Meeting Jesus - Loving Much
School campus with a team of other students. We painted, put sod down on the football field, striped the parking lot…and took care of other facility needs. One day, the Principal told me to get in his truck and drive it around to the other side of the school. I hopped in the truck and drove it to the other side of the school. As I was pulling into the parking spot, I saw some of my friends. I took my hands off the steering wheel, waved at them with both hands, then tried to whip it into the spot. I didn’t make the cut, and I ran right into Ms. McKinney’s brand-new Mercury.
I froze.
I didn’t have a driver’s license. I didn’t have insurance. I saw the rest of my summer flash before my eyes…sitting in a jail cell…playing the harmonica. I jumped out of the truck. Found Ms. McKinney and confessed to her what I had done. After she saw the damage, she said she would not make a police report, and if I would pay a portion of her insurance deductible, that would be fine.
When somebody shows unexpected kindness and compassion to us a deep sense of gratitude can fill our hearts. I did not deserve the kindness that Ms. McKinney showed to me. I had been careless with the truck. I wrecked her brand-new car. But she showed compassion and kindness anyway.
Today, we read about the encounter that Jesus had with a woman after he had already shown compassion to her and had forgiven her of her sins.
This wasn’t just any woman. This was a woman who had spent a lifetime selling her body to men for sex. She was a prostitute. She was a homewrecker. She used her body to tempt men, ruin marriages, and destroy families. But at some point, she had been changed by the forgiveness of Jesus, and now she was given an opportunity to demonstrate gratitude to Jesus.
Let’s read together.
Luke 7:36-50 (NLT2)
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” 40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied. 41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. 47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?” 50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
During this period of time, when a feast was held, anybody in the community could attend. The more important the guest of honor, the more people from the community would show up. Everybody was allowed to come, but not everybody was considered equal.
The first thing I want to point out is that both…
THE PHARISEE AND THE PROSTITUTE WERE DRAWN TO JESUS
The writer Luke does not say “A Pharisee” invited Jesus for dinner. He uses the phrase “One of the Pharisees.” This suggests it wasn’t some RANDOM Pharisee that invited Jesus to dinner, it was one of the Pharisees who had been around Jesus before. The Pharisees have already been mentioned numerous times so far in the Gospel of Luke:
The Pharisees were listening when Jesus taught in the synagogue in Luke 4:20-21.
The Pharisees were present every Sabbath when Jesus taught in Luke 4:31 and Luke 4:44.
The Pharisees were present when Jesus partied with the Tax Collectors and sinners in Luke 5:30.
The Pharisees were present when Jesus and his disciples were just strolling along through the wheat fields. Luke 6:1-2
And, as we looked at a couple of weeks ago, the Pharisees were present when Jesus healed a man with the withered hand in Luke 6:7
Simon wasn’t some random stranger from a neighboring village. This was a MAN who had heard the teachings of Jesus, seen his miracles, and seen the life change that Jesus brought to others. But he was not drawn to Jesus because he was longing for a changed life. He was drawn to Jesus because he thought he could use the popularity of Jesus among the people to “Level-Up” his social status in the community. Simon demonstrated very little respect for Jesus and USED Jesus.
We see the little respect he had. Even though Jesus was the guest of honor, Simon the Pharisee refused to demonstrate any customary signs of respect or hospitality.
Simon didn’t greet Jesus with a kiss.
Simon didn’t offer water to wash his dirty feet.
Simon didn’t offer the customary greeting of offering oil to anoint his guest’s head.
When Jesus arrived at the Pharisee’s home – he was snubbed! The Host of the Party GHOSTED the Guest of Honor because he only USED Jesus to make himself seem more important to the community. Many of us know exactly how it feels to be used by someone else. Maybe someone has used you for what you could give to them. Then when they are done with you, they diss you, ghost you, or give you the boot.
Maybe your family has used you for money.
Maybe somebody took what they wanted, then they were done.
The Pharisee was drawn to Jesus for his own personal gain. He barely liked Jesus, and it showed. When the woman enters the house, she immediately begins to weep, wash and dry Jesus' feet with her tears, and anoint him with expensive perfume. She was not groveling and begging Jesus for forgiveness. She had already been forgiven for her sins. Apparently, she too had been around Jesus before.
