Tradition tells us that Abraham Lincoln once went to a slave auction. While he was there, he noticed a black woman who was about to be auctioned off, and entered the bidding.
The bidding went back and forth until eventually Lincoln won, paid the price, and purchased her. When they brought the slave woman over to him, Mr. Lincoln instructed them to take off her shackles. He then said to her, "You are free to go."
The surprised woman looked at him and said, "You mean that I don’t have to go home with you?"
He said, "No, you don’t."
She said, "You mean that I don’t have to do what you tell me to do, or say what you tell me to say?"
"That’s right."
"You mean I don’t have to be your slave, I don’t have to put up with your whims and your fancies?"
He said, "No, you don’t. I paid the price for you, and so I can now set you free."
At that the woman bowed her head, and tears streaming down her cheeks, she looked up at Abraham Lincoln and said, "Then I guess I’ll go with you."
Romans 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
But through Jesus’ death on the cross, and His subsequent resurrection to life, He has set us free of our bondage - to sin. He is able to offer us forgiveness for our sin and a life of freedom.
In the Lincoln story, the woman is so grateful for her freedom that she freely chooses to be a servant of the one who set her free. This morning, I want to think about how we respond to the forgiveness and freedom offered to us by looking at one of the parables of Jesus found in Luke’s gospel and the story surrounding it.
If you have your Bibles with you, why don’t you take them out and turn to the 7th chapter of the Book of Luke. We’ll be looking at verses 36 and following. It is the story of a time when Jesus joined Simon, the Pharisee, for dinner.
Background
Now as we look at this story, let’s consider the context in which it is placed.
The Pharisees, as a general rule, didn’t like Jesus. They gathered together to figure out ways to trap Him and make Him look bad. When Simon, the Pharisee, is introduced, we have in mind a Pharisee as one who rejects God purpose. They rejected both His messenger, John the Baptist, and Jesus. And it didn’t matter how they acted. Nothing would make them happy.
In verse 33, Jesus says:
Luke 7:33-34 "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ’He has a demon!’ 34 "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ’Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
I just love the irony of this last statement, and Luke’s placement of it. “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, a friend of sinners” – and the very next thing Jesus proceeds to do is eat and drink - with Pharisees, who do not even recognize their own sinful nature. It is as if Jesus is saying, “Yes, what you have accused me of, I do. But do you know which part you play?”
Character Introduction and Storyline
Our story begins in verse 36.
36One of the Pharisees asked [Jesus] over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. 37Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume 38and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. (Luke 7:36-38, MSG)
The Woman
When Jesus dines with the Pharisees, one expects a certain amount of conflict. But the real tension in the story begins when the woman is introduced.
Now, it was customary at that time for uninvited guests to crowd behind the banquet table during a meal. But there was also a sense of holiness and purity attached to Pharisaic meals. So if this woman was indeed a prostitute, as the text seems to suggest, then even as one of the uninvited crowd, she is an intruder, and most likely unwelcome.
But the opinions of others do not stop her from doing what she came to do. She wants to show gratitude to Jesus and anoint him with expensive perfume.[1]
Then her emotion gets the best of her and she begins to cry and kiss His feet - an act of great devotion and humility.
Not having planned ahead, she does not have a towel to dry his feet and she lets down her hair. In the culture of the day, this was a very intimate gesture – one that would only be proper in the presence of your husband. If the previous actions did not shock Simon’s guests, this one certainly did.
But I can almost see a smile sneak across Simon’s face. This is the trap he’d been looking for, and at his party too. How lucky can a man get?
The Pharisee
We know that Simon disapproved of this woman, for when he saw it we are told
…he said to himself, "If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him." (Luke 7:39, MSG)
Jesus
But Jesus proceeds to show Simon that Simon is the one who does not know what kind of woman this is.
40 Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." (Luke 7:40, NAU)
Now this phrase[2] is used to introduce, as Kenneth Bailey puts it, “a blunt speech that the listener may not want to hear.” So Simon takes a deep breath, and Jesus proceeds to tell a parable. It goes like this.
The Parable of the Two Debtors
41 "A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly." (Luke 7:41-43, NAU)
I don’t think it was lost on Simon that compared to this sinner woman, he had been forgiven less. But the question is: Did he need to be forgiven any less? But before we answer that question, let’s finish the story.
44Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, [Jesus] said, "Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. 45You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. 46You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. 47Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal." 48Then he spoke to her: "I forgive your sins." (Luke 7:44-48, MSG)
Already Forgiven
For us to fully appreciate the meaning of this story, it is crucial to recognize that the woman has already been forgiven when she arrives.[3] As the New Revised Standard puts it:
“For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, therefore she loved much….” (Luke 7:47, NRS)
She loved because she was forgiven. Her acts of devotion were because she was forgiven.
So I want you to recognize today that this woman who intruded on Simon’s party was already forgiven. Perhaps she had met Jesus when He was preaching around town. But the love she poured out was not an avenue to obtain forgiveness, but an extravagant outpouring of a grateful heart. The forgiveness she had received had changed her, and she couldn’t help but respond with gratitude.
