Luke 7:36-7:50
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Happy resurrection Sunday!
Today I am going to look at the last part of Luke 7, but I am also going to talk about the reason for this holiday, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Our passage from Luke is really all about love. I want you to imagine a modern wedding. Suppose the wedding includes a place where the future bride and groom tell each other how they feel about each other. The groom goes first, and says, “I am so glad that you are marrying me. You are perfect for me. You don’t have any of the weaknesses that I find so annoying in most people, and you help make me look good. You are one of the most interesting people I have ever met, and I love how you enjoy hearing me talk. I love how you agree with me all the time, and I love how I never have to give in to you. We look beautiful together, and once you marry me, the world will admire us and be envious.”
Compare this with another wedding, and another speech. This time the groom says, “I love you. You are so wonderful, so patient, so loving, so caring. I don’t deserve you. The fact that you love me is amazing, because you love me as I am, despite my imperfections, my failings, my sins. You are the most forgiving person I have ever met. One thing that is wondrous to me is that your unconditional love has this way of pulling me along to grow to become more than I currently am. If you will marry me, I will strive to serve you, to put to death the parts of me that are selfish and prideful. You are beautiful, on the inside and out, and if the world is envious of me, it will only be because you are my wife.”
Ladies, who would you rather marry? I hope it is the second person! Let’s now turn to Luke 7:36.
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. – Luke 7:36
What was it like to host a dinner party back at the time of Jesus? What was it like to attend a dinner party? Well, in some ways it was similar to what we might experience today, but there were significant differences. Probably the main difference was that the “showing hospitality” aspect of a dinner was a much greater deal back then than it is today, at least today here in the west. In many parts of the world, hospitality towards a guest is a bigger deal than it is to us.
Anyway, here is what someone might expect when treated by someone fairly well off (like most Pharisees) to a dinner party. First, a servant of the host would come to the guests with a basin and a pitcher of water and wash the guests’ feet, removing all the dust and dirt that had accumulated from their journey. (People wore sandals, so their feet got pretty dirty!) Second, guests might be offered some perfumed olive oil for their hair – sort of a modern way of “freshening up.” Third, when the host met the guests, he would kiss them as part of his greeting. As we shall see, our Pharisee host did not do any of these things. Despite the lack of these courtesies, Jesus does not appear to take offense, but simply reclines at the table.
Tables were typically very low to the ground, and many cushions would surround the table. As people came to the table, they would remove their sandals and then they would rest on the cushions. Because the tables were so low, they would rest on their sides, almost lying down, and their feet would be behind them. A servant or servants would bring the meal in courses to the table.
When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. – Luke 7:37-38
The Greek phrase for “a woman who had lived a sinful life” is a euphemism for a prostitute. Although the Mosaic Law stated that the penalty for adultery was death, the carrying out of this penalty at the time of Jesus was quite rare, because Romans were in charge and did not permit the Jews, on their own, to carry out the death penalty. But sometimes mobs of Jews would form, and before the Romans could get involved, people involved in adultery could be stoned.
Now you may be wondering what in the world this woman was doing here at this Pharisee’s party. That is a good question! Clearly, the Pharisee host did not specifically invite her! The answer is that when someone hosted a famous rabbi at his house for dinner, he opened up his house to anyone who desired to come and listen to the conversation. These uninvited guests were not invited to the meal, but were welcome stand around behind the host and his guests and listen in. Apparently, the unwritten rules of this cultural practice made it so that anyone could come, no matter how “undesirable.” And no doubt, this woman was certainly undesirable! People knew who she was and what she did. I have no doubt she received dirty looks from people all the time. Perhaps even the servants looked at her with disgust.
We see that she knew about Jesus. Probably she had heard him talk before, and there was something about who He was or what He said, that had struck a nerve. Based on the rest of this passage, it seems clear that something about Him and made her think about her whole life, and how she was, in fact, living a sinful life. She knew that what she had done deserved the death penalty many times over.
