Luke 7:36-50: Family Commitments

Introduction

Strangest guiness world records https://list25.com/25-strangest-guinness-world-records/ https://www.reuters.com/sports/polish-88-year-old-takes-tilt-worlds-oldest-windsurfer-crown-2023-04-20/ - commitment

You’ve made some commitments… You’ve made some commitments to your family. If you’re a parent - some commitments to raise your kids a certain way. A college student - Maybe a commitment to go home every six weeks. A commitment to spend the holidays together, to speak to each other a certain way, etc. We feel a commitment to our families and rightly so.

On covenant Sunday - we’re reminding ourselves of our commitment to each other. Commitment is more than just attending each week - a deep and abiding commitment to live for Jesus together.

The passage we’re looking at this morning is NOT a passage about church covenants or church membership. Instead, a passage about two people - a Pharisee who is indifferent to Jesus and a woman who is desperate for Jesus.

While NOT a passage primarily about the kind of commitment we make to each other as a faith family, it is a passage that helps us think about the kinds of commitments we MUST make to each other if we are going to be the kind of church that honors God.

From this powerful story I want you to see three commitments we must continue to make to each other as a covenant family.

Story:

Previous passage: Jesus warns the Pharisees of their dullness of heart. You can imagine that the Pharisees saw Jesus as a threat - Jesus ate with sinners, gave hope to people who didn’t deserve hope. Jesus spoke as God: “Your sins are forgiven.” Pharisees just couldn’t embrace Jesus’ teaching.

Simon, the Pharisee, invites Jesus to his home for a meal. Why? Maybe he’s like Nicodemus - curious. Or, maybe he’s like the other Pharisees - looking for an opportunity to trap Jesus and expose him as a fraud. Jesus is a well known, local celebrity. Maybe Simon just wants to have a celebrity in his home.

Hospitality in an ancient culture was a big deal. Many ancient homes had a courtyard, and you hosted your guests for a formal dinner in a courtyard.

The courtyard would have been open for people passing by to see you having a fancy dinner with guests. It was not uncommon for people passing by to stop in and listen to the conversations being had around the table.

Likely that Simon wanted people to see him having dinner with Jesus, and he wanted people to overhear their conversation. Maybe Simon had a list of tough theological questions he wanted to ask Jesus.

BUT... as Jesus entered the courtyard, none of the common courtesies were offered to Jesus. Reclining on low couches around a table, eating with your right hand - feet away from the table exposed.

If people stopped and observed what was taking place in the courtyard, may have noticed that Jesus had dirty feet from traveling the dusty roads of Galilee. Common courtesy would have been to have a servant wash the feet of a guest, but that courtesy was not extended to Jesus. Not even a basin of water placed out for Jesus to wash his own feet - withholding common courtesies - maybe a way of embarrassing Jesus. Olive oil often offered for guests to freshen up - Olive oil like a fragrant perfume - your honored guest would have a pleasant aroma. Not offered to Jesus.

A woman hears that Jesus is in town having dinner at Simon’s house. She makes a bold move - takes an alabaster jar of perfume to Simon’s house - expensive - maybe it was a family heirloom.

“A sinner” - don’t know her sin but the town did. Speculation that she was a prostitute but text doesn’t tell us. Some scholars say this is Mary Magdalene but text doesn’t tell us that either. Maybe she is a prostitute or maybe she’s the town gossip.

Whoever she was, Jesus changed her life. Don’t know the back story - maybe Jesus ministered to her before and she was coming to give her thanks. Maybe she heard Him teach somewhere, and her heart was changed.

Whatever happened and whenever it happened, this woman was overcome with gratitude - she approaches Jesus, pours the perfume on his feet, and the aroma fills the air. She cannot contain her emotions, she weeps, kisses His feet, and lets down her hair - NOT sinful to let down your hair, but in those days it was shameful.

It’s an embarrassing scene - if you were there you would have felt uncomfortable. All eyes are on this woman, but she doesn’t let that stop her from savoring this moment with the ONE who forgives all sins. She had found grace in the eyes of Jesus - something she would have never found in the eyes of the Pharisees.

Simon appalled - says to himself - “If Jesus knew the kind of woman who was touching Him - He would be appalled”

Jesus reads Simon’s mind: “I have something to say to you...”

vs. 41-42 - a parable - the point - Jesus pointing out that BOTH were debtors BUT on the outside it didn’t look like Simon was a debtor at all even though he was. It was obvious the sinful woman was a big debtor - who had a debt for her sin that she could not repay. (A denarii = a days wage.) Parable: while one was in greater debt than the other, neither could pay back the debt. The creditor forgave both.

The problem: Simon was a debtor but he couldn’t see it because on the outside he looked like he had his act together. He was respected. Everyone knew the woman’s debt. The woman saw her overwhelming debt and she experience Jesus overwhelming grace. She loved Jesus far more than Simon because she knew His grace.

vs. 44-48 - Jesus scolds Simon for his lack of common courtesy to Him and then tells the woman her sins are forgiven! Jesus claiming He is God! vs. 49-50 - People question and the woman leaves in peace.