How Has Forgiveness Changed You?
And with that in mind then, I have to ask: “How do we respond to the forgiveness we have received? How has forgiveness changed us? Are we as extravagant as she was in our love for Christ?” And if not, why not?
Babette’s Feast
Isak Dineson once wrote a story called Babette’s Feast.
In a small fishing village on the coast of Denmark there live two spinster sisters. They are part of the leadership of a very strict Protestant sect that has dwindled over the years to about 11 self-righteous, bitter, suspicious, old people.
One rainy night, a French refugee named Babette arrives. She has a letter of recommendation that simply says, “Babette can cook.” So she stays with the women cleaning and cooking for them for 14 years.
One day, Babette learns that she has won the French lottery and now has 10,000 francs. The community has gotten used to Babette and her odd ways, and now fear that she might leave them. Babette proposes to make them a French dinner to honor the memory of the man who founded their sect, and to express her gratitude for taking her in years before when she had nothing.
As the two sisters sneak peaks into the kitchen to watch the preparations, they shrink back in horror at the sights they see: rich food that has never touched their lips, a turtle, and, horror of horrors – French wine. The townsfolk determine early on that they will eat it for Babette’s sake, but they will not enjoy any of it – for that would certainly be the ultimate sin.
During the dinner, the guests are initially cold and skeptical. But as the many course dinner progresses, the guests become transformed, old feuds settled, and love is expressed. And at least one of them enjoys the wine.
It is only after this amazing dinner that the town learns how much it cost. Babette spent all of her 10,000 francs on the meal, and could no longer return to France. Through her actions, Babette showed the sisters that true sacrifice was giving all that you have been given, no matter what it looks like to others. It was not a logical or practical gift. But it was a gift of extravagant love given in return for all that Babette had received over the past 14 years.
Our Response
When we are forgiven our sins, an incredible love is expressed to us, an incredible gift is given – and we can do naught but express love in return. How have you let forgiveness change you? How have you responded?
Our love can be expressed with a simple preoccupation with Christ – a desire to give Him all that we have and all that we are. The world may not approve of our offering of love, but God knows our heart. At least initially, the town did not approve of Babette’s meal plan, but she was giving the best she had – the best she knew. Simon certainly didn’t approve of the harlot’s expression of gratitude, but she too was giving the best she could - out great love.
When we receive forgiveness in Christ, we are given life in abundance. Our concern is no longer what we can receive from Jesus, but what we can give in return. Never can we repay His gift, but a proper response demands that we give all of our life as an expression of our love to Him.
We are each called to do that in different ways. And the rest of the world may or may not approve of our expression. But ask yourself if the things you choose to fill your life with show your gratitude to your King.
Our Need for Forgiveness: Simon
Let’s consider the other character in our story today. Now Simon was a rather inhospitable host. He neglected to perform the most basic courtesies of washing the feet of his guest, anointing the head with oil, and offering a kiss. This was no mere oversight – for in that culture neglect of such hospitality is a great insult to the guest. It would be as if you extended you hand to someone and they refused to shake it – only 10 times worse.
The Pharisees were quite often seeking to find fault with Jesus. Perhaps Simon invited Jesus with the intent to insult Him publicly and see what kind of reaction he got. But of course Jesus, being God, was more than ready to turn the tables on Simon.
Jesus pointed out to Simon, as well as all of the other guests and on-lookers, that Simon was a very poor host. I think the other Pharisees might have been silently approving of Simon’s neglect, for they too wanted to trap Jesus. If Simon had succeeded, he would have been quite the man on campus among his associates.
But Simon was not the only one to break social custom. Attacking the hospitality of the host is unheard of the Middle East – even in fiction. But while both Simon and Jesus violate social custom, only Jesus is unconcerned about the opinions of men as he does so.
Jesus points out how the woman’s actions, no matter how shameful they may appear to those who do not understand, have provided the hospitality Simon omitted. Once He has identified whose side He is on in this battle, through the parable of the two debtors, Jesus helps Simon acknowledge that he has been forgiven less than this supposed sinner woman whom he despises - this woman who actually has already been forgiven.
And so we return to our question: Did Simon need to be forgiven any less?
Was Simon forgiven less because he had less to be forgiven?
Or was he forgiven less because he did not recognize his need for forgiveness – and thus had not accepted it?
Or was he forgiven less because – need it though he did - he refused to accept that forgiveness, – perhaps because other peoples’ opinions of him would be lowered if they knew he too was a sinner in need of forgiveness?
The story doesn’t tell us – because the question is one that we need to answer for ourselves.
If we don’t show extravagant love for Christ, have we been forgiven little? Do you not need to be forgiven? We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So yes, we all need to be forgiven - even Simon, even you, even me. So if we need forgiveness, how do we obtain it?
Forgiven by Faith
It is through faith that we are forgiven. And so, I believe, what Simon lacked was not a need to be forgiven, but faith in Jesus. And that required a humble heart that he did not have.
There’s not a person in this room today who hasn’t sinned. Not a person here today who doesn’t need forgiveness. But do we have the faith that goes hand in hand with that forgiveness?