It says she was weeping. Note that she wasn’t weeping because someone caught her sinning, like we have heard several times in the press the last few weeks. The town knew who she was and what she did. This was not contrition over being caught, but genuine sorrow over who she was, over what she had become. And I believe her sorrow was because something Jesus had said had made her realize that sin was not just some abstract idea, or moral convention, but that it was rebellion against the wonderful God who had created her, who had created her body, who had created her mind, and had created her soul. She had basically trashed all three, in effect, tearing up this amazing gift her Creator had made just for her. She had ruined her life and destroyed any hope of a relationship with the only One who could have really fulfilled her. By her sin, she had cut herself off from Him forever! Perhaps for the first time, she clearly saw what she had done to her life. And she wept, and she wept, and she wept. She wept at the feet of Jesus, because there was something about Him that made her see what she had done, what she had ruined.
As she continued to weep, tears fell on Jesus’ feet, moving the dust and dirt around a little. Perhaps not even realizing what she was doing, she removed whatever cloth was around her hair, removed any hairpieces, and then began to use her hair like a washcloth. Her tears provided the water, and with her hair she began to clean up his dusty feet. In addition to this, still weeping, she began to kiss his feet. And then, opening what was likely a small jar of perfume worn around her neck, she poured some of the likely strongly smelling perfume over his feet. The Greek tense of the verbs here implies that this was not a one-time thing, but was repeated over and over.
How do you think all this was viewed by those at the dinner? Her weeping may have been pretty quiet, and she might not have drawn much attention, until she opened the perfume. No doubt the smell spread through the whole room, and people looked around to see where it was coming from. What did they find? This prostitute, kneeling to the ground, her hair down, weeping and kissing Jesus’ feet and pouring perfume over them. I should mention that just the act of letting your hair down was considered scandalous in their culture. Even today, we would find such a scene absolutely shocking! We would be asking ourselves, and the bolder ones of us would be asking her, “Woman, what on earth are you doing!?”
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. – Luke 7:39-40
The host, who we now learn was named Simon, was not bold enough to address the woman or even Jesus, his guest, but he does mutter under his breath what he is thinking. “This man is no prophet! A holy man of God would never allow himself to be touched in this manner by someone like her!” (By the way, Simon is a common name – there is no reason to think that this is one of the disciples.) Jesus hears or knows what Simon is thinking, and in effect asks Simon if He has permission to speak freely. Simon gives Him that permission, and Jesus, as He did so often, responds with a story.
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. – Luke 7:41-43
This is a simple story, and one we can completely understand. For a poor person, both of these debt amounts are pretty crushing; a denarius is roughly a day’s wage. If you are just getting by, repaying 50 denarii could easily take two years or more. To repay 500 denarii could take decades! By the laws of that time, the moneylender has every right to demand full repayment. To be forgiven what could take a few years to pay off is a huge deal, but to be forgiven what could take the rest of your life is a “superhumongously” huge deal!
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. – Luke 7:44-46
Simon may now be regretting that he gave permission for Jesus to speak freely. Jesus has just drawn public attention to the fact that Simon has not even been particularly polite, let alone showing of love towards Jesus. In contrast, the actions of this sinful woman are the actions of someone who loves so much that she doesn’t care about whether it embarrasses her. It is ironic that Simon is the one who has just been embarrassed.
The comparisons are even more powerful when you compare how little effort or loss of comfort would have been required for Simon to do these things with the extreme nature of the woman’s actions – using her own hair instead of a cheap rag, kissing His dirty feet instead of His cheek, and giving up her own quality perfume on His lowly feet instead of using a bit of cheaper scented oil for His head.
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." – Luke 7:47
Who is Jesus referring to when He says “He who has been forgiven little loves little”? He is referring to Simon. Why has Simon been forgiven little? Because he hasn’t asked! He hasn’t repented, and he doesn’t even think he has done anything wrong. In contrast, the “sinful” woman was fully aware of her sin, and even though she may not have been able to explain why, she was led (and I would say it was because she had faith that she was “lead-able”) – she was led to humbly come before Jesus with a heart of repentance for her “many” sins.
