The Father's Forgiveness

There is a litmus test for forgiveness.  There is a way to tell if a person has been forgiven - even a way to tell how much they’ve been forgiven.  Jesus shares this indicator with us when a woman sneaks into a party and begins washing his feet with her tears.  We learn that this woman had lived a sinful life.  She had made choices that were immoral and deviant.  She had to sneak into this party because she never would have been invited.  When the host objected to this turn of events, Jesus said, “Her many sins have been forgiven - as her great love has shown.”

Love is the litmus test of forgiveness.  People who have experienced the power of forgiveness cannot help but love.  They love Jesus most of all because they know what he has done for them.  But they love others as well, because love spills out in all directions.  This week we are praying, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”  God has indeed forgiven our sins.  And so perhaps a fitting paraphrase is, “Forgive us our debts and increase our love for you and for others in a way that is consistent with how much we’ve been forgiven.”