Second Presbyterian Church

"How Much Do We Love/Are Forgiven?
Preaching From the Gospel of Luke"
July 18, 2004

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2004 » Sermons for July 2004 » Sermons from the Series on Luke

#25 in the Series on Luke
The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Jeremiah 31-34
• Luke 7: 36-50

There are several details about this story that should seem strange and startle us when we are not sedated by its familiarity. And most of these details have to do with the cultural differences between Palestine 2000 years ago and present day America. Let me give you some examples. Jesus is invited to eat with Simon the Pharisee. Jesus comes in and takes his place. Then a woman from the city, a sinner enters and begins to wash Jesus' feet with her tears, dry them with her hair and anoint him with oil.

Now wait a minute, what is going on here? Obviously when we invite guests over for dinner, people don't just walk into our homes uninvited! Another thing, we are also apt to conjure up images in our minds of the woman crawling around under the dinner table trying to get to Jesus' feet.

This was not the case. In that day a rich Pharisee would own a home that surrounded an open courtyard. During warm weather the family would eat in the courtyard and people were free to enter and listen for tidbits of wisdom from the Rabbi, the teacher.

The family and guests had the food spread out before them as they reclined on couches and cushions. They would rest on their left side and eat with their right hand. The feet of the people would point away from the center and away from the food. Thus, it was very easy for the woman to approach Jesus' feet and wash and anoint them.

Later on in the story we note some other cultural differences. These differences are: a guest was greeted with a hand on the shoulder and with a kiss. A bowl was brought forward and his feet were washed and cooled, since the "roads" were nothing but dirt and dust. And often the guest was anointed with some form of perfume. We know this in that we have the contrast between the hospitality and love of the woman who was a sinner and the lack of hospitality and respect given by the "righteous Pharisee."

I have mentioned several times that Luke tends to turn upside down our ways of valuing life. And here we have another example. Here we see how the righteous man is actually distancing himself from God by his misunderstanding of righteousness. It is a righteousness that seeks to avoid sinners. And we see how Jesus, the Messiah - the truly Righteous One, reaches out to the one who is sinner and connects with her. It is a healing experience for the woman; she is forgiven. And the result is that she feels much love and gratitude toward God for her salvation. For Simon he loves little because his sense of righteousness leaves little to no room for experiencing the need to be forgiven by God. Thus, Simon and those of us like him, have little love to share and gratitude to express.

And from this stance of self-righteousness Simon misjudges Jesus by a mile. "If this man were a prophet, then he would know that this woman is a sinner." Simon misjudged Jesus because Jesus let the woman touch him. As it turns out, Jesus not only knows that this woman was a sinner, he knows what Simon was thinking as well! Once again, Luke demonstrates how Jesus is more than an ordinary prophet. And, if there remains any doubt in our minds, then the last verses of the story should remove them. Jesus forgives the woman's sins and pronounces her as saved.

Only God can forgive sins. Jesus forgave the woman's sins. The witnesses were left with a choice: either this man is God, the Messiah, or he is an imposter!

There is no middle ground. Later, in chapter 11, Jesus makes the need for a choice more clear, and that there is no riding the fence. He stated in chapter 11, verse 23, "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

What's the point? Again, Luke is stating that Jesus is more than just a prophet; he is the Messiah.

And here's the main point I want to make: the relationship between love and forgiveness. And how that relationship can help us to assess how we are doing on our spiritual journey? The point is simply made: the person who experiences much forgiveness experiences much love. And the point can be made in another way: the person who loves much has experienced much forgiveness. The point is reversed in: the person who cannot love is a person who has not experienced the forgiveness of God. A corollary to this point is: a person who thinks that he is good is unable to experience the forgiveness he needs, because he is unaware of how much he needs forgiveness!

Do we find it hard to forgive? Is that because we secretly believe that we are better than other sinners? Is that because we believe that we are so unforgivable that even the Lord would not forgive us? The truth of the matter is this: the more we can accept our need for forgiveness from God, then the more we are able to forgive other people who have wronged us, even ourselves!

One of the signs of spiritual growth is an increasing awareness of our sinfulness. The Apostle Paul refers to himself three times in his letters. The first time, relatively early in his career Paul refers to himself as the "least of the apostles (I Corinthians 15:9)." Later, he refers to himself as the "least of all the Saints (Ephesians 3: 8)." Finally toward the end of his life, Paul refers to himself as "foremost of all sinners (I Timothy 1: 15)." Paul wasn't beating himself up. He was becoming more and more aware of the awesome grace of God and His forgiveness. And as he became more and more aware of God's awesome grace and forgiveness, Paul also became more and more aware of JUST HOW MUCH HE NEEDED GOD'S LOVE, GRACE AND FORGIVENESS!

How aware are you of your sinfulness and need for the love and grace of God? How you truthfully answer that question will give you clues about your spiritual health, your relationship with God.

And this has very important implications about our church life. When we all live our lives as forgiven, redeemed sinners who are grateful for the Love that God has shown us through Jesus Christ, then we are much more apt to treat one another with grace, love and forgiveness. We won't be critical of others in a condescending, self-righteous way. When we see our brother, or sister acting inappropriately we will help them, pray for them, support them, and when necessary, FORGIVE them. As individual members of the congregation, we are going to have conflicts. There is no need to avoid conflict. But there is a great need to approach conflict with care and a willingness to see our own part.

The woman from the city, the sinner, had no trouble acknowledging her part as a needing forgiveness. As a result she received it and was very grateful. Simon, the Pharisee, not even being aware of his need for grace and forgiveness was in no position to love and be loved by God.

This theme will return in the Gospel. It will be particularly clear when we study the parable of the Faithful Father and the two prodigal sons.

In conclusion, our Book of Order notes that we are to reflect a "provisional demonstration of what God intends for all humanity." Sin is forgiven. Reconciliation is accomplished. And the dividing walls of hostility are torn down. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, that is what we are called to do! Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.