A Little Humility Please

Know-It-Alls, Sheesh!

When we’re young, not only do we think we will live forever, we tend to thing we know it all.

There are plenty of jokes made, like, “Why couldn’t all my problems I have today happened when I was in my 20s when I knew it all.”

Life was easy. Parenting. Nothing to it. I felt especially that way before we had kids. I was an expert. Parents would look at me and sometimes even say out loud, “Are you kidding?”

I was going to fix every mistake my family made, and a few they didn’t.

It’s kind of funny now to watch our kids raise their kids. Our son has two and is doing some things differently than Sara and did for him. He’s told us that he thinks we did it wrong. Not in so many words.

We smile. You know what’s going to happen. His kids will have their kids and tell him he did it wrong. No one is perfect. So, a little humble parenting goes a long way.

We all do it.

Starting my career in ministry. I was a brand new, 30-year old Seminary grad, who knew it all and was going to finally, do church right.

I could answer every question anybody had and few they didn’t.

I could spot problems no one else saw.

I graduated in 1990. The church had been around since Pentecost, about 1,957 years. It had survived and grown into an international organization of massive numbers. Empowered and led by God. But I was going to change everything and do it right. This time, no one would do it better.

God has a sense of humor. He sent me to a 100-year old N. Am. Baptist church in N. Dak. To say they were set in their ways is like saying the forest has a few trees. They had boards and committees for everything. And had been doing things that way since the turn of the century.

So, if you wanted to change anything, you had to run it thru the committee. And I think some of the committee members had been around since the church was founded.

Young guy comes in and changes things, right!

If I wanted to try something new, I couldn’t just try it. And I didn’t have to convince just one person. I had to convince the committee.

Change is hard. We get settled in the way we do things, churches are among the most set in their ways.

As a good friend of mine says, “I’m all for progress so long as nothing changes.”

We don’t do church today the way my great grandparents did church back in the 1920s.

Culturally, w/ time, things need to change. But how and to what is why they pay us pastors the big bucks.

This is the church that refused to use electric instruments in the worship service. We had a grand piano and an organ. They had had them for decades. It didn’t take long for me to recognize the pipes on the back wall were decorative and the organ was electric.

It didn’t go well when I pointed that out to the older members who would have stoned us for using and electric guitar on stage.

I should have just left that on alone.

This is also the church that refused to have any percussion in the worship service.

Evidence that I learned a thing or 2. We had a high school student who played the electric keyboard. Again, it had a cord, but he grew up in the church and all the old folks loved seeing little John up on stage playing while we are singing. So, we got away w/ it.

And, he was able to pre-program percussion on his keyboard so it played while he played w/ our pianist on our grand piano.

The old people said the music never sounded better. But there wasn’t a drum kit on the stage.

What’s the bottom line? Not a drum kit? Percussion in the music.

These lessons and so many others were written in my blood. I brought a lot of unnecessary trouble into my life and lives of those who were so invested in the way the ministry was done there.

A little humility and patience go a long way. And if changes are necessary, others will see it, too. Then, we can work together to make them happen. When something isn’t working, then something needs to change. But, what? And, how?

Not all my ideas are good, and I don’t have all the good ideas. I get that now. I’ve been doing this for 33 years. And, good news; I’m not a dog and this isn’t a trick. This old dog can learn new things.

Another thing we get set on that is hard to change is our opinion of others. Once their reputation is set, it may take an act of God to change it.

But, that’s what Jesus does. He is God and He brings changes to ppl and the way we do things.

Jesus brought a lot of changes to the religious environment in c.1. Imagine, they’d been doing things the same way since Moses led Israel out of Egypt, into the wilderness, where he received the law including all the worship instructions. 1500 years they’d been doing things the same way.

And I thought it was tough leading ppl who’d been doing things the same way for 100 years.

What God intended in what he gave Moses was not what it had become. The ppl who led their services worked hard to keep all the rules and believed they did so well enough that God did not expect any apologies from them.

Among the instructions were to annually sac a lamb to atone for your sin, sort of. And they totally missed the “sort of.” No animal could make things right between them and God. The animal was supposed t/b symbolic of what God needed to do for them, to make them right.

The intent was to sac a lamb symbolically, while having faith in God to provide a Lamb that would do the work, literally. Faith in the Lamb of God was the priority. Not faith in their own ability to sac a lamb from their flock. The worship style was a the journey, not the destination. Too many of them believed they had arrived b/c they practiced the right style.

And even w/ faith, they had to own where they fell short. Which we all do on a regular basis.

It would have helped them a great deal to have a little humility. To be able to admit they were not as right as they thought they were.

They had been doing it this way for a long time. But, it was the wrong way. Their sac didn’t get it done and they still needed to apologize to God for their sin and have faith in Jesus to get it done right.

And when they wrote someone off, they remained written off. No chance to get off that list.

