Controversial Jesusনমুনা

Jesus and Grace

In Jesus’ day, what shocked people most was not who he condemned but who he welcomed. Luke 7 tells the story of a woman known as a sinner who interrupted a dinner party to pour perfume on Jesus’ feet, weeping and wiping them with her hair. The Pharisee hosting the meal was horrified, but Jesus used the moment to teach a lesson: those who know they have been forgiven much, love much.

The Pharisees assumed God’s love was earned by righteousness, which meant the “good people” were in and the “bad people” were out. Jesus turned that system upside down. He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31–32 CSB). Even more shocking, he declared that tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom ahead of the religious leaders (Matt. 21:31 CSB).

The good news of the gospel is that salvation is not about what you’ve done or what you promise to do. “You are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8–9 CSB). This means that anyone has the option of experiencing salvation, no matter what your past might look like.

Grace means God meets us where we are, but he never leaves us there. This woman’s tears and broken perfume jar were signs that she was done with her old life. She had been forgiven, and she was free.

Grace invites us to stop striving for approval, stop clinging to self-righteousness, and stop disqualifying others we think don’t deserve God’s love. In truth, none of us do. But Jesus does not love us because of our past or our potential.

He loves us because of his past, his perfect life, death, and resurrection, and he gives us his future if we trust him. This is what makes grace so amazing: it humbles us, because we contribute nothing, and it lifts us up, because Christ gives us everything. That is why grace produces both deep humility and bold confidence, because we no longer have to prove ourselves and can instead live in the joy of being fully loved.

Reflection Question: Where do you need to stop striving for God’s approval and rest in his grace? Who in your life might you need to extend that same grace toward?

Prayer: Father, thank you for loving me not because of what I have done but because of what Jesus has done for me. Help me release my pride and my shame, and to rest in the gift of your grace. Jesus, grow in me a heart of worship and love, knowing I have been forgiven much. Spirit, lead me to share this grace with others, no matter who they are. Amen.

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