I Don’t Care Where You’ve Been Sleeping
There’s a cool story about a woman who offered a kindness to Jesus one day as He relaxed at the house of a religious dude. This woman brought in a bottle of real expensive perfume and began to wash Jesus’ feet with both it and her tears! The guy whose home Jesus was in took offense at what she was doing ëcause she was not the type of person that most people would want to associate with – as far as he was concerned, she was “out in baaaaaaaaaaaad.” But Jesus turned to him and told this story:
Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. (Luke 7:41-42)
Afterwards, Jesus asked this question: “Which of the two would be more grateful?” That’s a good question, isn’t it? And the answer is actually pretty simple: “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.” He then went on to discuss the great truth behind this story – that if someone has a whole bunch of sins and they are all forgiven, then that person will be more thankful than another who had fewer sins to forgive.
A lot of religious people look down on bikers: “Man, there’s no way those guys can ever find God’s forgiveness!” If you believe such, I reply, “That’s not what the Bible says!” In fact, God’s heartbeat is just the opposite: to the roughest and meanest and lowest and most guilty–to all those who are “out in bad standings”–Jesus urges:
Are you tired to the bone; worn and burned out with everything? Come to me. Get away with me, and you’ll recover your life. (Matthew 11:28)
The key is coming to Christ! It doesn’t make any difference how bad someone has been ëcause Jesus’ forgiveness is greater than even the worst a person can do! You see, the Bible says that all people who have ever lived are looked upon by God in the same way! That’s right!-”we’re all sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everyone else”; “there’s nobody living right, not even one”; “nobody knows the score”; “they’ve all taken the wrong turn”; “their throats are gaping graves”; and “they race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year.”
It’s like God’s looking into a barrel of sin from the top down. Thus, the “layers” of sin that we might see looking in from the side is not how God views it-instead, from top to bottom, sin is sin! And all of it, from the least to the greatest, is deserving of God’s just punishment. Man, we can’t deny what Romans 6:23 says: “Work hard at sin your whole life, and your pension is DEATH!”
But there’s good news found in that same verse: “God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus.” You see, what man did in destroying his relationship with God, God reversed in the work of His Son! And when Jesus told the story of the gal who sinned a whole bunch and yet who received forgiveness for all she had done, He intended to communicate to us the truth that we, also, can receive His wonderful forgiveness–no matter how bad we are! But we must “come to Jesus” just as the woman in the story did.
Will you come to Jesus and love Him like she did? Hey, man, the door is open-even to those who are “out in bad.” C’mon in and be forgiven! With all due love, loyalty, and respect.
Copyright @ 2004 CrossWind Ministry
