06-12-16 Luke 7:36-50

Luke 7:36-50 (NIV)

³⁶Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.

³⁷When 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, ³⁸and 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.

³⁹When 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."

⁴⁰Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."

"Tell me, teacher," he said.

⁴¹"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[4] and the other fifty. ⁴²Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

⁴³Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."

"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

⁴⁴Then 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. ⁴⁵You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.

⁴⁶You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

⁴⁸Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

⁴⁹The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman,

"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Years ago on a religious talk show, the hostess was interviewing a new believer.

·        The new believer had come from the wrong side of the tracks--economically, socially, morally, and spiritually.

·        As he gave his testimony, this man, who had seen it all and done it all continually thanked God for the change God had made in his life.

·        “I can’t express,” he said, “the gratitude I feel that God has changed my life.” 

The talk show hostess knew where he was coming from--for she, too, had walked on life’s wild side before coming to Jesus.

·        She said, “I know what you mean.

·        Every day that I live I to thank him for changing my life.”

Then she added a very profound statement:

·        “You know what I’ve noticed though?

·        People who have always been in the church,

·        Who have always done the right thing,

·        Who always been prim and proper,

·        They don’t know how to give thanks to God.

·        In fact, I’ve noticed that they are prone to complain to God and others that God hasn’t done even MORE for them.”

If you can relate to that judgment, you will appreciate our Scripture for today.

·        It is the story of a woman of the city, a sinner, who came to Jesus as he dined in the house of a Pharisee named Simon.

·        It was the custom that when a Rabbi was at a meal in such a house, all kinds of people came in—and they were quite free to do so . . . so that they might listen to the pearls of wisdom which fell from the Rabbi’s lips.

·        Scholars tell us that at such gatherings the host would provide cushions around the perimeter of the room or the courtyard where the meal was eaten so that uninvited visitors could have a place to sit, watch and listen.

·        So, when this woman heard that Jesus was dining at Simon’s house, she made her way there, carrying an alabaster jar of perfume.

·        Another important fact is that when they had a meal back then, the guests did not sit in chairs, but rather reclined around the table.

·        They rested on their left elbow, leaving the right arm free to eat with, and with their feet stretched out behind.

·        And during the meal time, they would always take off their sandals.

This woman of the city positioned herself at Jesus’ feet.

·        Standing behind him, she began to weep.

·        Soon she was kneeling at his feet and her tears were falling on his feet.

·        Her tears were so great that she tenderly used her long hair to wipe them off.

·        Furthermore, she kissed his feet and anointed them with perfume.

The Pharisee was scandalized by such behavior.

·        For one thing, women didn’t take down their hair in public--some men would even divorce their wives if they did that.

·        And then to indulge in this public display of emotion and affection--it was a disgrace.

·        “If this man were a prophet,” Simon the Pharisee said to himself accusingly, “he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

Today we are attempting to uncover God’s Truth and how can we apply this Truth to our lives today.

·        The story is about this woman who was obviously burdened with guilt and regret.

Now you may feel that you and I have nothing to relate with this type of woman because she is so far different than us, living a life which is so deeply in sin.

Maybe you are right,

·        But do good people ever make bad mistakes?

Even more relatable, can you imagine a situation where a good person like yourself, a believer, might be forced into such a lifestyle he or she despises by their desperate circumstances?

·        I’m thinking of the victims of human trafficking.

o   I am talking about those who are being

o   Kidnapped.

o   Transported to a new world.

o   And forced to partake in sin just to stay alive.

·        I’m thinking about people who are the victims of crushing poverty.

o   Those who are trapped into this way of life.

·        Or perhaps this woman had been sexually abused as a young child.

We don’t know what brought this woman to this place in her life.

But we do know that she had not hardened herself to it.

·        She still felt GUILT!

·        She still felt REGRET!

·        She still LONGED to be made clean.

Simon the Pharisee obviously wasn’t willing to cut her any slack. He felt that this woman of sin, was so far beneath him and she disgraced his house by entering into it.

Simon displayed his anger towards this woman and combined it with his doubts of Jesus’ Words.

In a very disrespectful voice, Simon said

·        “If this man were a prophet,”

·        “He would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

Now Jesus could tell what this Pharisee was thinking.

So He said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

The Pharisee answered, “What is it, Teacher?”

Jesus instructed him with a parable.

·        “A certain creditor had two debtors, one owed five hundred denarii (which is a small silver coin of the Roman Empire), and the other fifty.

·        When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon answered,

“The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more.”

Jesus said, “You have judged rightly.”

Then Jesus 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,

o   But she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

·        You gave me no kiss (of greeting),

o   But from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.

·        You did not anoint my head with oil (as is customary),

o   But she has anointed my feet with ointment.

·        Therefore, I tell you,

o   Her sins, which are many, are forgiven,

§  For she loved much,

o   But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Many of us cannot say

That we really Love God.

I hope that statement doesn’t jar you too much.

But I want you to think about it for a few moments and I believe you will begin to see that it is true.