By the way, do we need to sin more in order to be forgiven more and therefore love God more? Absolutely not! We all sin plenty! All we need to do is become more aware of our current state of sinfulness. As we do this, we will be more aware of the depth of God’s love and forgiveness available to us.
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." – Luke 7:48-50
Jesus says three things to this woman:
(1) Your sins are forgiven. Notice that Jesus had already said this of her to Simon, but now he says it directly to the woman. Some of us need to hear this – we continue to beat ourselves up for past sins even after we have confessed them to God.
(2) Your faith as saved you. Without faith we cannot please God. Forgiveness of sin is only available in Christ through faith in Him.
(3) Go in peace. Once you are forgiven you are forgiven. This woman, a sinner of sinners, is reconciled to Jesus, and therefore, to God! She has peace with God! This peace is available to all who turn to Him.
The past several weeks we have gone through this entire seventh chapter of Luke. The chapter began with Jesus’ miraculous healing of the centurion’s servant (verses 1-10). Then we saw Jesus’ even more miraculous raising of the widow’s son from the dead (verses 11-17). And now we see Jesus forgive the sins of a faith-filled, repentant prostitute. Which was the greatest miracle? I believe it is the one we have read today! The other healings were temporary – the centurion’s servant is now dead, as is the widow’s son. But the former prostitute is still forgiven. Forgiveness from the Lord is eternal.
And this forgiveness, this love, changes us. I wish we could read the rest of the story about this former prostitute. But if she remained close to the Lord, if her faith in Him continued to grow, I have no doubts that she remained a former prostitute. The Lord’s forgiveness and love changes us. It grows us to be more like Him. Remember the two weddings?
I think Simon may have been a lot like that first groom. He was willing to let Jesus come to his home, because he found Him interesting. But he was really focused on himself, and his view of himself was that it was pretty good. The world is filled with people like this today, people who are looking for a religion that fits them, that makes them look good.
But the woman offers Jesus a devotion that is all about Him. She is not looking for someone interesting, but she is simply devoting herself to Him, and she doesn’t care what others think about her while serving Him. She knows that she does not deserve any relationship with Him at all, and when He forgives her, she loves Him even more. The speech of the second groom was my feeble attempt to get at what she was about.
How do you feel about identifying yourself with a prostitute? The truth is that sin is sin. We are all seeped in sin. Apart from any transformation God has already performed in us, we are as wicked as Judas. If Jesus were here in the flesh, right now, I can not think of a more appropriate response than to wash His feet with our tears and wipe them clean with our hair.
Jesus forgave that woman because she came to Him in repentance. At the time of Jesus, there may have been others who wanted to come to Him for forgiveness, but they couldn’t reach Him because of the crowds, or they had other obligations that prevented it, or couldn’t for a countless variety of other reasons.
The reason God came to earth in human flesh, born as the baby Jesus and yet fully God, was not so that He could heal a few dozen people who came close to Him, or so that He could raise two or three people from the dead, or so that He could forgive a few who came to Him in repentance. He came so that this forgiveness, and the love that grows out of it, could be available to all who desire it. The only way He could do this was by allowing Himself, though sinless, to become a sin offering for us, to willingly die on the cross, once for all. God raised Him from the dead to show that Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted, and to validate Jesus’ teachings. He really was God. He really does offer eternal life to all who believe in Him. He really does offer forgiveness, and reconciliation, and new life, to all who humble themselves and call on His name.
We celebrate the resurrection, because in some ways it is like God saying “I do” in our marriage with Him. I realize this imagery is awkward for us guys, and so to you I say instead turn to the image of the prodigal son. God is that Father, rushing towards us with open arms, rejoicing that we have turned back to Him.
I realize I have not given you any “bullet points” to write down, so here are a few:
1. Do not settle for only an intellectual friendship with God. God is not interested in platonic relationships. He wants to be your perfect Groom (ladies) or your perfect Father (men).
2.Allow Jesus to forgive you of much. Be honest with Him! Don’t avoid discussing your sin with Him, but confess it. Your un-confessed sin destroys so much! It destroys your relationship with God. It puts off allowing God to change you, and so it destroys your present. And it destroys a little bit of every person around you, because sin is contagious. Or to use another analogy, it is like leaven spreading through the whole dough. And so, open up to Him. Confess your sin so He can forgive you and help you to grow to love Him more. As you love Him more, you will love your sin less.
