Luke 7:36-8:3
“The Motivation for Change”
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. – Luke 7:47
What is the motivation for change? It is loving God, clear and simple. It is just that we do not recognize it because we do so well at loving ourselves. “Self” is the culprit and loving “self” is what turns us away from loving God, which keeps us from change.
“Repent” is the theological pre-work, “sanctified” the after. Repentance and sanctification are the vehicles for change. But the catalyst is loving God. Trying harder doesn’t motivate change. Loving God does.
We’ve been studying Deuteronomy at our midweek study. We looked at the Shema a few weeks back, Deuteronomy 6:4, Israel’s great commandment: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
Firstly, there is the identification of God, “The Lord our God the Lord is one!” He was not the many gods worshipped across the Jordan. He is the One True Living God of the Bible. And He alone is to be loved with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. That was the greatest commandment for Israel, and all others flowed from it.
The interesting thing is that Jesus quoted this very commandment when a scribe asked Him, “which is the great commandment in the law?” “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” [Matt 22:37-38]
And as you study the Gospels, Jesus, too, identified God [as Himself], and then went on to teach “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
In short, loving Jesus is loving God, and loving Jesus is the catalyst [the motivation] for change.
And so, for the woman described in our passage this morning, she loved much because she was forgiven much, which means that there was much change in her life. Her motivation for change was great because her love for Jesus was great.
