BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN (LUKE 7:36-50)
I had known for quite a while an elderly man who had two sons. The older son was the valedictorian of his school, a researcher at a Forbes 500 company and a visiting professor at a graduate school. The younger son paled in comparison; he was an average student who did not graduate from college and had hit the glass ceiling with his qualification.
The younger son decided to further his education, applied to a college nearby his brother’s residence and, along with his wife, lived with the brother to ease the financial burden. The initial excitement wore off quickly, the two families did not get along and a baby added to the younger family complicated and intensified things.
After the younger brother’s graduation, the two families separated with hard feelings. The host set a date for his brother to leave the house, and the younger family huffed and puffed in anger and left for work and residence in another country. A few weeks later, the older brother received news that his brother was dead. He was swimming in a pool when he drowned. No one heard or saw it. All relatives blamed the older brother for driving the younger one literally to his death, the surviving widow practically cut off all ties with the family and the older brother was wrecked with guilt, regret and pain.
When I visited the two brothers’ father, who was confined to a nursing home for Parkinson’s disease, I could hear him asking me through his stammering, pausing and mumbling: “Why? What wrong did I do in my previous life?” My heart was racing fast and feeling pained, but I bit my tongue and said to him, “You did nothing wrong. You had two good sons, you gave your best to your family and you were a wonderful father.”
Not knowing if you are forgiven, who to turn to and how to get there are the biggest burdens one can carry.
In Luke 7, a sinner, as attested and emphasized in Greek (v 36), went uninvited to see Jesus. The woman has been unreasonably vilified as a prostitute in many commentaries; nevertheless, the ostracized town scandal showed up at Simon the Pharisee’s dinner for Jesus. The woman stood timidly behind Jesus, stooped below to kiss his feet and suffered stinging remarks for her actions. She cried on Jesus, dried His feet, to odorize it later. Simon the host was livid at the woman who crashed his party. He frowned on Jesus and fumed at the woman. The woman created a scene by her presence, and not only did Jesus not bar her attendance, and the physical contact between Jesus and the sinner was considered irresponsible, unthinkable, and regrettable. The woman, however, did not hear words of rebuke from Jesus; instead Jesus offered words of forgiveness, assurance, and comfort to her.
What kind of person does God forgive? Is He willing to forgive the type man has condemned? How is genuine repentance demonstrated?
The first requirement for genuine forgiveness of sins is to feel the heaviness of sin in your heart.
Feel the Weight You Bear
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. 37 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, 38 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. (Lk 7:36-38)
Evagrius, the fourth century desert father who believed that tears are God’s gift to believers to assist them in the prayer life, said: “The man who is seated in his cell and who recites psalms is like one who stands outside and seeks the king. But he who prays with tears is like one who holds the king’s feet and asks his mercy.”
The Bible says, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy” (Ps 126:5)
The noun “tear” and the verb “tear” in the English language are two words with different meanings, but they share the same linguistic root for an obvious reason. Webster’s dictionary says the verb tear is “to pull or remove by force.”
A Sunday school student asked me if this was the same woman found in Matthew 26. The differences were significant. In Matthew the visitor was not labeled a sinner, the host was Simon “the Leper,” and the critics were the disciples. Unlike the woman in Matthew’s account who poured perfume on Jesus’ head (Mt 26:7) and body (Mt 26:12), the reputed sinner in this passage wept for her sins and poured perfume primarily on Jesus’ feet, since she considered herself unfit to anoint his head. The sinner in Luke was the only person in the Bible who cried for her sins before Jesus.
The commonly held assumption that the woman was Mary Magdalene also has no basis, since nowhere was Mary Magdalene considered a sinner; more than once, she was described as demon-possessed (Mk 16:9, Lk 8:2). Curiously, the sinner’s act of kissing Jesus’ feet had more in common with Mary the brother of Lazarus who kissed His feet (John 11:2) than Mary Magdalene.