My old high school baseball coach drilled this into our team. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you’re practicing the wrong things, then you’ll perfect the wrong things.

We can get it right today. But, to get it right requires a little humility.

With Jesus, a little humility goes a long way and a lot of humility gets us all the way to heaven.

So, here’s where we are. Luke 7. A sharp contrast is drawn between someone who had been high on the good list and someone who had been written off long before. One demonstrated humility. The other was as proud as ever. One was saved. The other, not so much.

First, let me set the context. A couple of weeks ago I taught a parallel passage in Matthew where it ended w/ the religious leaders’ criticism of JB and Jesus. Last week, I stayed in Matthew w/ what came next.

This morning, we’re in Luke, he recorded the same criticism, but then used it to make a different point we’re looking at today.

So, back up to v.33, you’ll see where JB was criticized for not eating nor drinking wine. They accused him of having a demon. Who in their right mind would only eat locust and honey and no wine!

They criticized Jesus for eating and drinking. Notice, they accused him of being a glutton and drunkard. Implied then, He drank wine. When He partied w/ tax collectors and sinners, he ate and drank what they served. And included in the group of sinners were prostitutes.

Then, Jesus made the point, wisdom is proved right by all her children. IOW, followers define the leader. Just like you are defined by your friends. You fit right in. So, if they are mess, maybe you’re looking in the mirror. We tend to hand out w/ ppl we thing we are worthy of.

The followers of the critics were just as critical of their leaders.

But Jesus’s followers were not. In fact, He was changing lives for the better and they loved him for it.

The passage this morning illustrates this point. One follower of Jesus, whose life had changed, demonstrated a love and reverent devotion that none of the Pharisees ever saw.

Simon was jealous and resented the implication. Here’s how it happened.

The Uninvited Guest

Luke 7:36–39 NIV

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Jesus was invited into Simon’s house for a meal.

A woman came in. It was not uncommon for uninvited guests to get close enough to hear the discussion between teachers. Usually, from outside a window. The fact that she was there would not have drawn any attention.

The fact that she was so close, would have set all alarm bells.

Her hair was down, not tied back, which was the style and uniform of a prostitute. She planned ahead knowing Jesus would be reclining at the table. She brought a jar of expensive perfume w/ her. Women never walked around w/ things like this. Risk breaking it, or having it stolen was otherwise foolish.

We don’t know who she was. Some think Mary Magdalene or Mary Bethany. But, we can’t be sure. There is another similar occurrence later. It would not be the same woman who would do this twice.

What we can be sure of is she was bound up and being crushed by her conscience and culture for her profession of choice. Normally, once in, never out. Always viewed as an immoral woman. Never honored nor respected. And certainly never allowed into the presence of a holy man.

She must have heard what Matthew recorded from Jesus, “Come to me you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”

Jesus sat and reclined for the meal. There were no chairs or table. They sat on the floor, leaned on their lift hand, and wrapped their feet around behind them.

The woman would have come in confidently w/ a plan; and quietly not drawing any attention to herself. When Jesus sat down, she made her move. She wept. Moved, either by the relief from the guilt of her lifestyle, or joy for Jesus’s welcome reception.

This was not just a whimper. She shed real tears, lots of them. Deeply moved. She sobbed from her soul. Maybe embarrassed. Maybe she never intended to weep so deeply. She wiped the moisture off his feet. No doubt collecting the dust from the road w/ it.

Then poured the perfume on them as an act of reverence and devotion. This act cost her a lot. A lot of money. And a lot of what was left of her sordid reputation.

It was never okay for a woman to be this close to a man. If any footwashing was going to happen, it would have been a male slave. There are so many reasons why cultural norms were blown up by her.

She was ashamed and apologetic. Not for her behavior this night. But for her entire adulthood.

She didn’t say a word. Her actions spoke loudly.

Think of the courage it took to do this. She could have been roughed up by the men in the house had they realized she was there.

Simon, the Pharisee, the host, was disgusted. He was disgusted by the woman and by Jesus’s welcoming her to treat him this way. He used this occasion to criticize Jesus, not her.

He assumed Jesus did not know who, or what, this woman was. No prophet would allow this. Simon doubted Jesus was a prophet. The woman had no doubts at all Who Jesus is.

The woman was doing what women of ill-repute do, bow at the feet of men. But, this was not to cow-tow to a man she hoped would hire her. This was to humbly cry out to a Messiah she hoped would save her.

Notice that Jesus makes himself available to everyone. He came to a Pharisee’s house and allowed a working woman to anoint his feet. No one is too anything for Jesus to keep at arm’s length.

The woman ignored the room and went about what she came there to do.

Jesus drew a clear contrast between the two. They had little in common. But, it was surprising which one Jesus commended and which one Jesus confronted.

The Contrast Between the Two

Luke 7:40–47 NIV

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Jesus told Simon a parable. Obvious lesson. The one whose debt is larger and forgiven is more appreciative than the one whose debt is lesser.