3.By faith, walk day by day in a love relationship with God. Feed your faith by feasting on God’s Word. Grow in faith by making Him a part of all aspects of your life through prayer. And “go in peace,” sharing what He is teaching you with those around you.
We do not have to settle for an intellectual friendship with God because Jesus is risen from the dead. God’s forgiveness is available to us because Jesus is risen from the dead. By faith, we can walk day by day in a love relationship with God because Jesus is risen from the dead. Here is Matthew’s account of the most important events that have ever happened in the history of the world:
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. – Matt. 28:1
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. – Matt. 28:2-4
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.' Now I have told you." – Matt. 28:5-7
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me." – Matt. 28:8-10 […]
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matt. 28:16-20
I want to close with the following video. The song is called The Outlaw by Larry Norman. The words at the beginning are from Mark Driscoll. The video clips I believe are from the movie The Gospel of John. Hear are the words to the song:
"Some say He was an outlaw, that He roamed across the land
With a band of unschooled ruffians and a few old fishermen
No one knew just where He came from, or exactly what He’d done
But they said it must be something bad that kept Him on the run
"Some say He was a poet, that He’d stand upon the hill
That His voice could calm an angry crowd or make the waves stand still
That He spoke in many parables that few could understand
But the people sat for hours just to listen to this Man
"Some say He was a sorcerer, a man of mystery
He could walk upon the water, He could make a blind man see
That He conjured wine at weddings and did tricks with fish and bread
That He talked of being born again and raised people from the dead
"Some say a politician who spoke of being free
He was followed by the masses on the shores of Galilee
He spoke out against corruption and He bowed to no decree
And they feared His strength and power so they nailed Him to a tree
"Some say He was the Son of God, a Man above all men
That He came to be a servant and to set us free from sin
And that’s who I believe He is because that’s what I believe
And I think we should get ready ‘cause it’s time for us to leave."
Today I am going to look at the last part of Luke 7, but I am also going to talk about the reason for this holiday, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Our passage from Luke is really all about love. I want you to imagine a modern wedding. Suppose the wedding includes a place where the future bride and groom tell each other how they feel about each other. The groom goes first, and says, “I am so glad that you are marrying me. You are perfect for me. You don’t have any of the weaknesses that I find so annoying in most people, and you help make me look good. You are one of the most interesting people I have ever met, and I love how you enjoy hearing me talk. I love how you agree with me all the time, and I love how I never have to give in to you. We look beautiful together, and once you marry me, the world will admire us and be envious.”
Compare this with another wedding, and another speech. This time the groom says, “I love you. You are so wonderful, so patient, so loving, so caring. I don’t deserve you. The fact that you love me is amazing, because you love me as I am, despite my imperfections, my failings, my sins. You are the most forgiving person I have ever met. One thing that is wondrous to me is that your unconditional love has this way of pulling me along to grow to become more than I currently am. If you will marry me, I will strive to serve you, to put to death the parts of me that are selfish and prideful. You are beautiful, on the inside and out, and if the world is envious of me, it will only be because you are my wife.”
Ladies, who would you rather marry? I hope it is the second person! Let’s now turn to Luke 7:36.
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. – Luke 7:36
What was it like to host a dinner party back at the time of Jesus? What was it like to attend a dinner party? Well, in some ways it was similar to what we might experience today, but there were significant differences. Probably the main difference was that the “showing hospitality” aspect of a dinner was a much greater deal back then than it is today, at least today here in the west. In many parts of the world, hospitality towards a guest is a bigger deal than it is to us.
Anyway, here is what someone might expect when treated by someone fairly well off (like most Pharisees) to a dinner party. First, a servant of the host would come to the guests with a basin and a pitcher of water and wash the guests’ feet, removing all the dust and dirt that had accumulated from their journey. (People wore sandals, so their feet got pretty dirty!) Second, guests might be offered some perfumed olive oil for their hair – sort of a modern way of “freshening up.” Third, when the host met the guests, he would kiss them as part of his greeting. As we shall see, our Pharisee host did not do any of these things. Despite the lack of these courtesies, Jesus does not appear to take offense, but simply reclines at the table.
