Alan Calhoun, Bristol, Connecticut told of a tag sale (garage sale) he and wife had a year or so 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 treasure," but once in a while, someone stumbles upon a treasure that the owner doesn’t know the value of.
I. Jesus had been preaching Galilee for nearly a year now. The common people have received him gladly. 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.
But the Pharisees had already begun to grow cold to Jesus’ influence. 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. Do they quietly ignore Him. Do they publicly oppose Him. Or do they attempt to entrap Him? Or is there another way to destroy Him? Simon the Pharisee believes he’s found that other way, a way he believes will humiliate this new teacher and render His influence useless.
II. Simon invites Jesus to a meal – then snubs Him.
Good manners in that day required the host to have his servant wash the guest’s feet. He was expected to greet his visitor with a kiss on the cheek and anoint the guest’s head with oil. Simon did none of these things, and it is apparent from our story that his actions (or lack thereof) were deliberate.
Imagine going to a party and extending your hand to someone, only to have them subtly refuse to extend their hand in return…They may even smile as they refuse, but you know – and they know – it’s intended as an insult. It’s meant to offend.
That’s pretty much what Simon intended in his behavior. BUT WHY? 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?
I believe Simon’s objective was to nettle Jesus, to get under His 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.
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” (Hebrews 4:15). 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. 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. He was a bigger man and a better man than most of us would ever hope to be, and He showed us by His behavior how we who are His followers should treat people like this Pharisee. In this situation, He simply ignored Simon’s behavior. He refused to give Simon the satisfaction of even commenting about this treatment.
III. THEN a woman entered the room. She’s not the kind of woman you’d ordinarily invite to nice party. She was a streetwalker, a prostitute, a pavement princess. In our society she’d be wearing a short skirt, high heels, fishnet hose, and a low cut blouse. But in that setting, in the day of Jesus, 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 have been their stock in trade.
And here she is at Simon’s home – 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 Easter or Christmas services -not 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 we’ll call “Harry.” Harry’s family supported the church and I’m sure they had invited him to the Revival that night in the hopes that he would 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, Harry 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. Harry became a man dedicated to God.
Now, of course Harry 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 he’d been 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 who developed 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 in the United States build church buildings.
And now, here stands this woman behind Jesus. Something breaks within her and the tears begin to flow. They 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. It’s aroma fills the room.
IV. Now Simon has been watching this little drama unfold. And I can see him… smile.
“Gotcha… I’ve gotcha Jesus! Wait till my friends hear about this one. This Jesus claims to be a prophet and 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.”
You know, self-righteousness is an ugly thing. It puts an 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 5000 denarii (@ $50,000). Another owed 500 denarii (@ $5000). 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 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 to 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. In his self righteousness, he also had little love for God. As 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.
By contrast, the opposite would be true: He who has been forgiven much, will love much. If we who are Christians do not sense how much God has forgiven us of, we will not love Him or others as we should.
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 me. "You didn’t hear me, Doctor. 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 those 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!"
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 take away film of sin and remake us in way God intended.
This morning, what do you think Jesus sees when He looks at you? Do you really think He sees only where you’ve and what you’ve done? No. He does see that, but what He really looks at is the beauty of your soul and potential that lies within. He looks on your heart and He waits for you to approach Him in humbleness for Him to remove the film of sinfulness and emptiness from your life.
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
Are you a Son of Thunder? - Luke 9:51-9:56
Extreme Faith - Mark 2:1-2:12
Dealing With Personal Demons - Mark 5:1-5:20
The Wee Little Man - Luke 19:1-19:10
Jesus & The Party Crasher - Luke 7:36-7:50
