What does Jesus see?

I have amazing readers. I have been praying for mainly two things: 1) that God will use me to share His Word with my readers and 2) that He will give me words to speak and questions to ask. I have no doubt that He will answer #1, but little did I know that He would use my readers to answer #2 (well, I knew He would, but not to what degree). Let me give you an example.

One of my readers, let's call her B, is a strong Christian. Before continuing, please read Luke 7:36-50. In this passage, Jesus tells the story about the money lender to make a point. One of the questions in the workbook asks why Jesus tells the story. B said something like this: (keep in mind this is a loose paraphrase, the original was in broken English.) "Jesus wanted Simon to know something. He compared the man who owed the most to the sinful woman and the man who owed the least to Simon. He is the money lender. Jesus saw them differently. When he looked at them, he did not see the things they did. He saw what was inside their heart, the reasons why they did what they did."

This conclusion may seem elementary to you, but I had never thought of this passage in that way before. I never thought to ask "What did Jesus really see when He looked at them?" Usually, I assume Jesus saw that she was sorry and believed because of her actions. But no, Jesus did not see the woman's sin nor her actions. He saw a truly repentant, believing heart. And that is why He forgave her sins. Because of God speaking through B, I have a little more insight not only into this story, but also into the man Jesus. And I have another question to ask my other readers, one that may help them to see Jesus in a new, better way.

Thank you for your prayers! Know that God hears you and He is answering, sometimes in the most unlikely ways.