Why did Jesus forgive the nameless woman of her sins? Her repentance was genuine. She felt deep remorse for her sins, felt horrible for what she had done, and felt ruined if salvation was denied her. Tears were her only language, and it did all the talking.
The woman’s heart was torn apart, broken into pieces and bent out of shape. She felt the weightiness of sin, the condemnation of sin, and the crush of sin within; so she wept softly, openly, continuously, remorsefully and bitterly for her wretched condition. She cried her eyes out, cried her tears dry and cried her voice hoarse. She could not wait for another day, another second and another time to see Jesus. Unlike the only other person whose tears also made a strong impression on Jesus - the father who shed tears for his demon-possessed son (Mark 9:24) – the woman did not cry for anyone but herself, her guilt and her past. She did not just wet or soak his feet; she showered and drenched his feet. The tears didn’t just drizzle or sprinkle; they rained and poured. All other references in the Bible to the word “wet” (v 38) refer to a torrent of rain or fire and brimstone (Matt 5:45, Luke 17:29, James 5:17, Rev 11:6). Her teardrops were a pool of water to others, but an ocean of love to Jesus.
All the unwelcome visitor sought was to be near Jesus, no matter what position; to experience God’s presence, no matter how brief; and to know that access was granted her, no matter if forgiveness and salvation were actually offered. Her appearance, tears and life were not in vain. The Lord noticed her tears (v 44). Jesus Christ made room for her, accepted her service and received the tears, kiss and perfume.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt 5:4).
The second requirement for genuine forgiven of sins is to understand the debt God has canceled.
Count the Debt You Owe
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.” 40 Jesus 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, and the other fifty. 42 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?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. (Lk 7:39-43)
When Amy Carmichael, who brought India to the mission forefront more than a quarter of a century before Mother Teresa even set foot there, first announced her intention to take the gospel to the Hindus, fierce opposition came from unlikely sources - her friends and relatives. She wrote down the strongest objections against her mission to ensure that going there was not an emotional decision. The reasons included her family’s opposition, her poor health and the possibility of others replacing her.
Carmichael then decided to write to her mother for advice, passionately emphasizing in her letter her longing to spread the gospel to “about the 50,000 people who were dying every day in spiritual darkness” and sharing of the titanic struggle over whether to go or stay. She wanted to know if her mother would consent.
Carmichael’s mother replied: “Dearest Amy, He has sent you to me all these years. He only knows what a strength, comfort and joy you have been to me. In sorrow He made you my staff and solace, in loneliness my more than child companion, and in gladness my bright and merry-hearted sympathizer. So darling, when He asks you to go away from within my reach, can I say nay? No, no, Amy, He is yours – you are His— to take you where He pleases and to use you as He pleases. I can trust you to Him and I do…all day He has helped me, and my heart unfailingly says, `Go ye.’” (Elisabeth Elliot, A Chance to Die 54-55, Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1987)
God’s forgiveness is an expensive price tag few understand. God’s precious Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for undeserving sinners like you and I. The debt of man’s sin was so huge that His precious life was the only satisfactory payment for sin and His atoning love was the only way to cover, erase and resolve the debt.
The sinner’s debt in the parable was likened to the man who owed 500 denarii, while the Pharisee’s debt was likened to the man who owed fifty denarii, which is ninety percent less the sinner’s debt. True to her credit, the woman understood that. Estimating a denarius wage for a day’s work, she calculated her debt as months and months of repayment, unlike the Pharisee who only counted his debt as days and weeks. She figured she was ten times worse than any given person on any given stage. She understood that she could not service the debt that she owed, afford the interest she accrued, or repay in kind Jesus’ forgiveness.
Simon the Pharisee was a poor host to not only the woman but to Christ. He was in the position to be hospitable, yet he spoke grudgingly to himself (7:39), vaguely called Christ “teacher” (7:40) and answered Jesus half-heartedly (7:43). He didn’t understand the riches of God’s salvation, the bounty of God’s grace or the extent and essence of God’s sacrifice. The woman, on the other hand, was speechless in the presence of the One who had forgiven her. She had nothing to say to Him, no name to address Him and no expectation of His reply. She had weighed the value and calculated the cost of God’s judgment and understood God’s forgiveness in economic, academic and objective terms.