It’s a powerful story of grace, redemption, and love. BUT… what does this story have to do with Covenant Sunday? How does this story help us to think about what it means to be a part of a local church? I think this story reminds us of three commitments we must make:

We must be passionate about amazing grace.

We are all sinners - we all have a debt that we cannot repay. But, in God’s love and grace, He sent His Son into the world to go to the cross to pay our debt for us so our sins could be completely forgiven. That’s grace!

The problem for many of us is we forget how amazing God’s grace really is. We forget that we had a debt that we could not repay.

How can we stay passionate about amazing grace?

We can’t see ourselves as accomplished moralists. We always fight the temptation to justify ourselves - look at our lives and think, “I’m doing pretty good. I’m faithful to my spouse. I love my kids. I work hard. I help people. I attend church. I give regularly. I volunteer my time. I care about people. The world needs more people like me.” Accomplished moralists say, “Look at what I’ve done” and then look at others and say, “Look at what they’ve done… I’m glad I’m not like them...”

We must see ourselves as accomplished sinners. Before you pat yourself on the back for how good you are, realize your real accomplishment. You do a really good job of rebelling against God.

Why is this important? Accomplished moralists don’t give grace but accomplished sinners who have seen their sin and experienced grace are motivated to give grace.

What this means on covenant Sunday: It takes a lot of grace for us to live out our covenant together - giving and asking for grace. We must keep believing and keep proclaiming that grace can transform anyone, and since grace can transform anyone, we welcome everyone. There’s NO ONE who’s not welcome at Northwood and NO ONE that we will not attempt to reach with the Gospel. We don’t shun people because of their past or current struggles with sin. We don’t embrace or condone sin, but we welcome all sinners just like Jesus did, and we point people to new life that comes in Christ.

We’re all familiar with churches that don’t major on grace but major on preferences, legalism, judgmentalism, etc. Let’s continue to commit to being a church of grace.

Hudson and pepper spray - parenting takes a lot of grace...

We must be passionate about extravagant worship.

You’re only going to be passionate about worship when you know that you are an accomplished sinner who has been saved by amazing grace.

Passionate worship is an expression of your love for God because of what God has done for you.

Passionate worship is unashamed. As a faith family we are unashamed to worship God. We’re not ashamed to call Jesus our Lord. We’re not ashamed to say He is the way, the truth, and the life. We’re not ashamed about our biblical convictions, and we’re not ashamed to talk about our convictions. We’re not ashamed to express our need for Him, and we’re not ashamed to express our love to Him. That’s the commitment we make as a church family: we are a family who is not ashamed of our Lord - therefore our faith is bold and our love for Him is loud.

Passionate worship is laying down my life for Jesus. Be clear: Passionate worship is not loud music, raising hands, and singing loud… That can certainly be an expression of worship, but it can also just be an expression of emotion. Passionate worship is Romans 12:1 - daily laying our lives on the altar and saying to God “We belong to you… Not our will but your will be done.”

Passionate worship is obedience… Our church covenant is a reminder of how we want to obey Jesus in response to what we believe about Jesus.

Passionate worship is costly… It will cost you your desires, your time, your talents, and your resources.

Passionate worship is focused… Focused on Jesus. Life is not about us - when my focus is on Jesus I’m freed to live in a covenant relationship with the local church where we are learning how to put the needs of others above our own as we imitate the example of Jesus. (Philippians 2:3-4)

If you are not comfortable with passionate worship, then you probably won’t be comfortable at our church because we’re going to constantly challenge you to stay focused. We’re going to challenge you to lay down your life. We’re going to challenge you to live unashamed. We’re going to challenge you to obey God.

We must be passionate about humble service.

Simon refuses to serve Jesus because of a heart hardened toward Jesus. The sinful woman gladly served Jesus - stooped down in humility.

As a covenant church - we’re committed to serving Jesus. We serve by living on His mission, making disciples, giving our time, abilities, and resources to His Kingdom work.

We serve because we’ve been served. Simon refused to wash His feet. The woman gladly washed His feet. A couple of years later, in an upper room, Jesus was with His disciples. He took a basin of water and wrapped a towel around His waste, and He served His disciples. He washed their faith - The God of all creation came to this earth to serve you by going to a cross for you to die for you only to rise again to save you from your sins.

What has God given you to give way? You are most fulfilled in your walk with God when you are giving your life away - when you are living in obedience and serving others for the sake of the Gospel. What abilities are you hoarding and not using for the Kingdom? How has God spiritually gifted you and are you refusing to use that giftedness?

As a covenant member of our church - we want help you to grow in such a way that you want to give your life away.

This morning - a time experience grace in Christ if you’ve never trusted Jesus as Lord. Repent of your sins and turn to Him by faith.

If you’re part of the Northwood family - now is the time to pray for our church - that we would be committed to our Lord and each other as we continue to partner together for the sake of Jesus in our community and our world.