The Power Of Repentance

The Power of Repentance

Luke 7:36-50

February 2, 2014

Morning Service

Consecration means to be set apart fully committed, completely devoted. There is no such thing as a half way commitment to consecration. It is an all or nothing deal and you are either consecrated or you aren’t.

There can be no true consecration without several key things:

1. Conviction

2. Confession

3. Conversion

Conviction  Confession  Consecration

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 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." Luke 7:36-50

Luke creates a comparison between two very different people with two radically different views of Jesus. The first is Simon the Pharisee who invites Jesus to his home for a meal and the second is an unnamed woman who disrupts the meal to anoint Jesus.

Self-righteous attitude toward Jesus

1. Simon invited Jesus out of a self-centered motive

Simon extended no courtesies to Jesus when He entered the home for the meal. There were three simple things that were done to make guests feel welcomed in a person’s home. First water would have been provided for the guests to wash their feet. Second, a kiss of greeting would have been given to every guest. Third, oil would have been provided for the head of the guest of honor.

There was no water for Jesus – The custom of providing water was to wash the dust from the guest’s feet because they had traveled by foot to the meal. This was a simple and common practice. This would have been done when the guests entered the home

There was no kiss for Jesus – The custom was that once a person was seated for the meal the host would formally greet the guests with a kiss on the cheek. It would have been like a handshake today.

There was no oil for Jesus – The guest of honor would have received an additional courtesy. The host would have provided oil for the head of the honored guest for both refreshment of the guest and for a public acknowledgement of the person. Without a doubt Jesus would have been seen as the guest of honor.

Why does Jesus make an issue of all of these things? Simon did absolutely nothing for Jesus. This tells us one of two things. Either Simon did nothing for any of his guests, which would have given Jesus no right to say anything or Simon was doing these things for the other guests and not for Jesus. This seems to be the case.

Let me ask you a question, do you treat Jesus like the guest of honor in your life?

2. Simon felt he was better than the woman

It is clear that Simon saw himself as being better than the woman that entered his house that evening. He saw his own life through the lens of his own personal religious actions and thought himself to be better. After all look at what he thinks of this woman, she is a sinner and he was right but he forgot the fact that he too was a sinner.