Alan Calhoun of Bristol, Connecticut told of a tag sale (garage sale) he and wife had several years ago. They had decided to put out a mirror they’d received as a wedding gift. The reason they were selling it was that it had a gaudy aqua-colored metal frame and they just couldn’t find a room in their house where it looked good.
Shortly after the tag sale began, a man (who was looking to decorate his apartment) bought the mirror for one dollar. He was all excited, and he said as he bought it: “This is a great deal - it still has the plastic on it.” Then he peeled off the aqua-colored protective covering… to reveal a beautiful gold finished frame underneath.
Lots of people go to garage sales looking for bargains just like that.
Some people have a saying about garage sales:
"One man’s trash is another man’s (pause) treasure,"
The belief is that once in a while you’ll stumble upon a treasure that the owner doesn’t know the value of.
I. Jesus had been preaching Galilee for nearly a year now and He’s a very popular man, particularly amongst the common people. Already He has healed a leper, a paralytic and dozens of other people. He has even cast out demons and raised a widow’s son from the dead. And all this has taken place before the event we see recorded here in Luke 7:36ff.
Everybody loved Jesus. Well… almost everybody. The Pharisees actually hated Him. He didn’t pander to their crowd, and occasionally He said things that ruffled their feathers and challenged their man made rules.
They don’t like Him, but they’re not sure how to handle Him.
They’ve tried ignoring Him.
They’ve tried publicly opposing Him.
And they’ve tried entrapping Him in doctrinal disputes
Nothing seems to work.
But now - Simon the Pharisee believes he’s found the way to take Jesus out. A way he believes will humiliate this new teacher and render His influence useless.
II. Simon invites Jesus to a meal – and then he snubs Him.
Good manners in that day required the host to have his servant wash the guest’s feet. That servant was then expected to anoint his visitor’s head with oil. All that was handled through a servant
But the host himself did something special for this guest – he would greet his guest with a kiss on the cheek. This kiss was a special honor that a host gave his guest. The host was essentially declaring that he regarded his guest as his equal. It was a signal that this honored guest was like one of the family.
Simon not only didn’t think of Jesus as “one of the family”, he held Him in contempt and didn’t care who knew it.
But why go to all the trouble invited this new teacher to your home, putting on a lavish meal and perhaps even opening your home to the community so that they can come and observe him… and then insult Jesus in front of everybody?
I believe Simon’s objective was to get under Jesus’ skin. To throw Him off balance. He intended to goad Jesus into making a statement or behaving in such a way that he could then use to embarrass Him and use against Jesus.
Illustration: A few years back President Clinton was being challenged by the Republican congress which was then led by Newt Gingrich. Some believe that the President successfully humiliated Congressman Gingrich and then used the situation against the congressman.
Gingrich had been traveling on Air Force One and felt that he had been snubbed and relegated to the back of the plane. If insulting Gingrich had been what the President or his aides intended – it worked beautifully. Gingrich rose to the bait and openly complained to the press about his supposed mistreatment. The result was that the congressman was publicly viewed as a spoiled child and the President became portrayed as a misunderstood statesman. It was the beginning of the end for Gingrich’s career and his threat to President Clinton.
I believe that was Simon the Pharisee’s objective with Jesus. And it could have worked. Hebrews tells us Jesus was “tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin” (He 4:15)
Now, Jesus knew Simon’s behavior was intended as an insult. He knew Simon’s heart.
In my own experience, I’ve had people treat me rudely too, and I haven’t always responded well to it. Even though I was a Christian, there was something galling about being mistreated in this way and my anger took over.
We’ve all encountered this at one time or another and we’ve said things we shouldn’t or… behaved in a less than gracious manner. I’m sure Jesus was “tempted” to respond badly to this pettiness by Simon, too. But Jesus was more gracious than I have often been.
How could Jesus overlook his slight by Simon.
He could overlook it because He knew WHO He was.
Who was Jesus? (Son of God).
Jesus had walked the streets of heaven and had thousands upon thousands of angels at His beck and call. Compared to that, Simon was simply a fly speck on the wall. Jesus didn’t need Simon’s approval or acceptance.
In the same way, we can rise above such pettiness in this world if we remember who WE are. We are the children of God. Jesus came to die for us. And we have an inheritance in heaven that many will never see. Compared to that, all this world’s approval means nothing.
When reading of how Jesus behaved in this setting, it’s valuable for us to remember that Jesus NOT ONLY came to give us life. He also came to show us how to live that life.
In this situation, He simply ignored Simon’s behavior. He refused to give Simon the satisfaction of even commenting about this treatment.
