Luke 7:36-50 #041

 “Kiss the feet of Jesus”

Last week we wrapped up Part 2 of Jesus on John the Baptist and Jesus’ stinging words to His generation as he rebukes them for being bored brats who could never be pleased. It is interesting, and possible that as we finish up Luke 7 tonight, that this Pharisee, named Simon, may have been one among the crowd who heard this rebuke by Jesus, and now, desiring to hear more or trap Jesus in His words, he invites Jesus to dine with him and we will see an amazing picture of worship, forgiveness, and religion on display in this story. Since we will be reading about a dinner scene, I thought it would be nice to actually lay out the scene to give us a visual of what some of the things may have looked like, how people sat, and the context of this event that we’ll read about and look into tonight. Is anyone here hungry? Did anyone miss dinner to get here tonight? I’d like to invite a few people up to eat with me while we study the word. (Invite 4 people up…Shannon bring out food) 36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. “Dinner” in the days of Jesus was much different then our dinner times today. Back then, dinner was an opportunity for discussion, it was a time to exchange ideas, debate, disagree, learn, talk. People would sit around a low table and stretch out and eat. Many times the local Rabbi or teacher would be invited over to a home to discuss his teaching or have further discussion. The guests would sit around the table, and it was custom to have the doors open and others would surround that inner circle, then others still may be sitting outside the home in the doorway, listening, or hoping for scraps once the meal was over. As a society, it was much different then our version of dinner. In many homes, people don’t even sit together and eat and talk…they will sit in front of the T.V. or instead of talking, you text each other, in the same house. No wonder so many families are disjointed- the most important aspect of their home life of sitting, eating, talking, and sharing has been replaced by drive-thru’s, and eating on the run in the car. This scene is very cultural, but also very insightful. Don’t miss the pictures that tell the story here.

37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. So here is the scene… a woman with a bad reputation found out or followed Jesus to this dinner and takes a bottle of perfume and in overcoming and overwhelming emotion begins to weep. Women in those days were treated like property. They had no rights, they could be divorced very easily, they had no value, and especially ones with this reputation, were considered those lowest of the low in society. (The “women’s lib. Movement has done more damage to woman than could very be imagined. Yes we have seen good things from woman like Susan B. Anthony and others, but the gender blending blur of what it means to be a woman is tragic and damaging…but we’ll talk more about that next week in Luke 8.) Since the home would be open and many people would surround the table, it would have been easy for this woman to enter. It’s not like our homes, where everything is locked up and you need to go through doors to get in, this culture was different. This “alabaster flask” of fragrant oil would be carved container of stone, and be valuable in cost. It may have had a stopper in it. They didn’t have deodorant and other health and beauty aid products that we have grown accustomed to. This woman may have been a prostitute, since she had a bad reputation as a sinner, and may have used this oil after her sex acts to mask the scent. Whenever a person uses their body in ways that God never intended outside of marriage, you will always feel dirty…used…and no shower and no perfume can clean you up, as we’ll see, it is only the blood of Jesus that can cleanse us. So as Jesus is reclining, this woman breaks in, uninvited, unwelcomed, and she is going to anoint Jesus with this costly oil…but as she is there she begins to weep uncontrollably…. weeping so much that her tears are enough to wash and clean the feet of Jesus. Remember that in those days, they wore sandals. The streets weren’t paved. The streets were dirty, dusty, had horse poop and animal poop piled around…you could step on all sorts of things while walking around. If it rained you had quite a mess. As we’ll see in a moment, Jesus had dirty feet. So this woman with costly perfume, buckets of tears, and now taking her hair and cleaning the feet of Jesus, expresses a love and an act of worship that breaks all cultural norms and societal traditions. Hair was not to be let down in front of others- it was a woman’s covering to be shown only to her husband- such displays were considered immodest…but it didn’t matter to her. When we get close to Jesus, we see He is so holy, and we all are so sinful, and yet something had happened in this woman that had changed and she was expressing thankfulness, worship, and a love that she could care less what others thought or what others saw. So with emotion and devotion she is weeping, wiping, anointing, and kissing Jesus’ feet. But somebody was bothered by this…

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” Simon the Pharisee not only condemns this woman and judges her, but he also judges Jesus. He thinks to himself, if this guy really is a prophet, then He would know what kind of woman this is who was touching Him. But Jesus will show Simon He is who He says He is by revealing to Simon his own heart of religious hypocrisies.

40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” Jesus “answers Simon.” Simon didn’t say anything out loud to Jesus, but Jesus knows the thoughts of men, and He is going to teach Simon a lesson with a parable. A simple story with a big truth.

41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” So 2 guys each owed money to a creditor, a denarii was a coin worth about a days wages. They could not pay it, but the creditor freely and fully forgive them both. Who will show more love? 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.

Simon did not even offer Jesus the common courtesy of washing Jesus’ feet, no greeting, no refreshment no welcome at all. This shows that Simon’s intention was not to learn or hear truth, but to investigate and scrutinize Jesus so he could find fault with Him. Jesus wasn’t treated as a guest, but more as a suspect. But this woman who has experienced the grace of God couldn’t help but express her love and devotion to Jesus. This brings up something to consider. Jesus did not say that because this woman “did these things,” that that was the basis of her forgiveness, but rather, these were the evidences and expressions of someone who HAS BEEN FORGIVEN! She says nothing to Jesus…no mention of her confessing her sins, but she is at His feet as a forgiven person, regardless of her past sins and reputation. Maybe Jesus touched her in the crowd of people in Luke 7 as He spoke about John the Baptist, and she didn’t get to thank Jesus among the crowd of people. Something had happened to her already, and this was her expression of worship and thanks to Jesus.

47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Jesus doesn’t deny that she had sinned…Jesus doesn’t deny that they were many…Jesus doesn’t make excuses for her past, but He declares before all these self-righteous religious people, that this woman is FORGIVEN. And great forgiveness will bring forth great love. But to those who think they are “O.K.” or “ not as bad as others,” or “doing the best they can,” they will love Jesus little. This account is really a tale of 2 sinners. One, a woman with a checkered and sordid past, and the other a religious person who thinks that by keeping all the rules, that he was more righteous than this “sinful woman.”

48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Because Jesus is God, He can forgive our sins, and because He became man, He can relate to our weakness, and because He died on the cross we can be forgiven. What saved this woman? Was it works? Was it keeping the 10 Commandments? Was it Church membership? Church attendance? Trying harder? Working for Jesus more? It wasn’t the things she “did” for Jesus…it was faith in Jesus! Eph. 2:8-9, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Jesus reminded this woman that she was forgiven and declared to the self-righteous religious people that she was forgiven and they were still stuck in their sins. She was completely sinful…completely broken…unable to pay off her debts, and yet, by the grace of God, fully forgiven by Jesus. Tonight, maybe you forgot that you were forgiven, as a Christian other thing shave cluttered up your life, it’s so easy to slip into “cruise control”…maybe as a Christian your sin is holding you down…you’re stuck there...you have no peace, you can be forgiven and go in that peace, not stay in your sin. Maybe tonight you are the religious Pharisee… you compare your self with others. You think you’re good because compared to them; you’re not to bad. You know scripture…you’ve grown up in church…you know ”Christianese” lingo, but if this woman came into worship and did this, you would be embarrassed by her devotion because you are dead inside. Maybe tonight you are like that sinful woman…you know you’re a sinner…you don’t think anyone could ever love you, forgive you, or want you…Jesus does, he died for you and he invites you now. Come to the communion table as an act of faith in obedience and remember what Jesus did for you for the first time, or for the millionth time- it will never get old, because there is never a shortage of times where we need forgiveness of our sins.