Never the same – a woman with a secret
Preaching notes
Imagine a dinner party >>>
- Jesus invited >>>
- quite a posh dinner party
- reclining at table – on thick rugs
- lots of food – usually slightly more than the guests were likely to eat
It was their tradition that if there was a lavish party in progress the poor or disadvantaged of the town would be allowed to come and watch, and be given the residue of the food and drink. (Liefeld, p903)
- so for a needy woman to turn up and stand behind Jesus as he reclined at table was quite acceptable.
- But this woman – this woman was different! This was no ordinary pauper – this was (most likely) one of the town’s prostitutes
- A fact that Luke hints at both by recording Simon the Pharisees’ comments and the way she defied Jewish custom and allowed her hair to dangle freely.
Three people – three histories – three reactions
the woman
knew herself
But there’s more to it! This was no ordinary prostitute!
- she was a weeping prostitute – why?
Luke doesn’t say precisely but I can surmise that her reaction was a perfectly understandable one.
I’m surmising but it’s reasonable to assume she was beginning to realise that in Jesus she could find freedom, she was accepted as a woman of worth and value.
Jesus was a man who was not going to patronise her as a prostitute not exploit her as a client. She knew and, very likely, he knew that she was a victim who was trapped in the sex trade. And she just wept.
My friend, I don’t know what binds you this morning, but I do know who can set you free.
The same JC that reclined at the table in then is here now.
She knew herself, knew her past, knew her actions would clearly be out of line with God’s will. And here sh was getting close to God
In the Bible, what happened when people got close to God?
- Isaiah >>> “Woe is me – I am undone”
- John >>> “I wept much”
Bob Stokes meeting (and others like it, but my first experience of this)
- very ordinary – he was doing no more than I’m doing now
- but the HS descended in a powerful way
- we began to see ourselves as God saw us
- we saw our sin
- we also understood his forgiveness of it
- very quietly, people began weeping
- … and the most unlikely people were affected in this way.
In the light of what is about to happen, I don’t think I’m stretching the text by saying that I think that’s what is happening here.
An unnamed lady was coming face to face with holiness! joy! Peace! release! Acceptance!
- here in front of her is a man who is all she ever wanted to be
- a man who just oozed all the security and love that she so desperately craved
She’s face to face with Jesus!
And as she feels the deadening weight of her own guilt and simultaneously sees the freedom and joy that Jesus models she gradually begins to weep
- It is a natural and normal reaction
The catholic writers call it the ‘gift of tears’ and it’s something we’ve lost touch with in our over-functional lifestyles. In the Facebook & twitter world where we over-communicate and under-connect.
Then, as she stood there, she noticed that her tears had fallen on Jesus feet
- so she quietly bent down and did the thing that was most natural in the circumstances – wiped them off with her hair.
the Pharisee
didn’t understand Jesus
Pharisee – two misunderstandings
- He thought that the purpose of prophecy is to expose hidden sin
- (Don’t you just love people who have the spiritual gift of the picking of nits!)
- He also thought that Jesus didn’t have the necessary insight to know who this woman was
Jesus corrected both of these misunderstandings! But in the way Simon the Pharisee least expected
- I think he expected Jesus prophetic insight to be directed at the woman – making an exhibition of her
- He expected Jesus to condemn the embarrassing show of sloppy sentimentality they had just been part of
- He expected Jesus to distance himself from this woman – surely that’s what a real prophet would do, wouldn’t he?
But instead the prophetic cutting edge of Jesus ministry was turned directly on Simon himself
How did Jesus do it? Instead of proving he was a prophet by discerning the woman’s sinfulness he proved he was a prophet by exposing Simon’s!
39 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.”
That comment never reached Jesus’ ears. But he knew all about it!
- and it was that very attitude which Jesus was about to expose
And with a skilfully woven story about two men and a credit company, Jesus made it abundantly clear to this toffee-nosed Pharisee that the person with the hardest heart at this table wasn’t the woman with the perfume – it was him!
Story
- there is a money lender who had two clients
- one owed £500, the other owed £50.
- neither of them could pay and they were both expecting the bailiffs.
- But instead of sending in the heavies, the money lender forgave both their debts!
- … forgiven – wow! – released!
42 … Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Simon the Pharisee’s own logic impelled him to the very conclusion he didn’t want to face
“He had been forgiven little” not because his sin was any less but because his appreciation, his understanding of the gravity of his sin was so weak.
- Simon, the Pharisee thought he’d got it all! He thought his education gave him an edge with God!
- he thought his religious practice (having quiet times, going to prayer, being seen at all the right meetings) made him more acceptable to God than the woman.
But the one thing that would count with God was the one thing that was missing in Simon
- … deep heartfelt, soul consuming, love for God.
- Simon’s relationship with God was functional and formal – doing all the right things – being seen with the right people (of whom Jesus was obviously one!)
Superficially he had a pretty good spiritual track record
- He served God – yes! – Pharisees were noted for their scrupulous observance of the Jewish law
- He knew about God – yes! – Pharisees were known for their painstaking study of the scriptures
- but he suffered from an un-devotional theology
But there was something missing – deep, honest, heartfelt love for God.
CF Delerious song – repeated line “My heart burns for you”
Later in Luke’s gospel,after Jesus had risen from the dead he made an impromptu hook-up with two disciples.
- They were walking along a road to a town called Emmaus and the disciples didn’t recognise Jesus.
- But as they chatted, he unpacked all that God was doing through Jesus (as if it was somebody else) – and this was what they said “Didn’t our hearts burn within us when we talked with him on the road?”
My Christian friend can I ask you about your relationship with the Lord?
- is it dry?
- is it functional?
- You may say “But Ian, I know my heart is not as on fire as I would like it to be, but I don’t quite know how to get from where I am to that point.
I’ve noticed a change: 15 years ago – I could eaily talk about the dire consequences of sin >>>
I think the pendulum swung the other way
47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
There is no doubt in Jesus mind (or anyone else’s) that her sins were many
- and that they were serious
But what Jesus was saying was something they thought only God could say
Your sins are forgiven!
Psalms 32:1. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
Your account cleared with God – free, forgiven. That’s God’s gift of grace to us all.
the party guests
These are the onlookers, they had a fly-on-the-wall view of all this.
never heard anything like it!
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
… A traditional blessing … used by priests and rabbis for people whose debt had been paid.
Who do you most identify with?
Simon the Pharisee
established believer – know your Bible well,
but honesty demands you to admit that things are a bit cold, a bit dry, a bit functional
In these circumstances it can be very helpful for someone else to pray for you
call down God’s blessing
The woman
You’re all too aware of a shadow side to your life
but you know the magnitude of the debt that has been forgiven
you want to say thank you to the Lord for forgiving you!
The guests
not sure whether Jesus really has authority to forgive
in which case look at the evidence God has given you this morning >>>
or you’re aware of a need and in the same way that Jesus met he need you’d like him to meet yours