We can say that we:

·        Believe in God,

·        That we have Great Reverence for God,

·        Perhaps even that we FEAR God,

·        But if we are Truthful about our honest feelings,

o   We would have to say that we do not really love God.

The great commandment says that we should love God with: (Matthew 22:36-40)

·        All our heart:,

·        Soul,

·        Mind,

·        And strength.

Can you say that you love God with your whole heart?

Can You?

Chances are that you cannot.

And the problem may lie right here.

·        We do not love God with our whole heart

·        Because we have never experienced the realization of what it means.

·        What it means when God says to us, “You are forgiven.” 

Theologian Karl Barth, one of the giants of the 20^th century, understood that. “We live solely by forgiveness”.

·        He was but echoing the message of the Apostle Paul.

·        Paul so eagerly desired to obey the Jewish Law,

·        For he was taught and he believed it to be the path of salvation.

·        But instead of saving him, he came to the conclusion that it was the law that condemned him.

Who can satisfy the demands of a totally righteous God?

·        The answer is, no one.

Thankfully, however, there is one by whose death and resurrection we are made acceptable to God.

The price for our sins has been paid.

·        We are forgiven.

·        We are made right with God through the death of Jesus Christ.

As St. Paul puts it in Galatians 2: 21:

·        (ESV) “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

·        (LIVING BIBLE) “I am not one of those who treats Christ’s death as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping Jewish laws, then there was no need for Christ to die.”

Forgiven!

Can you grasp the full meaning of that word?

Mark Twain once said

·        That everyone is a moon

·        And we have a dark side which we never show to anyone.

Mr. Twain may be correct, but here is the Good News.

·        God sees that dark side that no one else can.

·        Yet because of what Christ has done upon the cross, He accepts us just as we are. 

With all of our trespasses.

With all of our transgressions

With all of our sins, we – you and me, we are completely drowned in the sea of His Grace.

Most Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer by praying “forgive us of our trespasses.”

While others pray “forgive us of our debts.”

It is believed that the prayer words “forgive us of our debts” comes from how a person feels towards money.

We are told that Henry Clay, the great statesman of another generation, once fell into hopeless debt.

·        Notes or debts of the sum of forty thousand dollars he owed a bank in Kentucky and in those days, $40,000 was an enormous amount of money.

·        That was in 1850s and in today’s money, his borrowed amount is equal to over 1.3 Million dollars.

·        For using Mr. Clay as an illustration, we must gain a little more clearer picture of who he was and to do that, let us listen to a few of his recorded quotes:

o   I had rather be right than be President

o   Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.

o   Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees; and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people.

·        None the less, Mr. Clay owed the $40,000 but he was preparing to sell off everything he owned in the world in order to satisfy this debt.

·        That is, until one day came when a stranger entered the bank and asked how much Clay owed. When told of the amount, he produced the $40,000, thereby canceling all of Clay’s debt.

o   “Who shall I say has paid this debt?” asked the banker.

o   “Just tell him it was paid by some of his friends,” responded the stranger.

·        When Clay learned that his debt had been paid, it is recorded that

o   “His strong heart melted,

o   The frame shook

o   And the great Clay,

§  Who never flinched

§  Before countless of enemies,

§  Nor flinched in the face of any opposition,

§  Now he wept like a child.” 

His debts had been forgiven.

·        You may be able to relate to Mr. Clay.

·        You yourself may have a huge amount of debt.

·        You yourself may owe more than you have.

I wish I could announce to you here today that all of your financial debts have all been canceled.

Can you just imagine how fresh that would feel?

But - No, I can’t say that.

But I can stand before you and announce to you that by the power invested in me as a minister of Jesus Christ that, BY YOUR FAITH IN HIM, all your sins are forgiven.

·        The slate is wiped clean.

·        Today is a brand new day. 

What does it mean to KNOW that, “You are forgiven?”

Doesn’t it mean,

·        First of all,

·        That we are FREE

·        That we are FREE to make a new start? 

That is the TRUE meaning of the word “repentance.”

·        It is not simply “feeling sorry for one’s sin.”

o   The word “repent” appears 46 times in the Old Testament.

o   And in 37 of these instances

§  It is God Himself who is said to repent.

·        Certainly, we would all agree that God could not be said to be sorry for his own sin.

·        No, repentance is:

o   A change of MIND,

o   A change of ATTITUDE,

o   A change of HEART or DIRECTION.

To KNOW

·        THAT THE SLATE HAS BEEN WIPED CLEAN

·        It calls for us to make a NEW START. 

Doris Donnely said, “Forgiveness is an invitation to redeem failure.”

She is right.

Consider an unfaithful husband.

·        He has hurt his wife very deeply.

·        She has learned of his unfaithfulness.

·        With a heart-filled with regret, he goes to her and begs her for forgiveness.

·        She does forgive him,

o   I mean - Truly forgives him,

o   And in doing that, she affirms her faith in him.

·        Do you think that he would say to himself,

o   “WOW - There, I have been forgiven, I will, therefore, go out and do it again.”

