The Challenge to Love Much
Luke 7:36-50
Introduction
Last week we saw Jesus demonstrate amazing powers as he healed the centurion’s servant at a distance and raised the son of the widow of Nain. The miracles of Jesus serve to:
-Show us his great love and compassion for humanity
-Help us know that God sees our condition and cares
-Reinforces the truth that Jesus is the Son of God
Our text today does not contain a miracle as such. The setting is a much more relaxed atmosphere - dinner at Simon’s house. The Pharisees play a major role in the story of Jesus.
Simon and his guests reclined around a u-shaped table - which was the traditional posture for eating. They lay down around a low table, propped up on the left elbow with a cushion for support and their feet angled away from the food. When a teacher was guest, often the meal took place in an open area where listeners were welcome to gather around. Wright says, “What we think of as ‘private life’ in the modern West was largely unknown in Jesus’ world: doors would often remain open, allowing beggars, extra friends, or simply curious passers-by to wander in.” And that’s when it happened. Luke tells us that a “sinful woman”came in and fell at the feet of Jesus.
Luke 7:36-40a
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 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. 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.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
Jesus told the parable of the two indebted men - one who owed the equivalent of of 500 day’s wages, and one who owed 50 days wages. Both owed large sums of money. Both were unable to pay. Both received forgiveness for their loan. Jesus asked “Which of them will love him more?” Simon - the one who was forgiven most.
Luke 7:43b-48
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 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. 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—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
In this account Luke invites us into the room to show us four characters who encountered the challenge to love much.
1. Four Characters in This Story About Love
Simon the Pharisee - one who loves little. Pharisees are presented as taking a stand against Jesus. Some Pharisees, however, wanted to give him a fair hearing. Simon perhaps interested in Jesus, invited him to a meal. But he ignores the social norms of offering hospitality. Barclay suggests that Simon just wanted to be seen in the presence of a celebrity. Maybe so.
The Sinful Woman - one who loves much. The sinful woman showed far more honor to Jesus than the Pharisee had done. “I don’t know what this woman had done, how she had earned a reputation as a sinner, and Luke doesn’t help us narrow it down. But like other sinners who encountered Jesus, she recognized a friend, someone who was calling her out of her sin, someone calling her to God.” (Gallagher) Here no one expresses shock that the woman is present; the scandal is that she has drawn close to Jesus and he has let her approach him. Ryle: “She stood behind Him at His feet, weeping. She wet His feet with her tears. She kept wiping them with the hair of her head. She was kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. No stronger proofs of reverence and respect could she have given, and the secret of her giving such proofs was love. She loved our Lord, and she thought nothing too much to do for Him.” She never says a word, never sings a song, never writes a psalm. Yet we are reading about her two thousand years later.
Jesus the Savior: The One with ultimate love. This is one of the points of conflict with the Pharisees - does Jesus have the authority to offer forgiveness? Through his miracles and teachings, and ultimately the resurrection, the answer is YES! Jesus offers grace and love to this woman, but also to Simon - as he engages him to think more about his own station before the Lord.
The other person in the room is you: For Luke has invited us into this room to witness the love that Jesus has for us and his desire to forgive us and give us peace. That will require us to accept him as the Lord. Swindoll: “When we understand the true condition of our sinful hearts and the terrible penalty of our transgressions, His immense sacrifice for us inspires deep love and devotion.”
2. How Can I Be A Person Who Loves Much? How can we be a Church that loves much?
Reach out to help, welcome, and serve. When Jesus came into Simon’s house, he did not offer him the most basic needs of a place to wash his feet. It is our aim to reach out to help those around us who are struggling in life. Money * Support * Encouragement * Assistance. Galatians 6:10 "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
See fellow strugglers, not unworthy sinners. Simon didn’t think the woman deserved to be present, much less to interact with Jesus! She was unworthy! The truth is that we are all unworthy strugglers! Swindoll “Jesus …nevertheless accepted the woman - not in spite of her sin, but with them.” This is the story of us all - sinners saved by Grace, given a mission to share with other sinners the beautiful truth of Jesus.
Keep Jesus as the focus of our hearts and worship. Simon is relatively cool towards Jesus. The sinful woman cannot worship him enough! Jesus is the One who teaches us how to love. 1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us." We are only a church that loves much when we worship and adore a Savior who has loved us so much more.
Remember that we do not deserve the love Jesus offers. Simon is too busy assessing the situation, looking for a way to criticize Jesus, but does not love Jesus. Simon thinks she doesn’t deserve to be with Jesus. Woman KNOWS she doesn’t deserve to be with Jesus. This is why she is so touched in her heart. “…The best thing any church could hope for is to be filled with weeping sinners - people whose lives are marked by the humility that comes from knowing the judgment they deserved, but did not receive.” Mary Luti
Conclusion
Jesus said in a key verse in this text: “Whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” (47)
I want to be someone who has been forgiven much and who loves much!
Jesus Loved Simon and the woman - but only one of them loved him back.
What kind of love is Jesus teaching us here?
Love sees the other person as worthy
Love recognizes the need for forgiveness
Love believes in reaching out instead of rejecting
Love knows people are imperfect and hurting
Love willing to be with people who can’t get it all together.
Love worships and adores and sacrifices for Jesus!
Just before our text there is a verse I want to close with:
Luke 7:34 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
Today think about how deeply you have been loved by God.
-Sacrificial love – he gave his Son
-Proactive love – God stepped into your life first
-Graceful love – paying the price for your sins, He was the only one who could meet that deepest need.
-Welcoming love – wants to live w/you forever
Only when we are thankful for this love can we be set free to love others. “Whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
___________________
To watch videos of sermons from Forsythe Church of Christ:
https://www.youtube.com/ForsytheChurchofChrist
Our church website is http://facoc.org
Forsythe Amazon Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3T2VA3IW7IRDB
To receive sermon notes in your email inbox, subscribe here:
https://forsythesermons.substack.com/
To receive John Dobbs’ newsletter with photographs, books, Christian thoughts, and miscellany, Subscribe Here:
https://johndobbs.substack.com
To receive a daily picture, passage, prayer, subscribe here: https://holylens.substack.com/
___________________
Discussion Questions
1. Who invited Jesus to dinner, and what do we know about him? What do you think his motive was in having Jesus in his home?
2. How did the woman express her love and devotion to Jesus? What are some things about this woman’s actions that are scandalous?
3. How did Jesus contrast the woman’s actions with Simon’s lack of hospitality?
4. Why do you think the woman was so emotional in Jesus’ presence?
5. What does this story teach us about Jesus’ attitude toward sinners?
6. How does the parable of the two debtors relate to the situation between Simon and the woman? How does it relate to us?
7. Why was it significant that Jesus told the woman, “Your sins are forgiven”?
8. What does this passage reveal about the nature of faith and forgiveness?
9. How do we sometimes behave like Simon, judging others instead of showing grace?
10. In what ways can we demonstrate love and gratitude toward Jesus, like the woman did?
11. What can we learn from Jesus about welcoming and loving those whom society looks down upon?
12. How can we cultivate a heart that is more like the woman’s—one full of gratitude for Jesus’ forgiveness?
John Dobbs
HTTP://johndobbs.substack.com
