What does it take for a prostitute to “get saved”?

Last week in church we looked at “Extravagant Love” from Luke 7:36-50. In that amazing encounter, Jesus tells the woman, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace”. Faith? Saved? At this stage of redemptive history, what possibly could this woman have believed about Jesus?

She could not have articulated a theology of the atonement, she probably wasn’t versed in the Trinity, and the dual natures of Christ might have sent her over the edge!

But you don’t have to know a lot. It boils down to this. She believed...

* She was a great sinner (no self-deception here – she knew who she was.)
* She could not save herself (absolute abandonment at the feet of Christ.)
* She needed Jesus (not reformation, not condemnation, not self-justification)
* Jesus would not reject her (Jesus has never rejected anyone who comes with faith and repentance)

That’s about all it takes for someone to begin with Jesus. We may fault her for her theological imprecision (but, hey, she might have been a biblical scholar for all we know!). What we do see is the love and protection and forgiveness of Christ causing a response of extravagant love.

How about you? What have you ever done just because you loved Jesus so much? Yeah, me too. “Lord, may the gospel come to us, so that it may come through us!”

The well-wisher of your soul’s happiness,

Pastor Tom

p.s. Here’s the link for a clip from Matt Chandler, “Jesus wants the rose!”. Just view it!