Mercy

Context

Many of us are familiar with the throne room scene in Isa. 6, where Isaiah here’s these words from the angels:

Isaiah 6:3 ESV

And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And upon hearing God’s call for someone to go to declare His truth, Isaiah said, here I am! Send me. But the message that Isaiah was to proclaim was not pleasant. It was one of judgement, but it wasn’t one without hope:

Isaiah 6:9–13 ESV

And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.

The people’s rebellion had consequences. There would be a time of suffering and judgement, but the holy seed was their hope.

You might recall that Luke 7 references some if Isaiah’s prophecy. Just a couple of weeks ago, we were in Luke 7:22, where John the baptist was struggling with doubt. He was suffering for His commitment to honoring God, and while in prison he battled doubt, specifically regarding his certainty that Jesus was the Messiah. John sent some of his disciples to seek out Jesus to ask if if He really was the one who is to come or should they look for another. And Jesus replies by quoting Isaiah:

Isaiah 35:5 ESV

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

Jesus was the one who is to come. He was the Messiah they had been waiting for. And much of what we see in Luke 7 points us to this truth. The healing of the Centurion’s servant, the resurrection of the widow’s son, Jesus’ response to John the Baptist and his doubt. I think Pastor Josh said it well last week, John may have had doubts about who Jesus was, but Jesus knew who John was.

When Jesus declared that among those born of women, none is greater than John, many, including tax collectors, declared God to be just because they had been baptized by John. But we’re told the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves not having been baptized by John. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. Repentance brings our sin into the light and our inability to do anything about our sin, and that we have have a Savior who forgives our son. We need redemption. The Pharisees were unmoved by this need, but we will see today someone who knew her need, and knew Jesus was her answer.

The Pharisees disparaged Jesus for being a friend of sinners, in v. 34. The woman we will see today in our text was glad Jesus was a friend to sinners. Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus. They eyes of the blind are opened and the ears of the deaf are unstopped. Jesus is the one we have been waiting for. He is the Messiah, and we will see today what is the most clear demonstration of His Messiahship.

So let’s read our text. Luke 7:36 and reading through the end of the chapter:

Luke 7:36–50 ESV

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Introduction

Preaching classes - identifying the main idea

Jesus is merciful to sinners

AQ: Where does dwelling on the mercy of Jesus lead us?

To self-forgetfulness (36-39)

I question the Pharisee’s motives because of his failure to extend some of the basic courtesies of hospitality to Jesus which we will consider later in this text (36)

But the motives of the woman are clear

she was a woman of the city who was a sinner (37)

she was a woman with a plan (37)

she was a woman who had been transformed (38)

Luke 5:1 ESV

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,

Luke 5:12 (ESV)

While he was in one of the cities...

Luke 6:17 ESV

And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon,

Luke 6:27 (ESV)

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

Luke 7:9 (ESV)

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

Luke 7:11 ESV

Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.

Luke 7:16–17 ESV

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

she was a woman who did not have a plan (Why was she crying?) (38)

She was a woman who was committed to nothing more than she was to worshipping Jesus (38)

She was a woman who embraced who Jesus declared her to be and not the world. (39) - the Pharisee’s derogatory reference

This woman was not focused on herself. Not focused on the disdain that others had for her. Not focused on the shame she carried for so long. Not focused on her many sins any more. She forgot herself as she dwelled on the mercy that Jesus had showed her.

Church? Friends? Are you consumed with yourself? Are you consumed with how others see you? I urge you to be consumed with Jesus and He sees you. Specifically with the mercy he showed this woman and with the mercy He continues to show sinners today. Dwell upon the mercy of Jesus.

When we dwell on the mercy Jesus shows us we will be lead to

Joyful Overwhelm (40-43)

Simon, I have something to say to you

The Pharisee is trapped in his own contradiction: is suppose...

The amount owed is not the main issue.... the point is, the debt cannot be paid by wither one.

Maybe the woman was the 500 sinner and maybe the Pharisee was the 50 sinner, but the point being made here is that the Pharisee is still a sinner who cannot pay his debt to a holy God. The woman understood this about herself. And her response was love.

The woman understood the truth of this parable. The religious leader did not. And because this woman understood this truth, she was overwhelmed with joy.

You might be familiar with the doxology Paul pronounced in the book of Romans after he laid out his argument for the doctrine of justification by faith he erupts into a joyful overwhelm of worship.

Romans 11:33 ESV

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

Do you know what word in that sentence conveys the overwhelm of joy that comes when we dwell on the merciful work of our Savior? O.

We are objects of the wrath of God, and unable to do anything about that, but why were were still sinners, Christ died for us. And now, we are united to Christ through faith, and while we still contend with our flesh, and we still sin, His mercy is more. And we have a hope in a future glorification by the work of Christ. That one day, when those who are in Christ meet our Savior, we will be united to Him in His glorified state, and the trials and sin of this world will have no further effect on us.

And to this Paul, overwhelmed by this truth says

Romans 11:33 ESV

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

And I suggest, that what we see from the woman of our text. She got it. The Pharisee didn’t.

