The Aqua Colored Film Of Sin

I recently read a story about Alan Calhoun of Bristol, Connecticut who spoke about a tag sale ... a garage sale ... that he and wife had several years ago.

They had decided to put out a mirror that they had received as a wedding gift.

The reason they were selling it .... was that it had a gaudy aqua-colored metal frame ... and they just could not 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 so excited, and he said to Allen after 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.

(Pause)

Lots of people go to garage sales looking for bargains like that.

Some people have a saying about garage sales:

"One man's trash ... is another man's ....... treasure,"

The hope of many ... is that once in a while ... you will stumble upon a treasure ... that the owner does not know the value of. (Pause)

Jesus had been preaching Galilee ... for nearly a year now ... and His popularity is growing rapidly, particularly among the common people.

Everyone loved to be near Jesus.

Well... almost everyone.

Most of the Pharisees actually hated Him.

He did not pander to them, ... and occasionally He said things ... that ruffled their feathers ... and challenged their rules.

They do not like Him, but they are not so sure how to handle Him.

They have tried ignoring Him.

They have tried publicly opposing Him.

They have tried entrapping Him in doctrinal disputes.

Yet .... Nothing seemed to work.

But now enters ... Simon the Pharisee who believes he has found a way to take him out.

A way he believes will humiliate this new teacher and render His influence useless.

So Simon invites Jesus to a meal ... and then he snubs Him.

Rabbinical behavior .... in that day required the host to have his servant wash the guest's feet.

That servant was then expected to anoint his visitor's head with oil.

But the host himself was required to greet his guest with a kiss on the cheek.

With the Kiss ... The host was essentially declaring that he regarded his guest as his equal.

It was a signal that this honored guest was like one of the family.

Simon not only did not think of Jesus as ... quote ... "one of the family", he held Him in contempt.

But why did he go to all the trouble of inviting this new teacher to his home, .... To put on a lavish meal ... and perhaps opening his home to the community ... to meet this new teacher .... and then insult Jesus in front of all who are present?

I am convinced that Simon's objective was to get under Jesus' skin.

To throw Him off balance.

He intended to goad Jesus into making a statement ... or behaving in such a manner ... that he could then use ... to compromise his claims. (Pause)

When President Clinton was being challenged by the Republican congress ... which was then led by Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Some believe that the President successfully humiliated Congressman Gingrich ... and then used the situation ... to turn public opinion 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 flawlessly.

For 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 kid .... 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.

It seems that was also Simon the Pharisee's objective with Jesus.

And it could have worked.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15)

Rabbinic literature states ... that if one partakes of a meal in which a scholar is present, ... it is as if he feasted .... on the radiant splendor ... of Divine Presence.

And when Simon addressed Jesus as quote Teacher ... he acknowledged .... that Jesus was indeed a scholar.

The absolute minimum that would be expected would have been a kiss of greeting, ... a little water for his feet ... and olive oil ...which all household had ... with which to anoint himself.