Matthew 7:12 (ESV)
The Golden Rule
12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Luke 7:36-50
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The word forgiveness in Greek means a letting go, a sending away, a release, or a pardon...So forgiveness is something we do as much for ourselves as we do in pardoning the other person who has sinned against us...Forgiveness is this letting go...We often judge and criticize ourselves...This makes it harder to enact the Golden Rule to do unto others as we would do unto ourselves...It is harder to love when we do not let go, and Jesus tells us this....We often get stuck in our emotions of resentment and blame to the party which we are trying to forgive...When we do not let go, we often are stuck in our own thoughts of why we were hurt and harmed...The focus can turn inward and we then think less about others...
Those who are not able to let go and forgive can only love a little...But Jesus tells us that those who are able to completely release and completely let go of anger and other painful emotions are able to learn to love a lot...So we must let go and release our judgments and criticisms of both ourselves and the one(s) who have trespassed against us...In letting go and releasing feelings and emotions, we better release and let go of anger...Our anger always seems justified and right when the harm was committed...But over time anger that is not let go and released causes harm to both ourselves and to others...
The freer and less angers, hurts, resentments and blames we have, the more we can love both others and love ourselves...Let go of the hurt and let God help you love...