She could have been present at the Tax-Collector party that Levi threw with Jesus as the guest of honor.
She could have been present during the sermon on the mount.
This woman had already been forgiven and was already living a different life.
Jesus indicated that she had already been forgiven:
Luke 7:47 (NLT2)
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”
This woman had already changed! She wasn’t out turning tricks, waking up in different beds around town. She had stopped turning her body over to men to use and abuse her and treat her like trash so they could get their kicks. She had been forgiven, she had repented, and she had changed and because her life had been changed by Jesus, she showed him deep gratitude and love.
In the days of Jesus, women were considered inferior. They were not as important as men. Goats, sheep, and cattle were more important than women. Because she was a woman, most of her property belonged to her father, and when a woman married, it became the property of her husband. Women did not have much that society considered valuable. She had nothing to offer Jesus except her hair, her tears, and the perfume she used to use to make herself feel pretty.
According to culture, her hair was considered a symbol of her beauty, dignity, and modesty. Women would keep their hair bound and wrapped up to protect it from being damaged by the heat and the desert dust. Since it was a symbol of their beauty, they protected it during the day.
But, when they were alone with their husband late in the evening, their hair would come down. At night, they were able to present to their husband their dignity and beauty.
Ladies, imagine you just spent hours at the hairdresser. You got it cut, highlighted, extensions, curled, weaved, or straightened…when you left the salon, you felt spectacular…
Could you ever imagine a scenario where you would use your hair to wash and dry somebody’s feet? This woman, filled with gratitude because she had been forgiven and filled with hope, was drawn to Jesus.
She anoints his head with perfume.
She washes his feet with her tears.
She dries his feet with her hair.
She kisses his feet.
And Simon the Pharisee had enough of this woman. All he sees is a disgusting woman, a worthless, vile, trashy woman. And, I think sometimes, even followers of Jesus today fail to…
SEE PAST THE PAST OF THE FORGIVEN
Luke 7:39 (NLT2)
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
The Pharisee could not move past this woman’s sins. He could not move past her past mistakes. He could not move past her reputation. Unfortunately, sometimes followers of Jesus get it wrong. For some reason, sometimes followers of Jesus treat people the same way the Pharisee judged this woman. Instead of seeing others through the lens of forgiveness, we sometimes only see their past mistakes, sins, failures, and reputation. Sometimes, we have been so damaged by the impact of sin in our lives, we can’t move beyond our past.
Maybe you have been hurt, abused, manipulated, lied to. Maybe you have been forced to feel worthless by people you trusted and admired. Even though you have surrendered your life to Jesus, you struggle to see yourself the way God sees you.
If you are a follower of Jesus, embrace this truth:
You will never be condemned.
Romans 8:1 (NLT2)
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
John 3:18 (NLT2)
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him…
John 5:24 (NLT2)
24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
Sometimes people can’t see beyond your past because you don’t live beyond your past. Maybe you continue to feel trapped, held down, broken, and guilty.
My advice?
Stop!
Stop watering down the victory Jesus has given to you in life.
Live free.
Think free.
Live a radically changed life because you have been made new.
And, if you have failed to see beyond the past of others, tell God you are sorry and tell them you are sorry. Make things right and apologize. Pick up the phone. Send a text message. Contact them on social media. Let them know you blew it.
See,
CHURCH HURT IS THE WORST HURT, SO DEMONSTRATE UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE.
The Pharisee's focus on the woman's past sins prevented him from recognizing the transforming power of Jesus' message of forgiveness. Instead of seeing the woman's new life and forgiveness, the Pharisee was preoccupied with her past. If there is any place in the world where people should be able to find love, acceptance, and forgiveness, it should be the church. I believe that followers of Jesus ought to demonstrate the same limitless grace to others that we have received from God. Uncomfortable grace requires us to see others as Jesus does - as new creations, transformed by His love and forgiveness. Determine to extend grace to others. Even when it makes you uncomfortable. Even when you are not convinced that individual has truly been changed. Keep being followers of Jesus that practice uncomfortable grace, because Jesus has extended it to us.