The 2 amounts owed in the story were drastic. The lesser was about 2 months wages. The larger was about 2 years wages. Imagine owing 2 years of your salary. Maybe a mortgage, or car loan.

Rather than forcing the debtors to pay, he freely forgave them.

Among the things Jesus communicated to the group was how God forgives graciously. This would have been a foreign concept to Simon and a necessary truth for the woman. She had no way of earning what she hoped Jesus would do for her.

God’s grace motivates Jesus’s acceptance of sinners.

Jesus communicated w/ this that He did know this woman. He knew who she was and what she was. And she had a lot to be forgiven for. But Simon did know Jesus.

Simon did little for Jesus when He came into his house. This communicated how little respect He had for Jesus. If he were seen as an honored guest, he would have had his male slave wash Jesus’s feet before He sat down.

The importance of washing feet was b/c everyone’s feet were just inches from their neighbor’s face while they ate. They wore sandals. Open shoes. The roads were dirty. It was hot and dusty. Raw sewage ran down the culverts by the roads. So their feet were all sweaty, smelly, and nasty.

If you cared about your guests, you had their feet washed.

Jesus contrasted the foot-washing. She did it w/ her tears and hair. Simon didn’t do it at all.

He contrasted her courteous actions for Jesus and Simon’s lack. Jesus used the woman as a positive example for Simon, but he would have missed it. What could a Pharisee learn from a hooker?

Jesus contrasted their kiss. It was appropriate to greet a friend w/ a kiss on the cheek. Simon didn’t offer that greeting to Jesus and she kissed his feet in reverent devotion.

Simon did not anoint Jesus’s head w/ perfume. She anointed his feet w/ very expensive perfume.

She felt forgiven. Simon felt disgusted. She showed her love. Simon thought he loved, but showed nothing to Jesus.

It takes courage and humility to face one’s need for change and to be forgiven. She nailed it. She aced the test. Simon failed. Simon could not admit his sin. He honestly believed he didn’t need to b/c he kept the law just like it had been done for 1500 years.

They had perfected the process.

What he failed to understand was, they’d been doing it wrong for all those years.

He had no humility. He demonstrated no courage. He did not face his sins. He stood defiantly while she bowed devotedly.

For both of them, their beliefs drove their behavior. As a result, one was saved, the other not. It surprised everyone there which one was which.

Saved by Faith

Luke 7:48–50 NIV

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The woman was not forgiven b/c of her love of Jesus, nor her actions. Her faith got her forgiven and saved. As a result, she responded w/ love and devotion. She appreciated more than anyone else in the room that her guilt has been lifted.

B/C she had more guilt than most.

She was freed from the bondage of her lifestyle and given a fresh start.

While everyone else in the room questioned who Jesus is, she did not. He knew her and now she knew Him.

The woman demonstrated great faith w/out uttering a word. Her faith led to her actions. Her action did not save her, her faith did.

Again, Simon was offended that Jesus would say her sins are forgiven. He probably regretted at that moment ever inviting Jesus into his home.

Had Jesus never come, the woman would never have come. She made him look small and foolish. He was arrogant and weak.

If there is a contradiction like this. Only God can forgive sins. Jesus forgave sins. But they didn’t believe Jesus was God. So, something needed to change. But they changed the wrong thing.

She showed a great deal of humility and courage and it got her to heaven. Simon showed none.

Growth is about change. I’ve grown as a pastor. Be glad I’m not the same guy I was 30 years ago. My experiences have taught me how to handle things better.

We change. And the way we facilitate change, changes.

A little humility will keep us open the things that need to change in us. A lot of humility will get us saved.

Applications

Anyone

Jesus received anyone. And he accepts everyone who comes in faith.

Jesus ate w/ Pharisees and partied w/ sinners. He loved them, and loves us, just the way we are. But He loves too much to leave us the way he finds us.

Anyone can confidently, courageously approach Jesus on any subject.

If you are holding something back, hiding it or pretending it’s not there; let Jesus clean it out.

Nothing is so bad he would reject you for it. He’ll take it and relieve you from it.

Anyone. Everyone can come to X.

Actions/Words

We hear what you say. We also see what you do.

Are your actions consistent w/ what you say? Is there a behavior that needs to change to be more consistent w/ what you say here in church?

You don’t need to say anything to communicate what you believe about Jesus.

Make sure you are consistent. Check your integrity.

Change

It takes humility to face the necessity of change.

It takes courage to do what it takes to change.

Jesus will change you. And he will change the way you change other things.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less. it’s facing what you may have thought didn’t need change, but now realize it does.

Let Jesus change you. Be humble.

A little humility goes a long way w/ Jesus.

We can get it right today. But, to get it right requires a little humility.

With Jesus, a little humility goes a long way and a lot of humility gets us all the way to heaven.