Daily Devotional for Saturday, January 24

Jesus Redeemed a Harlot

“And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace,” Luke 7:50.

The act of redemption is most beautiful. A story told by Paul Lee Tan illustrates the meaning of redemption. He said that when A.J. Gordon was pastor of a church in Boston, he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. Gordon inquired, “Son, where did you get those birds?” The boy replied, “I trapped them out in the field.” “What are you going to do with them?” “I’m going to play with them, and then I guess I’ll just feed them to an old cat we have at home.” When Gordon offered to buy them, the lad exclaimed, “Mister, you don’t want them, they’re just little old wild birds and can’t sing very well.” Gordon replied, “I’ll give you $2 for the cage and the birds.” “Okay, it’s a deal, but you’re making a bad bargain.” The exchange was made, and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek and to save the lost—paying for them with His own precious blood. “That boy told me the birds were not songsters,” said Gordon, “but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, ‘Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!”

Jesus did not shrink back from the sinner woman in today’s reading. Her plight, in spite of her reputation as a sinner, was no different than you and I (Romans 3:23). The woman, who was forgiven of her sin, anointed His feet with tears and precious ointment. She loved Him, but not before He loved her.

FINAL THOUGHT

The fruit of redemption is a changed life. How has it changed yours?

 John Nations