God Forgives Your Debt for Free!

Lots of deals advertised this 4^th of July weekend. However, savvy shoppers know to do their homework to see whether those deals have a catch. When something seems like too good of a deal, there often seems to be a catch. This is also true when it comes to the phrase ‘Freedom isn’t free.’ The point of the phrase is that the many who enjoy freedom may not have paid anything to have it, but some have paid a lot. Whether it be lives sacrificed, the mental, physical and emotional scars from battle, or the families strained and even ruined from weeks, months or years of separation, the freedoms celebrated this weekend came with a cost.

There was a cost paid by a Pharisee in our Gospel reading from Luke 7. Our reading begins with a Pharisee named Simon who invited Jesus to his home for dinner along with other guests. Simon’s position as a Pharisee put him in the higher circle of society, so hosting a dinner party was well within his means. In fact, this gave him a chance to show off his home, servants and offer a free meal with all the trimmings. Simon took care of the cost for everyone’s meal, but as we continue reading there was a cost to those seated at his table. As they were eating, a woman, whose name was not given, only a description, 37 who lived a sinful life, came into Simon’s home and stood behind Jesus. Then we read,

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. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Luke 7:38-39

Simon covered the cost of the meal for everyone in his home, but he required them to fit his idea of a good person. In Simon’s eyes, this woman was not welcome in his home or even his community, and she would not be welcome even if she could pay for her meal. Simon also looked down on Jesus for his acceptance of the sinful woman. And next we hear Jesus reveal the debt Simon thought he could pay.

Jesus revealed Simon had the same debt as the sinful woman. Jesus heard Simon’s thoughts; he knew Simon looked down on him and doubted he was anyone special, since he did not reject the sinful woman. So,

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Luke 7:40-43

Jesus told this parable to show that Simon and the sinful woman each had a debt. The moneylender in the parable is God, and the debt is sin. Simon’s problem was that he believed he could pay off his debt. And in fact, he lived as if he was debt free. Simon did not fear God, but believe God was happy with the way he was living his life. Simon also did not respect or trust in Jesus. Instead, he believed he was a better teacher and judge of character than Jesus, but he was wrong about himself and about Jesus.

There is a danger to looking like you live debt free. Often, when someone wants people to think they are debt free, they spend money. The thought is that if you are not spending your money paying off debt, then you have money to spend. Debt is bad, so people spend money even when they are in debt because they do not want people to think they are in debt, which is bad. Simon looked like he lived debt free, but that cost him everything. Simon was a Pharisee, meaning he believed he was keeping God’s law and doing enough good to cancel out any sinful debt, so that he could go to heaven. Yet, Jesus pointed out that he still had debt, debt only God could forgive. And the sinful woman who Simon despised and looked like she had a mountain of debt, was completely debt free and forgiven according to Jesus as we hear in our Gospel reading from Luke 7:

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:44-50

Simon showed no love for Jesus because he saw no reason to love him, while the sinful woman had been freed from her sins through faith in Jesus. And in the peace of Jesus’ forgiveness, she showed her love for him. And to give her undeniable reassurance that she was forgiven, at peace, loved and treasured by her Savior, 48 Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus has also forgiven your sins. Like the sinful woman who heard Jesus’ words, 48 … “Your sins are forgiven”, in this house of worship, you have heard your sins are forgiven many times, but then you leave and fall back into sin. And the devil attacks and doubts fill your heart because it feels like your debt of sin does not remain paid off. When your debt of sin causes you to fear God’s continued forgiveness, it is good to see how much God has already forgiven. In our Old Testament reading from 2 Chronicles 33, we read about one of the worst Kings of Israel. Manasseh lived 700 years before Jesus’ birth and was the son of King Hezekiah, who trusted in God and was a good king. Manasseh did not follow in his father’s footsteps. The description of his sinful life is gut-wrenching as we read from 2 Chronicles 33,

4 He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

2 Chronicles 33:4-6

From our perspective, Manasseh’s debt of sin seems beyond hope. Then, we read, 10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. Manasseh seemed beyond hope, but God still reached out. And Manasseh rejected him.

11 So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.

2 Chronicles 33:11-13

God never turned his back on Manasseh despite his many sins and rejecting God. God forgave Manasseh when he came back to him. And Jesus’ forgiveness remains true for you.

Your debt remains forgiven through Jesus. When you leave here today, you will still have memories of past sins, you will face temptations, you will sin and you may even become known for the sins you do or have done, but all that remains forgiven. Your debt is not something you pay off. Your sins are not something you work off or balance out. You have the same problem as everyone else, and the same solution for everyone is revealed in our New Testament reading from 1 Corinthians 6. Paul wrote, 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. You were in debt, but God did the work to pay it off. God has washed you clean in baptism as Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3, 21 … not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God washed your sins away so that you stand before him good, righteous and perfect. God sanctified you meaning he set you apart from the unbelieving, condemned world to be his dear child by faith, a citizen of heaven who loves him and serves him. God justified you through Jesus declaring for all time that you are no longer labeled sinner, but ‘saint’, holy and worthy to eat at his table in heaven. The Holy Spirit has done this through the gift of faith and the Holy Spirit continues to fill your heart with peace.

Lots of deals advertised this 4^th of July weekend, but savvy shoppers always read the fine print. This weekend we celebrate our freedom and remember ‘Freedom is not free.’ Lives have been sacrificed, mental, physical and emotional scars continue to plague those who survived battle and countless families have been strained and even ruined from weeks, months or years of separation. There was a cost for your forgiveness, and it was paid by Jesus’ sacrifice. Your forgiveness is still free because of God’s love, his grace and mercy. God forgives your debt for free meaning Jesus’ words to the sinful woman are also for you, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Amen.