Tables were typically very low to the ground, and many cushions would surround the table. As people came to the table, they would remove their sandals and then they would rest on the cushions. Because the tables were so low, they would rest on their sides, almost lying down, and their feet would be behind them. A servant or servants would bring the meal in courses to the table.
When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. – Luke 7:37-38
The Greek phrase for “a woman who had lived a sinful life” is a euphemism for a prostitute. Although the Mosaic Law stated that the penalty for adultery was death, the carrying out of this penalty at the time of Jesus was quite rare, because Romans were in charge and did not permit the Jews, on their own, to carry out the death penalty. But sometimes mobs of Jews would form, and before the Romans could get involved, people involved in adultery could be stoned.
Now you may be wondering what in the world this woman was doing here at this Pharisee’s party. That is a good question! Clearly, the Pharisee host did not specifically invite her! The answer is that when someone hosted a famous rabbi at his house for dinner, he opened up his house to anyone who desired to come and listen to the conversation. These uninvited guests were not invited to the meal, but were welcome stand around behind the host and his guests and listen in. Apparently, the unwritten rules of this cultural practice made it so that anyone could come, no matter how “undesirable.” And no doubt, this woman was certainly undesirable! People knew who she was and what she did. I have no doubt she received dirty looks from people all the time. Perhaps even the servants looked at her with disgust.
We see that she knew about Jesus. Probably she had heard him talk before, and there was something about who He was or what He said, that had struck a nerve. Based on the rest of this passage, it seems clear that something about Him and made her think about her whole life, and how she was, in fact, living a sinful life. She knew that what she had done deserved the death penalty many times over.
It says she was weeping. Note that she wasn’t weeping because someone caught her sinning, like we have heard several times in the press the last few weeks. The town knew who she was and what she did. This was not contrition over being caught, but genuine sorrow over who she was, over what she had become. And I believe her sorrow was because something Jesus had said had made her realize that sin was not just some abstract idea, or moral convention, but that it was rebellion against the wonderful God who had created her, who had created her body, who had created her mind, and had created her soul. She had basically trashed all three, in effect, tearing up this amazing gift her Creator had made just for her. She had ruined her life and destroyed any hope of a relationship with the only One who could have really fulfilled her. By her sin, she had cut herself off from Him forever! Perhaps for the first time, she clearly saw what she had done to her life. And she wept, and she wept, and she wept. She wept at the feet of Jesus, because there was something about Him that made her see what she had done, what she had ruined.
As she continued to weep, tears fell on Jesus’ feet, moving the dust and dirt around a little. Perhaps not even realizing what she was doing, she removed whatever cloth was around her hair, removed any hairpieces, and then began to use her hair like a washcloth. Her tears provided the water, and with her hair she began to clean up his dusty feet. In addition to this, still weeping, she began to kiss his feet. And then, opening what was likely a small jar of perfume worn around her neck, she poured some of the likely strongly smelling perfume over his feet. The Greek tense of the verbs here implies that this was not a one-time thing, but was repeated over and over.
How do you think all this was viewed by those at the dinner? Her weeping may have been pretty quiet, and she might not have drawn much attention, until she opened the perfume. No doubt the smell spread through the whole room, and people looked around to see where it was coming from. What did they find? This prostitute, kneeling to the ground, her hair down, weeping and kissing Jesus’ feet and pouring perfume over them. I should mention that just the act of letting your hair down was considered scandalous in their culture. Even today, we would find such a scene absolutely shocking! We would be asking ourselves, and the bolder ones of us would be asking her, “Woman, what on earth are you doing!?”
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. – Luke 7:39-40
The host, who we now learn was named Simon, was not bold enough to address the woman or even Jesus, his guest, but he does mutter under his breath what he is thinking. “This man is no prophet! A holy man of God would never allow himself to be touched in this manner by someone like her!” (By the way, Simon is a common name – there is no reason to think that this is one of the disciples.) Jesus hears or knows what Simon is thinking, and in effect asks Simon if He has permission to speak freely. Simon gives Him that permission, and Jesus, as He did so often, responds with a story.