God’s forgiveness cannot be measured, but man’s gratefulness can definitely be assessed. The debt a man or a woman owes is constant – we are all sinners, but understanding the value, degree and act of God’s sacrifice varies from person to person.
Someone said, “If you can’t be grateful for what you receive, be grateful for what you escape.” (14,000 220).
The third requirement for the forgiveness of sins is to seek it in faith.
Show the Faith You Have
44 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. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 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.” 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.”(Lk 7:44-50)
Once there was a poor woman who greatly desired a bunch of grapes from the king’s conservatory for her sick child. She took half a crown, and went to the king’s gardener, and tried to purchase the grapes, but was rudely repulsed. A second effort with more money met with the same results.
It happened that the king’s daughter heard the words of the angry gardener and the crying of the woman, and inquired into the matter. When the poor woman had told her story, the princess plucked the grapes from the vine, and dropped it gently into he woman’s apron.
The poor woman looked in disbelief, and was afraid of what it would cost her. The princess said to her: “My dear woman, you are mistaken. My father is not a merchant, but a king; his business is not to sell, but to give.” (7,700 Illustrations # 7599)
The sinner-woman considered herself unfit to stand before Jesus, to anoint Jesus’ head and to speak to Him, so she stood transfixed behind him, poured perfume on his feet and acted in good faith. She refused to stand before him, to look at Him or face Him squarely. Mostly, she was either looking at his back or looking at his feet. Although what she did caught Jesus’ eye, at no time did their eyes meet. Although Jesus addressed her later, looking at Him was not a concern of her, a priority for her or a necessity to her. The woman’s actions spoke louder than any word on her lips, any expression on her face or feeling in her heart.
The woman’s tears were not a sign of fear but an expression of faith (v 47). Jesus said that she loved much because she understood how much she was forgiven, unlike the ignorant Pharisee, who understood so little about the sin nature, its clout, wages and sentence. The woman was not there to ask for a favor, to ask for a word from Jesus or to ask Him to notice her, hear her out or even touch her. She was there to express her love, gratitude and appreciation. Like Mary, who poured a pint of pure nard of perfume on Jesus’ feet or a year’s wages on Him in John 12:3-5, the sinner-woman brought the same type of ointment and in about the same quantity, attested in Greek (Lk 7:37, 38, 46), to wipe Jesus’ feet. Although the quality of Mary’s ointment may be superior – Mary used “pure nard” - the sinner-woman’s ointment was not inferior and the cost would not differ much.
The woman’s love was a loud expression of faith. She did not come to Christ in fear of His judgment, condemnation or disapproval, but in faith that He was welcoming her, forgiving her and accepting her. If Christ had not forgiven her, she knew she would not have gotten that close to his back, feet and body. Her admittance into His presence was as good as acceptance into His fellowship, and she had come near to thank Him, love Him and serve Him in faith.
God in Christ did not forgive the woman because of her gender, condition or works. She was forgiven because of her faith in God – real faith that dragged her into the house, dragged her before her critics and dragged her emotions, mind, and will into action. She thought about Christ, fought through criticism and sought for salvation. In the end, she heard that her sins were forgiven, that her faith had saved her and that she could leave in peace.
Conclusion: How much have you been forgiven? More than you feel, imagine or know. Jesus’ death on the cross for sinners was something you did not request, could not resist or can ever repay. Matthew Henry commented on this passage: “Silver and gold will not pay our debt, nor will sacrifice and offering, no, not thousands of rams. No righteousness of our own will pay it, no, not our repentance and obedience for the future; for it is what we are already bound to, and it is God that works it within us.” Have you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, so that you heave a huge sigh of relief, turn over into a new leaf in life and write a new chapter in life? We are the debtors (v 41), He is the creditor (v 41) and forgiveness is God’s lifeline to and love for lost sinners.
Victor Yap
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