Jesus is merciful to sinners. Another place we are lead to when we dwell on this precious truth is

Clarity (44-47)

What was common courtesy for showing hospitality in this culture

The dinner and the home

the meal could have been outdoors

the house probably had a court yard with a fountain in the center

when someone significant was coming to dinner, the community would often gather around to watch what happened. What was said, what was done.

The host would have put his hand on the shoulder of the honored guest and kissed him on the cheek as a symbol of peace

The host would have himself, or at least arranged for the feet of the honored guest to be washed

Then oil or incense would have been added to the head of the honored guest

Notice what Jesus does in v. 44. He’s talking to Simon, but looking at the woman, and proceeds to point out the differences between the Pharisee and the woman to Simon.

Someone clearly understood and had been transformed by the truth and someone clearly had not

The woman offered the kiss that should have been given by Simon

The woman washed the feet of Jesus and Simon failed to offer this common courtesy to his honored guest

The woman poured the costly ointment on Jesus and Simon did not place even a drop on His head.

It’s clear. The one who was the object of the mercy of Jesus was devoted to Jesus.

John Newton

slave trader

He was mistreated by his employer to the point that he became a pauper and was forced to beg for food.

A severe storm came upon the ship he was on and it turns out he had been reading a book by Thomas Kempis entitled The Imitation of Christ.

Apparently during the storm, Newton recalled some of what he had been reading in that book and also something from Proverbs

Proverbs 1:24–28 (ESV)

Because I have called and you refused to listen...

I also will laugh at your calamity...

Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

Sometime after this experience he became a Christian. He continued to work on salve ships, apparently hoping to retrain some of the worst treatments of slaves known to take place on these ships.

Newton eventually left these ships and began to study the Bible himself and lead Bible studies in his home in Liverpool

He also began to lead Thursday night prayer meetings, and he, along with the help of a poet named William Cowper began to wrote hymns.

In 1787, Newton wrote Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade to help William Wilberforce’s campaign to end slave trade.

He labored in his effort to support the end of this practice and continued to write hymns, many of which are sung in worship services today until his death. He is quoted saying: I cannot stop. What? Shall the old African blasphemer stop while he can speak?

Some of history’s 500 sinners, that is, some of history’s biggest sinners had the greatest impact for the kingdom.

The answer is not to minimize our sin, or attempt to marginalize or even ignore our sin. We need to be brought to a consciousness of our sin, but when we are brought there, it is then and only then that we will see how precious, how glorious is the mercy of Christ.

Clarity. Dwelling on the mercy of God, dwelling on the fact that we were spared the condemnation of God , and instead were forgiven of our sins, leads us to the clarity that we belong to God. The world may scorn us, we ourselves may have difficulty contending with our own sin, but when we consider that though we are great sinners, our Savior is more. His grace is greater than all our sin.

Where else are we lead when we dwell upon the mercy of Jesus?

Peace (48-50)

This is what, I suggest, everyone wants. Peace. All kinds of ways it is sought.

financial success

attaining a certain status of respect and acclaim which describes how Simon pursued peace

plunging ourselves into the psychological world to gain insight into what makes us tick.

But we don’t have to look far and for too long to know that these pursuits do not deliver. Lasting peace is not found in those ways.

You and I want peace. What are the terms? What are the terms to have lasting peace?

Jesus pronounces it (48-49)

Jesus is making clear to Simon and to everyone else who was listening, that like this woman, he (they) needed his sins forgiven. This is the fundamental issue to peace. We will not have peace unless our sins are forgiven. And while our sins may be many, like this woman’s sins were, they were all forgiven and as a result she was granted peace. You and I need to embrace and cling to this truth.

My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part but the whole. Was nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord O my soul.

And this provoked a discussion in verse 49. Who is this, who even forgives sins? In other words, why does this person presume to be in a position to forgive sins. What kind of authority dos he think he has?

Similar to the question that was asked in Mark 2.

Mark 2:7 ESV

“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Exactly, only God can forgiven sins, and that is why Jesus is pronouncing forgiveness. Remember, Jesus is demonstrating that He is Messiah. He is fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. He demonstrated His Messiahship through the miracles we see in Luke 7, but I want us to see this, He nowhere more clearly demonstrates the fact that He is Messiah than through His authority to forgive our sins.

And if you and want lasting peace in this life, and I know that we all do, we need to see that only Jesus can pronounce it.

It is acquired through faith (50)

The other term. Peace comes through faith in Christ.

This woman was saved the same way all of us are saved

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

You see, we cannot conclude that this woman was saved because she cried allot, washed and kissed Jesus’ feet and poured ointment on His feet. All of that was an expression of the fact that she was saved. And she was saved by the grace of God through faith. It wasn’t her works.

And the joy she had because of this fact was obvious.

Conclusion

She forgot herself and gloried in Christ

She was overwhelmed with joy

She was clear on the fact that she was not in a relationship, that is unified to Christ

And she had lasting peace

Some of where we are lead when we dwell on the mercy of Jesus.

Jesus is merciful to sinners. Perhaps not a new truth to many of you, but one that I pray we embrace and celebrate, and one I pray that will nourish our souls.