Forgiven, Luke 7:36-50
If you've been here over the last couple of weeks you will know that I’ve been speaking on this topic of ordinary to extraordinary. The thing is that as Christians we have encountered the extraordinary in encountering God, we have discovered that by God’s grace we can be released into a freedom that is extraordinary.
The scripture passage this week came from the gospel of Luke and it tells this story about Jesus going to a blokes place for dinner. The bloke happened to be a Pharisee. The Pharisees were a group of blokes who had set themselves apart from the rest of the Jewish people, it is thought the name Pharisee means something like ‘set apart ones’ . They were a fairly legalistic group who thought they were a cut above the rest of the Jewish people. In his ministry Jesus had quite a bit to do with them. They generally didn't like the way this young Rabbi went about doing things and they let him know, but in return he let them know that they weren't as wonderful as they thought they were. The detailed Biblical events of the lead up to Easter tell the story.
So from the Bible reading, here’s Jesus over at this Pharisee blokes place for a meal. Back in the day the house would have been an open sort of a place and those there would have been reclined at the table. Part way though the meal a woman approaches Jesus, we read that she had lived a sinful life. Now there’s a lot of debate about what her sins were, some say she was a prostitute, some say she was Mary Magdalene, she may have collaborated with the occupation force - the Romans, her hair was down and for a married woman that was sinful in public, or she may have been a gossip. She may have been a foreign woman; in the culture she may just have had a husband who was a sinful man. The truth is we really don’t know what her sins were.
To explain why she was at that house; some houses then were open and people would see a Rabbi like Jesus in the house and come to the sides of the house to listen to the conversation. No TV or daily paper back in the day and this was an opportunity to learn something. The woman had just decided to wash Jesus’ feet and show her affection for him. I’m guessing because of something she had heard Jesus say before or at the time, something to do with being forgiven for the sinful things she had done.
But, I’m picking whatever it was that she had done in her past, she had really sinned big time. I get this from what Jesus says to Simon the bloke who had invited Jesus over for dinner.
Jesus asks Simon a question about a moneylender and the conclusion is that the person who had the biggest debt cancelled is going to love the money lender more. I’m picking that this lady owed a whole lot, that she had a large debt of sin. I’m guessing that if there was a sin she could commit, she had committed it. I would pick that this lady had managed a ten out of ten in the sin department.
I like how Simon is pointing the finger at Jesus and saying
“If Jesus was really a prophet he would know what kind of a woman she was.” (paraphrased) Then Jesus turns the tables on Simon by saying, “see this woman, she has washed my feet with her hair and her tears, she has kissed my feet, she has poured perfume on my feet and you have not done any of those things. (paraphrased) Jesus said this to Simon because Simon had not followed the rules of the day in regards to common courtesy. But this sinful woman had done all of what Simon failed to do and more. It was a case of Woman 3 / Simon 0.
I was at the fish and chip shop the other day and as I was waiting I read in a magazine a quote from everybody’s favourite Kiwi. Who would be everybody’s favourite Kiwi? None of the winter Olympians as they didn't win any medals; it’s Ed Hilary, Sir Ed once said: “People don’t chose to become extraordinary; they chose to do extraordinary things.”
The reason I mention this is that in this wee story there were a couple of people who were involved in some extraordinary actions. There was the woman and there was Jesus.
I get the distinct feeling that the woman knew that in approaching Jesus and washing his feet, that in kissing his feet, that in pouring the perfume over him that she knew that he could forgive her. The thing is that in the society of the day she would have been on the fringes. She might have even have been a wealthy woman but she would have not been welcome in many places because of her past actions. She would have carried a burden of shame, a burden that while it is unseen can be as crippling as any physical handicap. I’ve known of people who were where incapacitated or died as a result of shame they carried. .
So the sinful woman comes to the Rabbi and pours out her offering of love.
Jesus response is to forgive her sins. “Your sins are forgiven.” and “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Those looking on ask who is this who even forgives sins. It was Jesus.
Your Faith has saved you!
The thing is that this lady acted out of faith. This means she put her belief, her trust her confidence in Jesus. She came to Jesus.
The Apostle Paul tells us in in his letter to the Ephesians; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Jesus extended the grace of God to this woman. Grace that gift of forgiveness, that undeserved favour. Sure she showed love for Jesus, she approached Jesus with tears and was forgiven of her sins. Her burden was taken from her. Sure she was still judged by those around her. Society still looked down on her; I’m sure that overnight the Pharisees didn't stop pointing the finger. But and this is a big but.