·        Of course not—that is if he is really any type of a man at all.

·        Knowing of the pain which – he - has brought her

·        And even more now, being aware of the type and depth of the faith which she has in him,

·        He will for sure,

o   Seek a NEW DIRECTION,

o   He will be a better man,

§  A more faithful

§  And loving husband.

So it comes down to our Relationship with God.

If you know yourself

·        Deep Down Within Yourself

·        That you are forgiven,

·        And I am talking about BEING - Truly - Forgiven,

·        Today will be that TURNING POINT in your life!

The knowledge that we are forgiven frees us to make a new start.

Knowing that we are FORGIVEN

ALSO allows us to - FORGIVE OTHERS!

Let me ask you –

If you know that you - yourself are a sinner

·        And you have been made acceptable only by the Grace of Jesus Christ,

·        How can you possibly

·        Then How can you not Forgive AND FORGET ALL others for ALL of their sins against you?

·        Are the sins against you GREATER than Your Sins against God?

·        Are you Superior – HOLIER than God?

If we hold on to the sins against us,

·        Even in the slightest and smallest of ways,

·        By doing this, we make it impossible for God to forgive you of your sins.

·        So within your non-forgiveness,

o   Let me ask, who is held accountable for this wrong?

o   Them or You?

See Matthew 6:14 & 15 and Mark 11:26

George Whitefield was one of the greatest evangelists who ever lived.

·        He was a true man of God.

·        But when he saw a condemned man going to the gallows he whispered those famous words,

·        “There but for the grace of God go I.”

·        George Whitefield knew, that he lived solely by forgiveness. 

Many of us do not want to forgive.

·        We nurture and nourish our resentments, our hate and our grudges.

But Jesus comes to us and says,

o   “You are forgiven,”

·        And suddenly, if we truly accept His Forgiveness, we realize that we, too, can forgive and need to FORGIVE. 

Someone once said

·        That a person who knows himself to be a sinner

·        Avoids church like an overweight person avoids the scales.

But, if we could tell that same sinner, “you are forgiven,”

That barrier, that weight, that guilt will be taken away. 

There is a story about a very bitter man who was sick of soul, mind and body.

·        He was in the hospital, in a very bad way,

·        Not because his body had been invaded by a virus or a germ,

·        But because of the anger and the contempt and self-pity in his soul.

·        Finally it came,

o   When he was at his lowest,

o   He said to a nurse, “Why don’t you give me something to end it all?”

·        Much to the man’s surprise, she said, “All right, I will.”

·        She went to the nightstand and pulled out a Bible and began reading. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

·        When she finished she said, “There, if you will believe what I read, it will end it all.

o   God loves you,

o   He accepts you,

o   He forgives you.

o   You are His child.” 

Such an action will of course, not work with everyone.

·        But it worked with this man.

·        He realized after much soul-searching that she had spoken truly.

·        He accepted the Love and Grace of Jesus Christ,

·        And he learned that he could love God,

·        Because he knew that God first loved him. 

You are forgiven.

Can you give God more than just?

-         More than just A “Knowing” of God’s Love

-         And Truly,

-         I mean TRULY EMBRASE HIM WITH HIS TYPE of LOVE?

This brings us to one more thing that experiencing FORGIVENESS, GOD’S AND YOURS - does for us--it allows us to love God.

Can you begin to feel how God is impacting your heart of hearts?

·        When you experience God’s forgiveness, it frees you not only to make a new start—

o   just as this woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears made a new start—

·        And it allows you to love, accept and forgive others,

·        Just as it also removes a critical barrier between you and God.

o   You are now free to truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

o   All because of what Christ has done in your behalf--you, and I, are forgiven.

There is a classic story about a noted conductor who was taking his choir and orchestra through their final rehearsal of Handel’s beautiful and inspiring “Messiah.”

§  When the soprano soloist came in with the refrain,

§  “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” she sang it with flawless technique, perfect breathing, and clear enunciation.

§  After she completed her part, everyone looked at the conductor expecting to see his response of approval. 

Then with a motion from his baton for silence, he walked over to the soloist and said, almost sorrowfully,

§  “My daughter, you do not really know that your Redeemer lives, do you?”

§  Embarrassed, she answered, “Why, yes, I think I do.”  

§  “Then sing it!” cried the conductor.

§  “Tell it to me so that I’ll know you have experienced the joy and power of it.”

Then he motioned for the orchestra to begin, and she sang with a fervor that told of her faith in the risen Lord. 

Those who listened wept and the old master, eyes wet with tears, said to her,

§  “You do know, for this time you have told me.” 

Many of us –

·        Have never truly felt –

·        The need for a Redeemer –

·        And thus –

·        We do not know the JOY of being Redeemed.

This woman

·        Who anointed Jesus’ feet

·        With her many tears - knew,

·        She KNEW

·        And so she LOVED Jesus

·        With a TRUE LOVE

·        That the righteous Pharisee could never know.