October 18, 2009
Sermon #806
A Tale of Three Characters
Luke 7:29 - 50 (NKJV) 29And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 30But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. 31And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not weep.’ 33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35But wisdom is justified by all her children.”
36Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37And 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, 38and 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. 39Now 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.” 40And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” 41“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44Then 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. 45You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47Therefore 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.” 48Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Three real characters
Simon the Pharisee
Simon was a very wealthy man. He lived in a house with a courtyard. He was a man who could invite wealthy and important guests to dine.
Why did he invite Jesus?
He was an admirer of Jesus? Not likely. When a Rabbi entered the house of a Pharisee the host placed his hand on the guest’s right shoulder and gave him a kiss of peace – it was not done for Jesus. The roads of Jerusalem were dirty. When a guest was admitted, his feet were washed – it was not done for Jesus. Water, scented with rose petals or spice, was provided to cover the stench of the street – it was not done for Jesus.
Simon may have been an agent provocateur? No! He would not have addressed Him as Rabbi.
Simon was a collector of celebrities? Yes! There are people who want to be associated with celebrated people – whether they like them or not! They collect people or want to be associated with the rich and famous. “I was in the same restaurant when such and such movie star was there.” “I had a picture taken with such and such politician.” “I invited so and so to my house.”
Jesus
Jesus is ushered into the garden so every one could see Him. Where were His disciples? They were not important so they were not invited.
No one washed His feet.
No one gave him sweet smelling spice.
Jesus ate at the table, not at the head. He was on a couch on His left side with His feet behind Him so as not to offend the other guests.
He was not recognized as a Rabbi.
A Woman of the street
People passing by could look in and see the affluence of the Pharisee though they were not invited.
She recognized who Jesus was. She had probably heard Him speak or had seen Him perform a miracle.
She was standing over the feet of Jesus and suddenly started to cry. Tears of the Holy Spirit? Tears of remorse for her sins? Tears of shame for the way Jesus was being treated by the Pharisee? Perhaps all of these!
She looses her hair!
1 Corinthians 11:13 - 16 (NKJV) 13Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. 16But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
ILL: A woman wore her hair up when in public. She let it down only in the presence of her husband as a modesty when she was unclothed.
The woman is a known prostitute. Letting her hair down is an open confession of her sin but it is also a sign of intimacy, i.e. love for Jesus.
She wipes the tears and the dirt from His feet with her hair. (What a tender moment!)
She carried a small alabaster vial of perfume, she anoints His feet with oil and love.
Three fictional characters(the parable)
The debtor who owed five hundred denarii
An overwhelming debt – he could lose everything and spend the rest of his life in prison
The debtor who owed fifty denarii
He likewise could lose everything and spend the rest of his life in prison – the penalty would have been the same!
The man to whom the debts were owed
Since the punishment would have been the same, he forgave both alike
Whose sin was the greatest - Simon’s or the Prostitute?
Romans 3:21 - 23 (NKJV) 21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The greatest sin is the hypocrisy of not believing you are a sinner.
ILL: The Apostle Paul
1 Timothy 1:14 - 16 (NKJV) 14And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 16However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
ILL: Francis of Assisi
“There is nowhere a more wretched and a more miserable sinner than I.”
A person who does not believe in sin or who does not believe that they are a sinner does not need a Savior!
ILL: Let me give you my definition of sin. Sin is God giving you the gift of salvation through the cross and you returning the gift unopened and unappreciated.
Christ’s way of dealing with sinners
John 4:7 - 26 (NKJV) 7A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
15The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
It was against the law for a man to talk to a woman in public
Jews would have nothing to do with Samaritans.
Yet to this Samaritan woman, Jesus revealed the truth of who He was.
John 8:2 - 12 (NKJV) 2Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
8And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Jesus knew who both of these women were!
Luke 7:39 (NKJV) 39Now 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.”
All love is relative
Luke 7:41 - 44 (NKJV) 41“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44Then 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.
ILL: It is not the greatness of the sin, but the awareness of the sinner. Love always responds to true love!
Love is basic
Mark 12:29 - 31 (NKJV) 29Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
1 Corinthians 13:4 - 13 (NKJV) 4Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. 11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Conclusion: Our love for Christ is no greater than our appreciation for forgiveness. Appreciation depends upon our conviction of sin. The greatest of all sins is to be conscious of no sin; we cannot make light of sin and be grateful for salvation. If we do not appreciate our forgiveness, we have little to share with the world!