This sinful woman was released in the spiritual; she was set free from her sins. Did it matter that she was still on the outer with mankind? I’m not going to fool you here; we all care about how we are seen by others. But this lady knew that she was right with God, her sins had been forgiven and her relationship with her creator was restored.
We were up at officer’s fellowship during the week and Major Ivan Bezzant our Divisional Commander came out with what I reckon is a pretty good illustration so I’m going to use it though it might be slightly remodelled.
Late last year Ivan had this picture come into his head of a dirt poor Irish family who were struggling to make their little farm work, this was early last Century. So the Mother and Father put their heads together and decided to immigrate to America. They sold all they had, the sale of their land and possessions left them with enough money for themselves and their three children to buy passage on a luxury liner. They received the ticket for their room and with what they had left over they brought enough bread and cheese to sustain them through the voyage.
They went on board the ship and found their room, it was a small you could even say a pokey room, but they were happy as they were leaving for America to follow their dream of prosperity, their dream of a more than ordinary life style.
They did alright in their cabin, they had a little porthole that they could look out and see birds flying past, and the ocean waves.
Towards the end of the voyage, the last evening in fact they were surprised to receive an invitation to dine with the Captain at his table as this was the custom of the Captain to have different passengers dine with him every night. So on the last night of their voyage they left their cabin and walked through the ship.
They were amazed as they saw their fellow passengers, people involved in playing games on the deck, people being waited on in the dining room and as they sat at the Captains table they were almost overcome by the grandeur of the setting and the number of people eating at the the other tables.
The captain saw this and asked them how their voyage had been. To which they mentioned how they had appreciated the room that they had brought their ticket for. They talked of how they how they were doing well and still had some bread and cheese left over.
The Captain was horrified to tell them that all they had seen was freely available to them as part of the price for the voyage and that they could have been enjoying all of it for their trip.
How often do we put ourselves aside in a cabin, when we have a whole ship available? How often d we stay burdened when we can find peace with God?
Jesus came into the world so that sins can be forgiven; he did amazing things during his time on Earth, extraordinary things, miracles, healings, teaching that is second to none. Jesus did extraordinary things but Jesus came to make God known, to make the love of God known and to make God’s forgiveness known. John in his gospel tells us this about Jesus; “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (John 1:17-18)
Jesus did an extraordinary thing for that sinful woman because he has the right to forgive sins. As Christians we know the forgiveness of our sins. We also know that in the spiritual we have an enemy who will try to remind us of these sins.
1) If we like the woman have approached Jesus in faith, trusting with confidence, believing that he can forgive our sins our sins are forgiven. Hold fast to that knowledge. Live in the peace of that knowledge.
2) This act of repentance of turning aside from the old life, of going in a different direction for the rest of life is living in salvation, where we are justified with God. In this case look at the word justified as meaning ‘just as if I’d never sinned.’
3) Does that mean that people who know your sins won’t judge you, that there may not be a price to pay for wrongs done, no. But your relationship with God will be extraordinary. As Christians though it is not our place to judge; but it is our place to tell others that their sins can be forgiven. This is an extraordinary thing.
4) Not only that once forgiven of our sins, Jesus promised Holy Spirit will come to you as your helper, comforter, counselor and friend. Life will change, as a new citizen of the kingdom of Heaven much more will open up to you as God works in your life. Life will no longer be just a cabin as the kingdom of Heaven comes to Earth and God’s will is done in your life. .
To start winding up this sermon there’s one other thing I’d like to talk about and for a lot of us this is an interesting topic because we are brought up to not go there. There was one thing that the woman in this story did in abundance while she was at Jesus feet. So much so that she was able to wash Jesus feet.
She cried! She cried as an outwards declaration of what was going on inside her heart, of what was going on in the spiritual. We New Zealanders are not to flash at crying; having been brought up with lines like “cry and I’ll give you something to cry about.” or “boys don’t cry” have left us a bit of a desert in the crying department.
Andrew, 50 years old, 87 kilos of Kiwi male, ex Power Board Faultman, Cable jointer, Kayaker, triathlete, I believe a handy sort of bloke. Broken arm no tears, fell off my bike and skinned most of my left side and did my collar bone, no tears. I my life plenty of burns, cuts and abrasions, no tears. When I feel the presence of God, tears flow freely because I know that even though I’m an ordinary man, Jesus has done an extraordinary thing in my life. All that was before is given to him and my future is in his hands.
Today I would like to point out that the forgiveness of sins is an extraordinary thing. Also that Jesus has made it possible for all of us to be forgiven. All we need to do is come to him in faith, inviting him to act in our lives. Like the woman this can be an emotional encounter but it is also a life changing encounter as we as ordinary people meet with and receive an extraordinary thing forgiveness from God.
