[For another commentary on this subject, read BYU assistant professor Gaye Strathearn's article "Simon and the Woman Who Anointed Jesus' Feet."] And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. The creditor in Christ's parable loved equally the two debtors. He forgave them both completely. However, the debtor who owed more than a year's worth of wages loved the creditor more. Let me explain with a modern-day parable. Say there are two students in a class. One has an A-, the other has a C-. At the end of the semester, the teacher raises both students grades to a A+. Which student will remember the teacher's generosity the most? Surely the student who had the C-. While discussing Jesus' parable of the two debtors with a cousin, some questions arose. "So if the person in the parable with the most debt is the most sinful, does that make fully repentant sinners more grateful for the Atonement, and more loving of the Savior, than those who have not lived a life of sin? Is repentance of great wrongdoing a prerequisite for a strong relationship with Jesus Christ?" These are very important questions. But before I attempt to address them, let me continue with the scriptural account. And he [Jesus] turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. There are many takeaways from Christ's words. What first stands out to me are the woman's faith-filled actions and her love for the Savior. This woman was a sinner, but aren't we all sinners? Don't we all fall short every day? Now, some thoughts on my cousin's questions. I believe the answer lies in an understanding of repentance--what it is, and what it means to truly repent. The Bible Dictionary defines repentance as the following: The Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. As the definition states, we are all naturally inclined to sin. Mosiah 3:19 teaches that "the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord." We all require a change of mind, a fresh view of the world. This is made possible only through Christ's atonement. Sure, some people mess up more than others. But we all fall short of God's perfect bar and desperately need Christ's atonement. And "who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly?" (See https://www.lds.org/music/text/hymns/lord-i-would-follow-thee.)
I do not believe that a strong relationship with the Savior necessitates repentance from serious sin. We must remember that the scriptures are written by prophets, and often include exceptions to the rule. Both Alma the Younger and Saul (who later became Paul) underwent powerful, life-changing conversion processes. But even lifetime members of Christ's Church must gain a personal testimony of Christ's gospel. While reading about the woman who anointed Christ's feet, I was especially impressed when Christ said, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven." According to Christ, the woman was forgiven because she loved much. Those who love little are not forgiven. Isn't that interesting? Forgiveness from God is more about our love for him, and our desire to change and be like him, than it what we've done. So how can we come to love the Savior and use his Atonement, regardless of what we've done? Perhaps this is oversimplifying things, but I believe that it has a lot to do with being in the right place at the right time, so that the Spirit can guide us. This may mean attending a sacrament meeting and bearing a testimony when prompted. It may mean reading the scriptures as a family, or having a family discussion at the dinner table. It may mean going to a service project, even if you don't really want to go. I believe that as we go where God wants us to go, and do what God wants us to do, God give us the blessings and testimony-enriching experiences that we need for our current circumstances. I know that I need the Atonement of Christ. I also know that learning about and using the Atonement is a lifelong pursuit. I am grateful for a loving Savior who lets me wet his feet with my tears. I am grateful for this mortal experience--for the opportunity to learn and grow and become better today than I was yesterday. I am grateful for my Savior's perfect example. I am grateful for the reality of repentance and the peace that comes through forgiveness. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that the purpose of this mortal journey is to change our hearts and minds so that we may become like him.
0 Comments
|
Archives
October 2022
Categories
All
For anyone interested, I have a professional blog titled The Instructional Designer's Toolkit where I share tools and inspiration for instructional designers and e-learning developers.
|