Luke 7
"The Alabaster Jar"
36. Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.
37. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume,
38. and 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.
39. 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."
40. Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.
41. "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43. Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44. 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.
45. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
46. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.
47. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48. Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49. The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50. Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
We are in Simon’s house. We are in Simon the Pharisee’s house. We are in Simon the Pharisee’s house in Galilee.
I don’t think you understand yet. You see, we are in the house of a wealthy man living, not in the arid wastelands of the Middle-East, but in the luscious, green, mountain land of Galilee—populated with cities whose names mean "beautiful", and "delightful". A mountain bungalow owned by a Pharisee in Galilee. To be a Pharisee in Galilee took some doing. Galileans were well known for their stubborn resistance to the Law as it was interpreted by the Pharisees. It’s not that they didn’t accept the Mosaic Law. They just didn’t buy into the Pharisees’ interpretations of the Law. To be a Pharisee in Galilee….Well, that’s a little like being a Republican in Mobile, Alabama.
The setting is Idyllic. It’s the stuff Leonardo DaVinci paintings are made of…
There’s Jesus—reclining at a feast from a wealthy man’s table, sitting among teachers of Law, religious leaders, and perhaps a few other well-educated curiosity seekers—dressed in their Pharisee finest—surrounded by elegance, fine dinnerware, white tablecloths, cloth napkins folded so they look like little Levite priests marching toward the Temple, Two forks, two spoons, and a butter knife with a serrated edge, a water glass, a soda glass, a wine glass and teeny, tiny coffee cup—and at least two plates more than you ever need…why, even the dirt floor has been swept…It’s all so proper—respectable.
Then she comes in.
The room grows still as her silhouette darkens the door.
It’s obvious she doesn’t belong there—cut off jeans and dirty T-shirt. Carefully…cautiously…one step toward Jesus. Then another. As if she expects someone to point a finger at her and scream, "this is no place for your kind! Get out!" or perhaps take her forcefully in hand and see her roughly back through the door she had just mustered enough courage to enter… but no one does. They are, of course, thinking it.
Her steps quicken as she meets no resistance. The shame so heavy on her that her eyes are fixed fast on the floor. Her long hair hides the flushed face of humiliation. Perhaps Humility. But our personal concept of humility is merely a speck of the anguish—the turmoil happening in this woman’s heart. Humiliation. Only once maybe twice her eyes darted upward—looking for the teacher from Galilee. She nearly knocks over a chair or two as she works her way around the room to where Jesus is reclining.
Do not confuse this unnamed woman with Mary as so many have. Luke is such a meticulous writer and a grand historian. It is unlikely that he would kept her name from us if it were the extremely visible character of Mary Magdalene, whom he does name in a separate event (in true Luke-like form) immediately following this narrative. Neither can this be Mary of Bethany –sister of Martha and Lazarus. Although the stories are similar – their differences are distinct.
First, this event happens in Galilee in the height of his earthly ministry.
Mary anointed Jesus in Bethany six days before Passover.
This dinner was given to honor Simon the host who had succeeded in booking Jesus the celebrity for a dinner party in his home.
John chapter 12 clearly indicates that the dinner in Bethany was to honor Jesus--hosted by his closest friends.
This woman was not Mary – the close companion of Jesus. She did not come to honor him. This woman knew Jesus only by reputation—at best, through the miracles she had witnessed him do in the lives of others. She comes to Jesus—not as one who knows him intimately—but as a stranger who wants to.
VERSE 38:
and 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.
Hear the words of this verse. "She stood behind him." Whereas Simon sat at the head of the table keeping Jesus closest to the door – she stood behind him – in the place of the subordinate---in the place of reverence and respect—standing behind him weeping. Tears pouring from her eyes—gasping for breath between sobs. Read on:
"she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair."
As the tears flow uncontrollably from her eyes they begin to wet his feet. Embarrassed, she searches for a towel…or a napkin—but their too pretty to disturb—so she takes the locks of her hair and begins to dry his feet. Mortified that she has allowed her tears to fall on the feet of the Master. But the more she wipes with her hair, the more tears that fall—desperately she begins to lap up the teardrops with kisses as she is overcome by a rainbow of emotions: fear, frustration, shame, guilt…and yes, even love….love. Kissing the feet of the forgiver of sins.
Suddenly she produces an alabaster jar—not the expensive, Egyptian marble alabaster that Mary of Bethany used—but a simple piece of reddish and yellow pottery made of lime. From it she pours an oily perfume. Not the expensive spikenard worth a year’s wages that Mary used. It’s fragrance did not fill the entire room like the honor shown Jesus there at that dinner in Bethany. This fragrance, like the honor shown Jesus here, fills only the space between the heart broken the mender of broken hearts.
Cheap cologne from a cheap piece of pottery.
But you cannot know the cost of the oil in her alabaster jar.
Simon couldn’t understand it either.
