Rise Up in Peace
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” –Luke 7:50
The history of the pharisee and the sinful woman, which is found in Luke 7:36–50, is one that presents forgiveness, salvation, and faith. The Bible tells us that Jesus was invited to eat at the house of a pharisee named Simon. In that city, there lived a woman of dubious reputation who was noted for her bad life. That woman knew who Jesus was and what He could do. She went to the pharisee’s house and entered the activity. She went to where Jesus was, and given the magnitude of His presence, she prostrated herself before Him and quickly began to cry. Tears flowed profusely down her cheeks. And so, she knelt before Jesus, wet His feet with her tears, and kissed them. With her long hair, the woman dried the Lord’s feet. The woman had an alabaster jar full of perfume, which she also poured on Jesus’ feet. Faced with such a scene, Simon judged the woman’s life externally while Jesus valued the sincere and deep repentance that existed in her heart, through her act. Jesus told Simon another small parable—He taught that he who is forgiven for a greater debt will love that act of forgiving more. Jesus, in regard to the humility of the woman’s heart, told the woman: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The experience of forgiveness and salvation lived out by this woman is what each of us has gone through. Her faith saved her. She believed in God’s grace and accepted it. I still remember when I accepted the Lord at age 13 and when I was reconciled with Him at 33, both of which were some of the most beautiful experiences of my life. At each of those experiences at different stages of life, I felt in my heart the assurance that I was being forgiven and accepted. That faith provoked joy to recognize that I was genuinely liberated by our Savior. Experiencing God’s forgiveness causes our lives to be transformed, and we are healed, freed, renewed, and restored for the glory of His name. Forgiveness has a restorative effect that renews all areas of our lives. And it is there, at the feet of Jesus Christ, that we find salvation, forgiveness, hope, and peace.
My beloved sisters, do you have any situations that take away your peace? Our Father gives us the opportunity every day to come before His presence and talk about our matters with Him. His love is so great that He invites us, through prayer, to go before the throne of grace to present everything that takes away our peace. Let us prostrate ourselves with faith in His presence and leave everything there that takes away our quietness and joy. At His feet is where we will receive consolation, acceptance, forgiveness, hope, and peace. And again, our beloved Jesus will say, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
