Fan or Follower
Luke 7:36-50
January 22, 2023
If Debbie and I invited you to our home, you would expect us to welcome you into our home. You would expect we would take your jackets, hats; and if there was snow on the ground, we would show you where to put your shoes or boots.
Most likely you would expect us to offer you something to eat and drink.
NOW, have you ever been in a situation where the guest didn’t do as they were expected? Maybe they didn’t know what to do, but most likely, they just didn’t do what was normal and expected. We could guess the reasons why, but we won’t.
Well, that happened to Jesus. And we’re going to look at this story from the gospel of Luke to see what was going on and what the expectations were and how they were strangely resolved.
Remember, we’re in a series called FAN or FOLLOWER. The series is all about asking ourselves if we’re fans, enthusiastic admirers; or are we followers of Jesus? Last week, we learned the Hebrew word TALMID. Are we followers / disciples of the teacher, who is our Lord and Savior?
So, let’s get into the word and see what’s happening in Luke 7. I’m going to read the entire passage, because we need to hear the story in its entirety. We’ll start in verse 36 - - - -
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and He went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,
38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet,
He would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, and the other 50.
42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then turning toward the woman He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?
I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven — for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
48 And Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
50 And Jesus said to her, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Let’s recap . . . Jesus is invited to a dinner at Simon’s home. Simon is a pharisee. He knew the customs, traditions and social protocol. Yet, Simon didn’t do what was normally done for a guest upon their arrival, but this was not just any guest, this was a teacher, a rabbi. Not to mention, the Messiah. So, you were to treat them with greater reverence and hospitality.
In a few minutes we’re going to go into a little more detail about something which will help us to know if we’re a fan or follower. But let’s look deeper at this story.
When Jesus entered the home, it was customary to give your guest a kiss. It meant they were accepted into the house as a welcomed guest. There was also a sense of reverence for an esteemed person who entered, such as Jesus. There was no kiss.
Then Simon didn’t wash Jesus’s feet or even have someone else do it. That was unheard of for guests. You always made sure their feet were washed. Their feet were dirty. When they would sit down to eat, they sat reclining on the floor with their feet pretty near the table.
Then Simon didn’t anoint Jesus with olive oil. Again, it was customary to anoint a guest with olive oil. A little on their head or forehead, rubbed in, was a very symbolic gesture. It was a prayer for goodness for that person. And again, this didn’t happen.
Jesus also knew what Simon was thinking. Simon was comparing himself to this woman who had a rather poor reputation. She was a prostitute and she came totally unannounced and uninvited. Here’s where we the pharisee is caught in a dilemma.
She’s a big time sinner. She sells her body for money. The pharisee is an upstanding member of the Jewish community. There’s no comparison in his eyes. She’s got big time sin, he’s got small time sin.
And no prophet would accept what she’s doing to Jesus. It’s provocative as well. She’s kissing His feet. In a sense washing them for Jesus, since they weren’t washed by Simon. She’s kissing Jesus, showing honor and reverence to Him, and she’s anointing Him with the ointment from the alabaster flask. Her hair is down, which a woman only did for her husband.
She’s doing everything Simon didn’t do. She recognized who Jesus was. She’s overjoyed. She couldn’t contain herself. So, she comes to Jesus and doesn’t ask for anything, she doesn’t deem herself worthy. But Jesus looks at her in the end, and tells her that her sins are forgiven. She is cleansed. The one who was cleansing, is now the one who is cleansed, by the grace of God.
It’s pretty easy to see that Simon is a fan. He’s an enthusiastic admirer. It was simply dinner. Let’s keep it shallow. Let’s not get too deep and keep the conversation fun and friendly. But this woman comes in and embraces Jesus and shows very quickly she’s a follower of the One who brings healing, wholeness and restoration. The Messiah!
I want to switch gears for a bit and talk about something which this sinful woman had, but that the supposedly godly pharisee didn’t have.
It’s almost too simple, and it’s a question for you and I as well. It’s actually kind of ironic. The pharisee knew Jesus, yet, didn’t know Him. The woman didn’t know Jesus, yet she knew Him.
That’s the irony of the story.
And this is the question for us . . . we may say we know Jesus, but do we really know Jesus?
When you’ve been married for awhile, your spouse comes to know what your faces, comments and so on mean. They can even tell you what you’re going to ask and answer your question before you ask. Why is that? They’re not psychic. They know you! They know you intimately. Sometimes you can sit together and not say a word, yet, the fact that you’re near one another is part of the communication and intimacy you share.
I could give you the sterile definition of intimacy, but when you’ve got that intimacy, you know it.
The best Biblical word for intimacy is the word “know.” It was first used in the context of relationships in Genesis 4:1. And we’re going to get PG for a moment. It tells us - - -
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, - Genesis 4:1
Other more contemporary versions are closer to R rated language, not bad language, but I think you get the drift of what was happening for Adam and Eve.
And the Hebrew word for “know” used here is the word yada.
????? - yada
It’s a really, really important word in the Bible. It’s used over 900 times. YADA means “to know and to be completely known.” So, we could say Adam and Eve really knew one another. Which is what happens in those moments.
