say a sinful woman as if we're not all sinners, but this woman who had this, you know, bad reputation and she comes in and of course, the scene, you know, it's almost like people are looking at it like what is this? Because she's crying at his feet. She's wiping his feet with her tears in her hair. And yet she's obviously just in a completely broken position. 

Then there's Simon, the guy that invited Jesus over. He's sitting there and he's looking at this. And the more it goes on internally, the more it really starts to upset him because he's like, you know, I didn't invite him here for this. He even just has a thought like he’s made in his head saying, “I mean, if this guy knew who this woman was, he wouldn’t let her do that. He must not be a prophet.” 

I'm paraphrasing. But in the story Jesus looked at Simon and he said, I'm going to give you a little parable here. So he does. And he tells him that two guys owe a debt and one's bigger, one less. Who would feel better about being relieved of the debt? Simon said, well, the one who had the bigger debt. And Jesus said, you judge correctly. 

And he said, you know, I came here. You didn't wash my feet. You didn't pour oil on my head. You didn't greet me with a kiss. And here's this woman who doesn't own this home. And she's been doing all that the whole time I've been here.

And then here's what's been speaking to me. Jesus looks it's Simo,n and he says, “to the person who has been forgiven much they will love much, and to the person who's been forgiven a little they will love little.” And it was very obvious who's talking about it. Simon compared to this woman. 

And that really has spoken to me because, you know, you think about how willing we are to be forgiven or to offer forgiveness to other people. And according to what Jesus says in that text that directly tells us how much we're willing to love people and put ourselves out there for people. 

So I think about that just in the whole Christian circle. And we have to be people who will embrace that forgiveness and be willing to offer it to other people if we're ever going to love anybody. Otherwise, we just kind of close off our walls, close off our business, close off ourselves to where we don't have anything to offer anybody else. 

I really think a lot of that has to link to the idea that it just doesn't matter what my status is, my bank account is, or anything else. How much do I embrace the forgiveness of God and how willing am I to offer that to other people? That’s what I have to ask myself.

That's going to determine whether I would love folks or not love folks. And so that has just kind of driven me everyday when I get up and just kind of go through my life and mostly my walk. God, how much do I embrace your forgiveness today? Because anytime I have fear or I'm worried about something, I'm not trusting God. I'm saying, you know, God, you may not be able to handle this one. But then I say, well, how am I gonna love anybody if I'm living my life in fear? 

And I think in the current climate we're in that it's even a better message for how we should respond.