III. But then something changed. A woman entered the room. She wasn’t the kind of woman you’d ordinarily invite to nice party. She was a streetwalker, a prostitute, a pavement princess. In our culture you can tell a prostitute by way she dresses she’d be wearing a short skirt, high heels, fishnet hose, and a low cut blouse. But in that day, she’d have been dressed just like most others… …except she’d be wearing very expensive perfume. Some have said that prostitutes of that day wore a vial of perfume by a cord around their neck. In a culture where bathing was infrequent, a pleasant fragrance would’ve been her stock in trade.
And now here she is at Simon’s home.
She’s unescorted, uninvited, unwanted.
What’s she doing there?
Luke 7:37 tells us that she “learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house.”
Maybe she was invited by a friend to see this great teacher. After all, in a day when there were no movies, TVs or radios having a gifted rabbi in your town would have been quite an attraction. Something akin to having a celebrity or rock star come to town in our day.
Perhaps her jar of perfume was a gift for Jesus. I can see her slipping in the side door, hoping to be unnoticed standing quietly behind Jesus, waiting to catch His attention, present her gift… and then leave.
BUT then she begins to weep. I don’t think she intended to.
I don’t believe it was part of her plans.
But I think there was something about being this close to Jesus that simply overwhelmed her.
I suspect she was a lot like people we know today who come to church. They don’t come because they love Jesus, but because they are fulfilling some sense of religious duty. BUT while they are there something about Jesus gets thru to them, and suddenly they sense how shabby their lives are. How much emptiness lies within them.
ILLUS: Years ago, congregation I served held a Revival. In the audience sat a man named Lynn. Lynn’s family supported the church and I’m sure they had invited him to the Revival that night in the hopes he’d be influenced to give his life to Jesus.
He probably came there out of courtesy – but he stayed out of conviction.
From that night on, Lynn was a faithful member of that congregation and he and I would often meet to pray together.
Something in that Revival changed his heart and brought him to his knees. Lynn became a man dedicated to God.
But now, of course Lynn wasn’t always that way. He had been at one time what some would call a worldly wise man. At one time he was a government agent, in Viet Nam - part of a special forces militia who had seen more death than a man should have to.
Even when he returned to the United States, he was a dangerous man with dangerous enemies who had tried to kill him on at least one occasion. BUT he could take care of himself.
However, once he came face to face with Jesus… his whole life changed. It humbled him and changed him.
And today he supports several missions and goes on trips throughout US helping to build church buildings. And he always sends a check to whatever church I’m serving because he remembers that his life changed at the congregation I first served.
And now, here stands this woman behind Jesus.
Something breaks within her and the tears begin to flow.
Her tears literally fall on Jesus’ unwashed feet and leave streaks in the dirt and grime Simon has refused to wash away
In her embarrassment she falls to her knees and begins to wipe his feet with her hair. Then she pours perfume from her jar onto his feet. Its aroma fills the room.
And she kisses his feet.
ILLUS: Now, picture this if you will. In order to kiss the feet of Jesus, she’s got to get down on her knees. She has to humble herself even more than she already has. But she doesn’t care! She may have come into the house as a spectator but she realizes there’s something about Jesus that calls for her to honor Him this way.
IV. Now Simon has been watching this little drama unfold.
And I can see him… smile.
“Gotcha… I’ve gotcha Jesus!
This man claims to be a prophet, but He doesn’t even know who this woman is that’s wiping His feet with her hair. He doesn’t know that the perfume she’s poured on Him is part of what she uses in her foul occupation… I’ve got him.”
All Simon has to do to destroy Jesus… is destroy this woman. To expose her for what she is in front of all of his guests.
You know, self-righteousness is an ugly thing. It puts a nasty “aqua colored” film over a person’s eyes and makes it so they can’t see the inner value in other’s souls. Self-righteousness like Simon’s is the type that scorns tears, laughs at repentance, mocks mercy. His is the attitude of the school yard bully that just knows he’s better than you are and he has every intention of reminding you of that.
And I’ve no doubt that as he is watching this woman kneel at Jesus’ feet he’s thinking of some sharp, ugly comment to make that would embarrass this woman, and Jesus with her.
Jesus can handle insults against his own character.
But He’s not about to put up with an arrogant attack on this woman’s sorrow.
With the precision of a surgeon Jesus proceeds to cut Simon to his heart and reveal the hypocrisy that lay within.
V. “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
Simon responds: “What is it you want to tell me (pause) teacher.”
Jesus then tells his story. “There were once 2 men who owed moneylender a great deal of money. One owned 500 denarii (about $50,000). Another owed 50 denarii (about $5,000). Neither could repay their debt, and so the money lender - thinking to cut his losses - cancelled the debt of both.
Now, Simon, which would love the moneylender more?"
Simon just couldn’t help himself. He was a good Pharisee and he just couldn’t help showing his wisdom to this upstart teacher. So he responded “I suppose the one who owed most – love most.”
Jesus responded: “Well said Simon, you have judged correctly.”
Then Jesus literally turned His back on Simon and faced the woman.
