Illus.: Four Preachers Confess
Four preachers met for a friendly gathering. During the conversation one preacher said, “Our people come to us and pour out their hears, confess certain sins and needs. Let’s do the same. Confession is good for the soul.” In due time all agree. One of them said that he had a problem with losing his temper on occasion. The second confessed to liking to smoke cigars and the third one confessed to liking golf so much that he would fake being sick so he could play on weekends.. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn’t confess. The others pressed him saying, “Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?” Finally he answered, “It is gossiping and I can hardly wait to get out of here.”
Humor: All I will ever need to know I learned from Noah. One, Don’t miss the boat. Two, Remember that we are all in the same boat. Three. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark . Four, Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old someone may ask you to do something really big. Five, Don’t listen to critics, just get on with the job that needs to be done. Six, Build your future on high ground. Seven, Speed isn’t everything, the snails were on board with the cheetahs. Eight, When you’re stressed, float awhile. Nine, Remember the Ark was built by amateurs, the Titanic by professionals. Ten, No matter what the storm, when you are with God there’s always a rainbow waiting.
Over and over again we see that Jesus was condemned for talking to “sinners”. The religious leaders of the day especially the Pharisees considered themselves to be very special people who shunned “sinners”.
Matt 23:23-24
23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Jesus cursed the religious leaders for having their priorities all backwards. They magnified the insignificant and minimized the essentials. They were compulsive about counting leaves and seeds but indifferent about basic ethics.
Jesus borrowed the word weightier from the rabbinical tradition, which had divided the law into light and heavy categories. In their inverted priorities the scribes and Pharisees had reduced such matters as justice and mercy and faithfulness to the light category, and elevated the tithing of garden herbs to the weightier category.
False religion seems to always magnify the insignificant and minimize or entirely ignore the truly spiritual. The worldly is idolized; the spiritual is disregarded.
The gnat and the camel represented the smallest and the largest, respectively, of the ceremonially unclean animals. Pharisees would filter out any small insects that might have gotten into the wine. They were painstaking about formal, ceremonial trivialities but were unconcerned about their hypocrisy, dishonesty, cruelty, greed, self-worship, and a host of other serious sins. They substituted outward acts of religion for the essential virtues of the heart.
Illustration: This would be like if your car had a major mechanical problem and you took it to someone to get it fixed. They take your car and never pop the hood, but instead they wash and wax your car. Then after that they decide that’s not good enough so they sand it down and repaint it. Then they call you and tell you your car is as good as new. Your car won’t run thus it can’t fulfill its purpose but, boy it looks better than ever. Would you be happy with that?
Our churches today in America seem to be more like country clubs and less like hospitals. Shouldn’t church be a place were “sinners” feel welcome, but instead they feel like outsiders and the pious feel welcome. We want people in our church just like us…we want people who dress like us, talk like us, think like us, respond like us, the more you’re like us the more we want you in our church. Is that the way Jesus treated people? It’s interesting to me that the ones who seemed to feel the most welcome around Jesus feel the lest welcome in our modern churches.
(v.37) The perfume was very expensive and people who bought this usually used it on themselves or if they gave it to someone else it was usually used to anoint someone’s head. By pouring the perfume on the feet of Jesus was in essence saying that my perfume (the best that I can give to the Lord) is not even worthy for His head.
Illustration: Some years ago, there was a small tribe of Native Americans who lived in the state of Mississippi. They lived along the banks of a very swift and dangerous river. The current was so strong that if somebody accidentally fell in, they would likely be swept away to their death downstream. One day this tribe was attacked by another hostile Indian tribe. They found themselves literally with their backs up against the treacherous river. They were greatly outnumbered. Their only chance for escape was to cross the current, which would mean sure death for the children, the elderly, the weak, and the ill and the injured… and likely death for many of the strong.
The leaders of the tribe huddled up to devise a plan. The logical thing, the reasonable thing, the expedient thing, the sensible thing was to leave the weak ones behind. They were going to be killed anyway… why risk losing the strong in a futile effort to save the others? That was the rational answer but they couldn’t do it! Instead, they chose to be extravagant in their generosity… and they decided that those who were strong would pick up the weaker ones and put them on their shoulders. So, the little children, the elderly, those who were ill or wounded, were all carried on the backs of the stronger. With great fear, they waded out into the rapid waters of the river and they were met with a great surprise. To their astonishment, they discovered that the weight on their shoulders enabled them to keep their footing through the treacherous current… and to make it safely to the other side. Their own extravagant generosity saved them. What they did was not the reasonable thing to do, but it was the right thing to do.
The point is: If you who are strong and comfortable and well-fed, will reach out in generosity and help somebody in need, you will be surprised to discover that the life you save may also be your own. In words and action, Jesus taught us that sometimes it’s O.K. to be extravagant in our generosity.
