Forgiven

“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she

loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

{Luke 7:47}

The following is a poetic adaptation of Luke 7:36-50. The Lord brought this story to my mind many times during the summer and, through it, convicted me of my own self-righteousness. He taught me that only those who keenly know their own brokenness can understand the depths of the grace of God given to us in Christ Jesus. What a sweet moment it is when God brings us to this point of utter guilt, shame and weakness but instead of condemning us, pronounces us forgiven. What a wonderful Savior.

My feet filled with dust as I walked about that day;

I kept my head bowed, for I had nothing to say

To crowds filled with people more righteous than I,

So I started my daily routine with a sigh.

I went about gathering food for the day—

Oh, why was the marketplace so far away?
Sweat poured from my face as I breathed the hot air,

Yet I still went about all my errands with care.

A sinner was I—this I knew all too well;

My fate at the end of my lifetime was hell.

One as sinful as I surely never should live;

My offense against God was too great to forgive.

I’d heard about Jesus and all that He’d done

And how the Jews thought that He may be the One.

He taught in the temple and made people whole—

I wondered just what He could do for my soul.

My work was near finished, so I thought I’d head home

To my humble abode where I lived all alone.

But as I prepared to go out from that place,

I caught just a glimpse of this Jesus’ kind face.

A Pharisee called to Him right at that time

And kindly invited Him over to dine.

As Simon received the answer he’d sought,

My heart jumped a step—for I had a thought.

An alabaster jar of oil then sat in my home—

The most treasured thing that I ever did own.

Perhaps while this Jesus Christ sat down to eat,

I could use my fine oil to anoint His worn feet.

I started to run down the dusty dirt road,

And soon I was back at my humble abode.

I then found my jar, and I grasped it with care.

I returned to the market and saw Jesus there.

Tears fell from my face, for I knew what I’d done;

I was a wretch—an adulteress I had become.

Guilty and sinful—my heart stained with sin,

What I’d do to be granted a new life to begin!

Ashamed of my weeping, I grasped my long hair;

I kissed both His feet and then wiped them with care.

I longed to be loved, but this never could be

For a person as wretched and sinful as me.

My guilt weighed so heavy that I scarcely did hear

An exchange ‘tween these men that was just as I’d feared:
“If only You knew, Lord, who sits here and cries,
You’d know she’s a sinner deserving to die.”

My tears then fell faster—I knew he was right;

I was wretched and filthy and stained in God’s sight.

I picked up my jar and prepared to depart,

For I looked up at Jesus who saw my dark heart.

“O Simon, you’re right—” I thought sure He would say,

And tell me right then that I must go away.

But instead of condemning, He showed me His grace--
His eyes shone with love as I looked on His face.

“This woman loves much, for so great is her sin;

Her sins, which are many, have now been forgiven.”

Christ loved me despite all the wrong I had done

And saw not who I had been, but who I had become.

My heart was in awe of the grace He’d bestowed;

I knew that my life to this King I now owed.

I would love and forgive, as had been done to me

And praise the One who had loved such a sinner as me.