Jesus My Kind and Compassionate Friend (Luke 7:36-50)

Have you ever hear the song “Jesus my kind and compassionate friend”? Luke 7:36-50 reveals explicitly the tenderness of Jesus. He loved to forgive. Christ’s heart ached with sympathy and pity for those uncomfortable, depressed, and discouraged by their sins. Maybe our sins aren’t anything like the woman’s in the story but what do we know about sin? The wages of sin is death. To Christ and to God, SIN is SIN; people make them big and small, not God. We have all sinned. Consequently, one day we all stand before our Maker and we will be judged. Aren’t you glad HE is merciful to us? Just as Christ had mercy for the broken women we read about in scripture, He extends that same mercy for you and me. Warning! Because Jesus Christ is merciful doesn’t mean we should be encouraged to go and sin again. In truth His tenderness is what makes us rebuke those things that separate us from Him. Satan on the other hand will try to take that rebuke and disdain and hatred for our sins and allude us into believing God could hardly forgive you this time. I believe I have had that same allusion. The occasion was hesitating to ask a brother to forgive me when I had asked him for forgiveness for the same thing before. Maybe this time my Christian brother would not believe I was sincere or worse yet would not forgive me a second time. Now I know I’m getting long here but what about the brother who is asked of forgiveness? Luke 17:1-10 speaks to us just on this point. Jesus lets you and me know that by not forgiving we risk losing our souls. “Little ones” verse 2, you see Christ wants us to know in His eyes we are just as babes. Another scripture is Mt. 18:21-35. Peter asks how many times must we forgive and Jesus answers 70 Xs 7 and in His parable tells of how an unmerciful servant is forgiven of $10,000,000 but unwilling to forgive a debtor $17. Forgiveness requires faith. Jesus speaks on this too in Luke 18:1-8. How can we have faith, O Lord, increase our faith? Humility is the groundwork for faith. In fact, humility and prayer prepare our hearts to be receptive to Gods word. Let us pray. Get behind me Satan for although I have sinned and stumbled before my God, He still welcomes me. Forgive me Lord, a sinner, increase my faith, and allow me to be Thy obedient servant in Christ’s name AMEN.

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