(v. 39) The Pharisees showed nothing but contempt for sinners. Simon was convinced that if Jesus knew her character, He would have sent her away, for her touching Him was presumed to convey ceremonial uncleanness.
(v. 40) Jesus knew Simon’s thoughts demonstrating indeed that He was a prophet.
1. Am I like the Pharisee?
The Pharisee despised the woman and her worship of Jesus. Religion doesn’t like extravagant expressions of worship.
(v. 44) “No water for my feet” A glaring oversight. Washing a guest’s feet was an essential formality. Not to offer guest water for the washing of feet was tantamount to an insult – like it would be in modern Western culture if one did not offer to take a guest’s coat. Simon ignored Jesus because he didn’t know Jesus. If he knew Jesus he would have loved Jesus. The reason Simon didn’t know Jesus was because he was too self centered.
How is it that the Christian church is so good at drawing respectable people – why do sinners feel so uncomfortable around us? When I read my Bible it was the pious who felt uncomfortable around Jesus. The kingdom of God is open to whosoever will come to Christ. We all come as sinners to be forgiven and accept the salvation offered us in Christ.
2. Am I like the Woman?
She had to overcome all the obstacles of everyone around her not wanting her their because she was a prostitute. But she couldn’t stay away because Jesus was there and her greatest desire was to be close to Him. She obviously had come in contact with Him somewhere before and heard Jesus speak of the forgiveness of sins. Her gratitude for towards Jesus was overwhelming to the point that she was willing to give her very best…she had a gracious heart. She realized her sinfulness and was repentant of it. She found forgiveness – Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a WRETCH like me…for such a WORM as I. When we move away from realizing our sinfulness we’re becoming like the Pharisee.
3. Am I like Jesus?
Jesus accepted both of them where they were. Jesus goes to the Pharisees house. When we say things like; “we hate Pharisees in our church”. Then we are talking like Pharisees.
Jesus accepted her worship – He didn’t kick her off His feet He showed her 100% acceptance. Jesus gave both of them exactly what they needed.
A) Simon needed the truth.
B) The woman needed assurance that her sins where forgiven.
Do I fully accept the people around me without condemning them?
Don’t get too far away from the cost of your redemption.
Conclusion: Let me tell you about Tess. Tess was a precocious eight-year-old little girl. One day she heard her mom and dad talking in a serious and somber tone about her little brother, Andrew. Tess didn’t understand everything that they were saying, but she got the gist: Her little brother, Andrew, was very, very sick… and they were completely out of money. They would have to move out of their house and move into a small apartment because Mom and Dad didn’t have enough money for the doctor bills and the house payment. On top of that, only a very expensive surgery could save Andrew now… and they could not find anyone to lend them the money. Just then, Tess heard her dad say to her tearful mother in whispered desperation, “Only a miracle can save Andrew now.”
Tess ran to her room, pulled out a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in her closet. She poured out all the change on the floor and counted it carefully. She then put the change back in the jar, put the jar under her arm, slipped out the back door and ran down to the Rexall Drug Store six blocks away. The pharmacist was talking to a man intently and at first he didn’t notice Tess standing there. She waited patiently for a while and then dramatically cleared her throat, but still, no luck – the pharmacist did not see her. Finally, Tess got his attention by taking a quarter out of her jelly jar and tapping it on the glass counter. That did it. The pharmacist noticed her and said, “Just a minute. I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen for ages.”
“Well,” said Tess, “I want to talk to you about my brother. He’s really, really sick – and I want to buy a miracle. His name is Andrew and he has something growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So… how much does a miracle cost? I have the money here to pay for it. It’s all that I have saved. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much a miracle costs.”
The pharmacist’s brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked Tess, “What kind of miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” Tess replied, with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my parents can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago.
“One dollar and eleven cents!” Tess said proudly. “It’s all the money I have in the world, but I can get some more if I need to.”
“Well, you are in luck,” the man said with a smile. “One dollar and eleven cents is the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.”
He took the money in one hand and with the other he took hold of her mitten and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man from Chicago was Dr. Carlton Armstrong who just happened to be a noted neurosurgeon. The operation was successfully completed without charge… and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Tess’ mom and dad were so grateful. They were talking one night about the chain of events that had saved Andrew’s life. “That surgery,” her mom said, “was a real miracle.” And then she said, “I just wonder how much it would have cost.”
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost… one dollar and eleven cents… plus, the skill and graciousness of a great doctor… and of course, the gracious, sacrificial love of an eight-year-old big sister!
Someone might say, “Well, it was only one dollar and eleven cents”… but, it was all she had! She gave all she had to save her little brother… and that’s an extravagant gift!
Isn’t that a great story? It’s powerful because it reminds us in a dramatic way that the spirit of Christ can empower and enable us… to be extravagant in our generosity, to be extravagant in our gratitude, and to be extravagant in our graciousness.