Simon saw a sinner. Jesus saw a penitent. What is a penitent? Simply this: a soul who hates the sin that once he or she loved…
Simon thought he was quite a long way on in the Kingdom of God—compared to this sobbing mass blubbering at Jesus feet.
Simon saw a sinful woman.
Jesus saw a woman full of every possibility for recovery.
She reached out. He took her tiny, quivering hand of faith and placed it in his large steady hand of help and healing.
Simon didn’t know the cost of the oil.
He had no way of knowing that at that moment—she was much nearer to the arms of God than he could ever dream. She, being poor in spirit became rich in God.
Simon, simply proud in spirit has the auspicious distinction of being recorded for all history as the man who sat at meat with the Son of God—and thought himself in a position to patronize him.
VERSE 39:
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."
"Some Prophet! He doesn’t even know what kind of a person is touching him!"
Ah, Simon. Poor Simon. Simon the Pharisee. Simon, the good man. Simon, the Godly man. To his credit, Simon represented the most dedicated to holiness Jewish denomination of his time. He was Pre-Christ, Pre-Atonement, Pre-Grace—He was trapped in the Law because it was all he knew and the only means of salvation he had available to him. Scared to death of missing eternity in paradise, he followed the Pharisitical tradition of over-doing, exaggerating, and interpreting literally the Mosaic Law. It was "works righteousness" at its ugliest and most excruciating. But it was all they had. It was all they knew. Simon was trying desperately to please God by his lifestyle. Simon was an honorable man. He would have been the Nazarene, or the Old Methodist, the Wesleyan, or the Church of God Holiness or Church of God Anderson, In man of his day. He was probably a second or third generation Pharisee. "Holiness Unto the Lord" would have been his creed. But Holiness, as Simon understood it, was an exclusive country club. Simon’s sin was that he traded true holiness for an imitation – a look alike – the "not quite as pretty" twin sister of holiness. Namely, Respectability. Also known as Appearances. Simon would have come to the Synagogue each Sabbath with starched phylacteries and a silky, shiny yalmaka on his head. That is not evil in itself. There is no sin in putting on your best for God. But where the evil twin of Holiness shows her slightly crooked nose is when Simon begins looking side to side—at the others in the congregation—jotting down a mental list of who isn’t there, who isn’t starched, who’s not wearing a tie, who’s wearing slacks instead of a dress, who has just a little too much make-up on…
Holiness. We can spot her easily. She has the character of Christ.
Respectability is hard in her judgments. Always selfish. Always thinking of how a thing will look. Always conscious of what is becoming or proper and always ready with razor sharp claws to protect it…preserve it.
Holiness seeks the sinner.
Holiness seeks the sinner.
It will give herself for him. Just in her judgments; slow to anger and quick to forgive…Always seeing each and every one as a precious soul loved by God. Always conscious of what is Mercy…what is Grace…what is Perfect Love…and always ready with the two-edged sword of God’s Word to protect and preserve a wayward soul until that great "hound of heaven"—the Holy Spirit— trees the rascal and brings him into the Heavenly fold.
Respectability throws a blanket over the large sins in our life and sweeps the little ones under the rug – where no one will see. And in time – out of sight out of mind.
Holiness throws open the blinds – exposes our sins to us—rubs our nose in it and then says, "What are you going to do about it?"
Holiness answers Respectability the same way Jesus answers Simon in verse 40.
"I have something to say to you."
"I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher, " Simon says.
"Tell me O great prophet who hasn’t a clue about what kind of person is touching you!"
"Tell me peasant-preacher from poor but beautiful Galilee"
"Share with me, street preacher without a Bible College Degree, from your vast, studied insight."
"Disgraceful! Nothing short of disgraceful to let this harlot… this prostitute… fawn all over you! But tell me Jesus… you tell me what’s on your mind…"
From verse 41:
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43. Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44. 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.
45. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
46. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.
47. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48. Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49. The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
50. Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Two men owed money. Neither could pay. Neither the one who lived a godless life, nor the one who tried to live according to "works righteousness". It doesn’t matter how many years you’ve worked as a Bible salesman, it doesn’t matter how much money you’ve given to missions, it doesn’t matter how many weeks out of 52 you‘ve been to church or how many services you made each week. You can’t go to church enough. You can’t give enough. You can’t sell enough Bibles to get to heaven. You still owe. If it’s a dime it’s the same as a dollar. If it’s ten dollars it’s the same as a hundred. You can’t pay your way out of the debt of sin.
So Jesus canceled your debt.
Jesus canceled your debt.
But when you entered this sanctuary tonight…did you come as a host to the Master? Or did you come as a special, uninvited guest?
Did you come pressed and bleached, seated at the head of your own table, expecting Jesus to say interesting things for you to think about all this next week and maybe see a miracle or two. Or did you come in humility, rust colored clay jar in hand, fully conscious of your own filthy rags righteousness?
