“Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” - Luke 7:47
In our day and age, I can simultaneously communicate to anyone, anywhere, and at any given moment. Through social media, I can know your life’s story (if you chose to tell it) simply by clicking or swiping. Those folks at Google have brought us information about everything from hexadecimals to the migration patterns of whales, and just about anything else you can think of. One would think, with so much information and methods of communication afforded to us, we would be closer than ever as a people, but oftentimes the opposite is true, we are just as guarded and segregated as we ever were. We are divorced from the sufferings of our fellow man and numb to the simplistic call of Christ. Perhaps it is not the channel of communication, but the approach to communicate.
In Jesus’s day, the Pharisees were the religious elite. They held the high seats, wore the best robes, and only associated with those who were like them. The church continually faces a consistent temptation to become Pharisaical. When Jesus came on the scene some of them sought this man out, not as though he was the Son of God, but as though he was an equal. Simon was such a Pharisee (Luke 7), he went so far as to invite Jesus to his home, but the way he approached Christ is not unlike many today (perhaps even some reading now). He gave him no kiss (a customary greeting), he gave him no basin to wash his feet (a kind gesture of that day). He approached Jesus, yes, but he did it in a guarded and careful manner. Essentially, he said to his peers, himself, and Christ: “Let there be no mistake, I am intrigued by you, but not invested in you.” Now, while they spoke, a woman, a sinner, comes up to Jesus and begins to bathe his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair (how awkward this must have been for her and those around her); she then proceeds to anoint his head with oil. How we approach Jesus Christ can determine the destiny of our immortal soul. How we approach Jesus Christ is a matter of life and death. Simon the Pharisee saw him as an equal and one that could be accepted or dismissed, he was guarded and full of care towards Jesus. The woman didn't care what anyone thought about her, she was not worried about what others would say or think; she approached Jesus recklessly, fanatically, and completely. She wasn't just intrigued by him, she was invested, abandoned, and totally devoted to Jesus Christ. He was her salvation and she treated him as such.
We cannot approach Christ like a research paper. We cannot get to know him by looking at his Facebook (if he would have one, probably not). You cannot communicate with him via text, I mean to say haphazardly, flippantly, or casually. A Google search, and a quick Wikipedia read won’t cut it, and just a visit once a week to your local church will not suffice. The Bible teaches us that for Christ to forgive and save your soul you must come as the women. You must approach Christ wholly, completely, entirely, with no regard for the cost or the shame that it may bring you. You must, I must, we must, love much. A desperate approach is the key to salvation, and the approach that will bring it to pass.