You get the picture. That is our context for yada’.
For Adam and Eve, this wasn’t something casual. Ok? This is a YADA moment between a husband and a wife. It’s this intimate connection on every level. To know and to be known. It’s about intimacy, vulnerability and it’s power in our lives.
What’s important to understand is that there are other Hebrew words that could have been used, words used later in Scripture referring to the physical act, or even procreation, but God chose to use this word.
When you trace this word back in scripture, in the OT, you’ll find that over and over again, this is the same word that’s used to describe God’s relationship with us. YADA is the word that’s used to describe how God knows you and how He wants to be known by you.
Maybe that seems kind of weird to you. The very same word, the same connection used to describe a husband and wife is used to describe how God wants to know you. I want you to consider how you relate to God. Not sexually, but intimately, vulnerably, spiritually. So, that God knows you and you know God.
I think the greatest use of YADA occurs in Psalm 139. Listen to what David wrote - - -
1 O Lord, you have searched me and KNOWN me!
2 You KNOW when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you KNOW it altogether.
Three times the word YADA is used to show the relationship we have with God. David said, God knows me. God knows all that I do and God knows what I’m going to say.
Then in verse 23, David then says - - -
23 Search me, O God, and KNOW my heart! Try me and KNOW my thoughts!
Again that’s the word YADA. This should change the way we think about our relationship with God. When you consider the everyday connection you have with your spouse, or with someone who is so close to you, it can be embarrassing to look at how our connection with God compares.
I would think we have a closer earthly connection with our mate. I certainly understand that. Yet, God wants us to know Him on the same level He knows us. It’s not just a casual thing, weekend thing. It’s about developing that intimacy with God.
David speaks to God in this very intimate way. He’s telling God, You know how I feel, when I hurt, when I’m speaking, what I’m thinking, search me, Lord and KNOW me.
AND - - - God invites us to know Him, because He wants us to know Him. I believe that’s why He sent His Holy Spirit, so we would have a means to connect with Him. The Creator of Heaven and Earth has offered an invitation to you and me. He’s telling us - - - - “I want you to know me more closely and intimately than you know anyone else. I want you to know my heart, to connect with me on a level that can only be reached through the most vulnerable intimacy. I want you to know me deeply and wholly.”
And I believe that when John tells us in 1 John 5 - - -
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him. - 1 John 5:14-15
You see, most of the time, we’re clueless about God’s will. We don’t know, so we do a lot of guess work, we assume, we take a shot in the dark. But when we take the intentional steps to draw closer to God and really KNOW Him, then we will better know His will and can ask in accordance to His will. Which creates more power in our prayers.
I do understand that personal intimacy can be pretty scary on its own. It means allowing yourself to become vulnerable. And we often times believe, usually through experience, that being vulnerable with people leads to pain. We open ourselves up and get hurt. But we need to check ourselves and trust and believe that God is not sinful. God is perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear.
And when we make ourselves vulnerable to God, we know He’s going to find some things that we’re not proud of. Think of the sinful woman in Luke 7. A woman with a bad reputation. She knew she had sin in her life that made her unworthy to touch the Messiah. And because we’ve all fallen short, we know that God’s going to look into our lives and find things that He doesn’t condone. So it kind of makes sense that people would be afraid of that vulnerability.
And that’s often where we can separate a fan from a follower. The fan doesn’t want to let go and become vulnerable. They like keeping the relationship with Jesus somewhat distant, yet they grieve the lack of closeness. It’s not that they refuse to be a follower, they’re often not sure how to get there and struggle with being intimate or vulnerable with God. Yet, God already knows you.
Followers know there’s so much more gained from intimacy with God, because then we know that He’s there with us through any pain we endure. That comfort, knowing that God’s with you, can only come through intimacy.
But in church, we’ve often failed to embrace that kind of intimacy with Jesus. Instead, we’ve created a system focused around learning, not unlike Simon and the other Pharisees. Admittedly, our default setting is knowledge, not intimacy. That’s for another day!
Don’t get me wrong - - - studying and learning from God’s Word is a necessity. Jesus knew the Word and we are called to study and learn as well. However, we can’t expect knowledge to replace intimacy, even though we often try to.
And I think we try to substitute knowledge for intimacy because knowledge is so much easier. It’s easy for us to say, “Well, I know about Jesus,” but Jesus wants more than knowledge. That’s where we find Simon the Pharisee. He knew a lot about Jesus. Simon sees all this woman does for Jesus, her embarrassing actions, and Simon thinks to himself, if this Jesus guy was really a prophet, he would know she’s a sinner. Meaning He should stay away.
Simon was not willing to be vulnerable. This woman made herself vulnerable, being totally open and letting Jesus know her. She didn’t care what anyone said or thought.
So, as we end, will you let Jesus know you? Will you embrace the close and intimate relationship He wants to have with you? Because with that intimate relationship comes forgiveness and blessing and peace and hope and a new life and a new strength.
We experience that because of YADA. Knowing God and God knowing you.