He turned away from the judgmental, self-righteousness of the Pharisee toward the simple repentance of this woman.
In Luke 7:44-50 we’re told the rest of the story: “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.
You did not give me a kiss but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
You did not put oil on my head but she has poured perfume on my feet.
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-- for she loved much.
But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
VI. He who has been forgiven little, loves little.
What a scathing comment.
Simon was a man who never felt the need for much forgiveness and therefore felt little love for those who did.
ILLUS: I’ve been in churches where I’ve seen this kind of attitude. It usually happens in older congregations (more than 100 years old) where people go to church there because their grandfather did. Their daddy had been an Elder or their mother had been the piano player. And these folks regard this as “their church.” It’s not just the church they go to… it’s literally “THEIR” church. It belongs to them. And they’re not about to let anyone be part of that congregation that doesn’t measure up to their standards.
ILLUS: During an evangelistic service, an invitation was given at the close of the sermon for all those who wished to turn their lives over to
Christ and be forgiven. One of the first persons to walk down the aisle and kneel at the altar was a well-known prostitute. She knelt in very real repentance, she wept, she asked God to forgive her, and meanwhile the rest of the congregation looked on approvingly at what she was doing. Then she stood and testified that she believed God had forgiven her for her past life, and she now wanted to become a member of the church. For a few moments, the silence was deafening.
Finally, a man named Samuel Colgate arose and said, "I guess we blundered when we prayed that the Lord would save sinners. We forgot to specify what kind of sinners. We’d better ask him to forgive us for this oversight. The Holy Spirit has touched this woman and made her truly repentant, but the Lord apparently doesn’t understand that she’s not the type we want him to rescue. We’d better spell it out for him just which sinners we had in mind."
Immediately, a motion was made and unanimously approved that the woman be accepted into membership in the congregation.
(Larry R. Kalajainen, “Extraordinary Faith For Ordinary Time”, CSS Publishing Company, Inc, 1994.)
Jesus told Simon: “I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven— for she loved much.” Luke 7:47
How can we know that she loved much?
Because she when she kissed Jesus’ feet, she got down on her knees. She knelt before Jesus – (kissed feet) because He was righteous… she wasn’t. She LOVED JESUS.
But, of course, Simon didn’t.
That’s what Simon revealed when he refused to kiss Jesus.
There are people like that today. They don’t want to kiss Jesus. He’s not important to them.
And there are others who are willing to kiss Jesus… but they do so as if He were an equal. Not as their God, but as an acquaintance who they can listen to if they like, but ignore if they choose.
But then there are those who kiss Jesus in the way this sinful woman did. They know they’ve sinned and fallen short. And they realize the only proper way to approach Christ is to kneel before Him and give Him the love He deserves because He has forgiven so much.
But Simon didn’t love Jesus because he really didn’t think he needed a Savior. Simon just loved himself. He was wrapped up in his own SELF-righteousness. And he had little room to love anyone other than himself. He couldn’t really even love God.
I John 4:7-8 tells us “love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
Without a love and compassion for others, Simon neither understood nor loved the real God of his people.
VII. When Simon the Pharisee looked on this woman, all he saw was a prostitute.
She was a streetwalker. A gaudy, pitiful excuse for a woman. That’s all she was – all she’d ever be, and she was never going to change. When Simon looked on her in his house, all he saw was a prostitute.
ILLUS: Tony Campolo once wrote of a college class he once taught where one of his Jewish students commented that, "Jesus never met a prostitute.
I jumped at the opening; here was my chance, I thought. I could show this guy a thing or two about Jesus and about the New Testament.
"Yes, He did," I responded. "I’ll show you in my Bible where-"
The young man interrupted. "You didn’t hear me, Dr. I said Jesus never met a prostitute."
Once again I protested. Once again I reached for my New Testament.
I started to leaf through the pages of my Bible searching for passages which showed Jesus forgiving the "fallen woman."
I searched for the place where He gave the woman at the well a chance for spiritual renewal.
Once again, my Jewish student spoke out, this time with a touch of anger in his raised voice. "You’re not listening to me, Doctor. You aren’t listening to what I am saying. I am saying that Jesus never met a prostitute. Do you think that when he looked at Mary Magdalene he saw a prostitute? Do you think he saw whores when he looked at women like her? Doctor, listen to me! Jesus never met a prostitute!"
(Tony Campolo "Who Changed The Price Tags?")
When Jesus looked on such women He didn’t see them as they were.
He saw them as they could be.
To Jesus, sin has always been an ugly aqua colored film that hides the true beauty underneath.
It’s an aqua colored filth that needs stripped away to reveal the image of God that it has clouded.
When we humble ourselves at the feet of Jesus – when we acknowledge our sin and emptiness, then Jesus takes away film of sin and remake us in way God intended.