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. – Luke 7:41-43
This is a simple story, and one we can completely understand. For a poor person, both of these debt amounts are pretty crushing; a denarius is roughly a day’s wage. If you are just getting by, repaying 50 denarii could easily take two years or more. To repay 500 denarii could take decades! By the laws of that time, the moneylender has every right to demand full repayment. To be forgiven what could take a few years to pay off is a huge deal, but to be forgiven what could take the rest of your life is a “superhumongously” huge deal!
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. – Luke 7:44-46
Simon may now be regretting that he gave permission for Jesus to speak freely. Jesus has just drawn public attention to the fact that Simon has not even been particularly polite, let alone showing of love towards Jesus. In contrast, the actions of this sinful woman are the actions of someone who loves so much that she doesn’t care about whether it embarrasses her. It is ironic that Simon is the one who has just been embarrassed.
The comparisons are even more powerful when you compare how little effort or loss of comfort would have been required for Simon to do these things with the extreme nature of the woman’s actions – using her own hair instead of a cheap rag, kissing His dirty feet instead of His cheek, and giving up her own quality perfume on His lowly feet instead of using a bit of cheaper scented oil for His head.
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." – Luke 7:47
Who is Jesus referring to when He says “He who has been forgiven little loves little”? He is referring to Simon. Why has Simon been forgiven little? Because he hasn’t asked! He hasn’t repented, and he doesn’t even think he has done anything wrong. In contrast, the “sinful” woman was fully aware of her sin, and even though she may not have been able to explain why, she was led (and I would say it was because she had faith that she was “lead-able”) – she was led to humbly come before Jesus with a heart of repentance for her “many” sins.
By the way, do we need to sin more in order to be forgiven more and therefore love God more? Absolutely not! We all sin plenty! All we need to do is become more aware of our current state of sinfulness. As we do this, we will be more aware of the depth of God’s love and forgiveness available to us.
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." – Luke 7:48-50
Jesus says three things to this woman:
(1) Your sins are forgiven. Notice that Jesus had already said this of her to Simon, but now he says it directly to the woman. Some of us need to hear this – we continue to beat ourselves up for past sins even after we have confessed them to God.
(2) Your faith as saved you. Without faith we cannot please God. Forgiveness of sin is only available in Christ through faith in Him.
(3) Go in peace. Once you are forgiven you are forgiven. This woman, a sinner of sinners, is reconciled to Jesus, and therefore, to God! She has peace with God! This peace is available to all who turn to Him.
The past several weeks we have gone through this entire seventh chapter of Luke. The chapter began with Jesus’ miraculous healing of the centurion’s servant (verses 1-10). Then we saw Jesus’ even more miraculous raising of the widow’s son from the dead (verses 11-17). And now we see Jesus forgive the sins of a faith-filled, repentant prostitute. Which was the greatest miracle? I believe it is the one we have read today! The other healings were temporary – the centurion’s servant is now dead, as is the widow’s son. But the former prostitute is still forgiven. Forgiveness from the Lord is eternal.
And this forgiveness, this love, changes us. I wish we could read the rest of the story about this former prostitute. But if she remained close to the Lord, if her faith in Him continued to grow, I have no doubts that she remained a former prostitute. The Lord’s forgiveness and love changes us. It grows us to be more like Him. Remember the two weddings?
I think Simon may have been a lot like that first groom. He was willing to let Jesus come to his home, because he found Him interesting. But he was really focused on himself, and his view of himself was that it was pretty good. The world is filled with people like this today, people who are looking for a religion that fits them, that makes them look good.
But the woman offers Jesus a devotion that is all about Him. She is not looking for someone interesting, but she is simply devoting herself to Him, and she doesn’t care what others think about her while serving Him. She knows that she does not deserve any relationship with Him at all, and when He forgives her, she loves Him even more. The speech of the second groom was my feeble attempt to get at what she was about.