What stops us from having faith, or admitting our faith? Have we just not gotten around to accepting forgiveness? Would accepting forgiveness mean changing your life – and does that scare you? Do other peoples’ opinions stop you?
Trying to have more faith by your own power isn’t the answer. Even when we fail in our faith, God is faithful. He will not abandon us. It is God alone who can help our unbelief. Offer the faith that you do have – God will do the rest.
Allowing Others Forgiveness
When Jesus spoke to Simon that day, I believe He had a twofold purpose in telling the parable of the two debtors.
One purpose was to help Simon realize his own need for forgiveness, because Jesus loved him too and wanted him to know that freedom. If there are any Simon’s out there today, I pray that you too will see your need and come to know the freedom Christ offers.
The other purpose in telling the story was to let Simon and everyone else know that this woman was truly forgiven. Even though she had been forgiven, they were still treating her as though she were a sinner, continuing in her sin.
How Do We Treat The Forgiven?
How do we treat the forgiven?
When Jesus declared her to be forgiven, the Pharisees responded in verse 49 by saying, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
How are we to read that question? What is the intonation of their voices? Were their hearts changed, amazed that it was true that this Jesus could forgive sins?
I tend to think that they did not rejoice or even acknowledge the forgiveness being declared, but rather they questioned Jesus’ right to be the conduit of forgiveness.
I like the way Eugene Peterson translates it in The Message: "Who does he think he is, forgiving sins!" (Luke 7:49)
You see, though I am not proud of it, at times, I am very much like Simon. I see Simon as the hypocritical Pharisee and don’t expect a change of heart. He’s a sinner in my eyes, and even though I want people to find forgiveness, I don’t really expect that he will.
Thankfully, there are times when the Holy Spirit breaks through and opens my eyes and heart, and helps me to be more like Jesus. He helps me to see who the forgiven are, and to treat them that way.
When it comes to accepting the forgiveness of others, are you more like Simon, or more like Jesus?
The harlot from the city came to the dinner forgiven. Only Jesus recognized it. Though she was forgiven, Simon continued to think of her and treat her as a sinner. Even once Jesus made it clear to Simon that she was a forgiven woman, Simon did not declare his acceptance of her holy status.
Do we ever do that? Do we refuse to accept the possibility even, that people we knew before they met Christ, could really change?
Elizabeth Barret Browning once wrote: “whoso loves, believes the impossible.” At times, forgiveness seems to be an impossibility. I think that is why love is such an appropriate response to forgiveness – whether it be our own or someone else’s.
Conclusion
As we leave here today, I want to review our three questions. Answer them for yourself.
First: Are you like Simon, needing to accept forgiveness?
Are you forgiven less because you haven’t yet acknowledged your sin and accepted the forgiveness Christ offers? If so, all it takes is a small step of faith. Even if we have walked with Christ for years, we sometimes wonder if we can still be forgiven. I want you to know, you can. But you have to be willing to recognize that you are a sinner.
Second: If you are forgiven - once you have accepted that forgiveness – how has forgiveness changed you? Have you demonstrated your love?
If you haven’t, what holds you back? How can you continue to show your gratitude each day? Don’t worry about what people think – God knows your heart. Use the life He’s given you to share that gift with others.
And Third: Do you acknowledge forgiveness in others?
Do you treat the forgiven as brothers and sisters in Christ? Or do you treat them as sinners, because we don’t like the way they express their love. May we forgive as Christ forgives - and let us pray that God would open the eyes of our hearts to the truth.
© 8/17/08, Susan Blader
Sources:
1) Bible Works 5, Revision 2, (Bigfork, Montana: Hermeneutika Computer Bible Research Software, 2001).
2) Kenneth Bailey, Poet & Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables of Luke, Combined Ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 1983.
3) Joel B. Green, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Luke, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 1997.
4) Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Volume 3: Luke, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 1974.
5) Brad H. Young, The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers), 1998.
6) http://www.pastortom.org/parables8.htm, accessed 8/25/05 - Lincoln illustration
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Now, if a woman were to anoint a rabbi on the head, it would be very presumptuous, and so she uses the perfume to wash his feet.
[2] The phrase is still used in Middle Eastern villages today, per Bailey.
[3] There is one word in the Greek language around which the discussion hangs. It is the word hoti. Verse 47 can read one of two ways.
The first option is: “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (NIV, KJV, NAS) She was forgiven because she loved. Forgiveness resulted from love.
The other option is: “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, therefore she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” (NRS, New Living, NAB, MSG) She loved because she was forgiven.
I believe the latter is correct. 1) If she is forgiven because of her love, if her love actually caused her forgiveness, then we are left to wonder why Jesus would then immediately say, “he who is forgiven little, loves little” – which suggests the opposite - that love results from forgiveness – not the other way around. Perhaps we like the idea that there is something we can do to obtain forgiveness. If only I love more, if only I exhibit greater acts of devotion… But that is not what we see here. 2) The rest of the biblical witness suggests over and over that forgiveness comes from the grace of God through faith, not acts of love or any other work.