Respectability tells you these four walls with pulpit and pews are the house of God.
We have met the master in our formal dining room, in the proper setting, in the proper way. We have sung the right amount of hymns. We have lifted up to heaven a wonderful offering of special music. We have heard a 20.8 minute sermon with 3 points and a conclusion.
Holiness tells you this [the heart] is the house of God.
Have you met the master tonight? Did you greet him, in your heart, with a holy kiss? Has the reservoir of your heart broken open with a flood of tears to wash his weary feet? Have you poured out the contents of your alabaster jar?
It’s harder – we read tonight – to feel the magnitude of what has been done for us—what he does for us daily through the power of the atoning work…when we’ve grown up in the church…or, when we have been living a life in Christ for what now has become decades…or, when we come to know Christ in the innocence of a young age—and are blessed as the scriptures says—to never have fallen away.
It’s harder. But it’s not impossible. Our Bibles tell us of another Pharisee who came to know Christ on the Road to Damascus. This respectable religious leader took the arm of true holiness and let her be his guide. The apostle Paul calls himself the chief of sinners.
Do you truly know, tonight, the cost of the oil in your alabaster jar? Have you come tonight to pour out your praises, your confessions? Do you know the cost of freedom from sin? Do you love much or do you love little? It’s not about the quantity of sins forgiven. It’s all about being painfully honest both to ourselves and to God. It’s about being aware of our sinfulness. Look, right now, into your heart.
What is the condition of your heart? Has the Master brought a word of correction? More importantly, are you prepared to receive Christ’s correcting word? What is Jesus saying to you?
Is he saying, "Simon, I have something to say to you."
Week after week will he continue to tap you on the shoulder….whispering…
"You and I have something to talk about…"
Or do you hear him saying, "Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Grace deserves our praise. It does so much for the recipient. Whether many sins or few….It canceled your debt! It saved you from bankruptcy of the soul—from hell—the debtor’s prison of eternity!
Do you know the cost of the oil? Do you know the cost of worship? Do you know the cost of praise? Of confession of sin? Of genuine heart broken repentance? Of humiliation before a sovereign God?
What is the attitude of your heart?
Did you bring your alabaster jar tonight? Did you come prepared to pour out your heart at the Master’s feet?
Do you remember the night Christ wrapped his loving arms around you…the warming of your soul when it was immersed in Grace? Do you recall the night you were freed from the debt you could not pay?
Will you come to pour your praises, your confessions, your tears on the feet of the master? Will you come in true humiliation before the throne of heaven?
Maybe you’re not ready. Maybe you’re still sitting at the head of your table. Maybe you have come tonight, thinking this was your dinner party – and Jesus was simply your invited guest. Maybe you’re above the correcting words of Christ - the peasant preacher from Galilee. Maybe you’re not on your knees yet…still too strong to be weak.
I hope we have taken a lesson from the sinful woman. Looking neither left nor right, but concentrating on the condition of our own heart. Focused on nothing more than making it the feet of the Master…I hope we approach the throne of Grace each week in worship – daily in our prayer closets—with the humility of the woman with the alabaster jar. I hope we enter his presence with the very real sense that we do not belong there—except He bids us come….accepts our offering of worship and reverence…that we owed far more than we could ever pay and He paid it in full…Repentance and Grace walk hand in hand…
That the cost of the oil in the alabaster jar is nothing less than every bit of us…poured out…shaken till the very last drop falls out onto the feet of Him who loved us more than we can ever love him back…who loved us even while we were still sinners…
Will you honor the Lord tonight? Will you come and worship the savior of your soul—the one who canceled your debt? Will you?
Or, is there a soul here that doesn’t know his worth? Maybe like the rest of Simon’s guests, you are saying to yourself, "who is this who even forgives sins!?" Let me introduce you to Jesus tonight.
There’s no "right way" –
come to Jesus, just as the woman did.
She didn’t know that simple faith was all she needed. But Jesus took her gift and blessed it. "Your faith has saved you," He told her. Come to Christ tonight in the best way you know how—the most honest way. Jesus will defend you from the sneer of the Pharisees wherever they may be hiding! He will accept you! He is glad to cancel your debt for all eternity. There is no amount of sin too great, or single sins too terrible that Grace cannot stamp the bill, "Paid in Full." His arms are stretched out to you this very minute; His embrace is Peace of heart and mind…the full assurance of faith…the fullness of Grace.
Don’t leave tonight until you have taken time to pour out the contents of your alabaster jar…
Don’t leave tonight if the Master has something to say to you. He’s talking to you Simon…Through his word, his ministry, his providence….calling you to a renewed humility…a fresh faith…love unconditional…calling you to a new passion for the Lost that He loves… begging you to leave Respectability behind…to embrace Holiness in all her beauty…
Answer the Master, Simon, say, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth…"