How do you feel about identifying yourself with a prostitute? The truth is that sin is sin. We are all seeped in sin. Apart from any transformation God has already performed in us, we are as wicked as Judas. If Jesus were here in the flesh, right now, I can not think of a more appropriate response than to wash His feet with our tears and wipe them clean with our hair.
Jesus forgave that woman because she came to Him in repentance. At the time of Jesus, there may have been others who wanted to come to Him for forgiveness, but they couldn’t reach Him because of the crowds, or they had other obligations that prevented it, or couldn’t for a countless variety of other reasons.
The reason God came to earth in human flesh, born as the baby Jesus and yet fully God, was not so that He could heal a few dozen people who came close to Him, or so that He could raise two or three people from the dead, or so that He could forgive a few who came to Him in repentance. He came so that this forgiveness, and the love that grows out of it, could be available to all who desire it. The only way He could do this was by allowing Himself, though sinless, to become a sin offering for us, to willingly die on the cross, once for all. God raised Him from the dead to show that Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted, and to validate Jesus’ teachings. He really was God. He really does offer eternal life to all who believe in Him. He really does offer forgiveness, and reconciliation, and new life, to all who humble themselves and call on His name.
We celebrate the resurrection, because in some ways it is like God saying “I do” in our marriage with Him. I realize this imagery is awkward for us guys, and so to you I say instead turn to the image of the prodigal son. God is that Father, rushing towards us with open arms, rejoicing that we have turned back to Him.
I realize I have not given you any “bullet points” to write down, so here are a few:
1. Do not settle for only an intellectual friendship with God. God is not interested in platonic relationships. He wants to be your perfect Groom (ladies) or your perfect Father (men).
2.Allow Jesus to forgive you of much. Be honest with Him! Don’t avoid discussing your sin with Him, but confess it. Your un-confessed sin destroys so much! It destroys your relationship with God. It puts off allowing God to change you, and so it destroys your present. And it destroys a little bit of every person around you, because sin is contagious. Or to use another analogy, it is like leaven spreading through the whole dough. And so, open up to Him. Confess your sin so He can forgive you and help you to grow to love Him more. As you love Him more, you will love your sin less.
3.By faith, walk day by day in a love relationship with God. Feed your faith by feasting on God’s Word. Grow in faith by making Him a part of all aspects of your life through prayer. And “go in peace,” sharing what He is teaching you with those around you.
We do not have to settle for an intellectual friendship with God because Jesus is risen from the dead. God’s forgiveness is available to us because Jesus is risen from the dead. By faith, we can walk day by day in a love relationship with God because Jesus is risen from the dead. Here is Matthew’s account of the most important events that have ever happened in the history of the world:
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. – Matt. 28:1
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. – Matt. 28:2-4
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.' Now I have told you." – Matt. 28:5-7
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me." – Matt. 28:8-10 […]
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matt. 28:16-20
I want to close with the following video. The song is called The Outlaw by Larry Norman. The words at the beginning are from Mark Driscoll. The video clips I believe are from the movie The Gospel of John. Hear are the words to the song:
"Some say He was an outlaw, that He roamed across the land
With a band of unschooled ruffians and a few old fishermen
No one knew just where He came from, or exactly what He’d done
But they said it must be something bad that kept Him on the run
"Some say He was a poet, that He’d stand upon the hill
That His voice could calm an angry crowd or make the waves stand still
That He spoke in many parables that few could understand
But the people sat for hours just to listen to this Man
"Some say He was a sorcerer, a man of mystery
He could walk upon the water, He could make a blind man see
That He conjured wine at weddings and did tricks with fish and bread
That He talked of being born again and raised people from the dead
"Some say a politician who spoke of being free
He was followed by the masses on the shores of Galilee
He spoke out against corruption and He bowed to no decree
And they feared His strength and power so they nailed Him to a tree
"Some say He was the Son of God, a Man above all men
That He came to be a servant and to set us free from sin
And that’s who I believe He is because that’s what I believe
And I think we should get ready ‘cause it’s time for us to leave."
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