Sin, Forgiveness, & Faith

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.”

Hear the words of A.W. Tozer on the matter of grace and its redeeming power:

Grace will save a man but it will not save him and his idol. The blood of Christ will shield the penitent sinner alone, but never the sinner and his idol. Faith will justify the sinner, but it will never justify the sinner and his sin.2

A. W. Tozer

The issues being brought to the forefront in the text are three:

Sin is greater than a moral construct

The original “good doctor,” the late David Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:

The tragedy of sin is that it affects man in his highest faculties. Sin causes us to become fools, and behave in an irrational manner.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This works well with the words by the late C.H. Spurgeon:

It is not said in Heaven, “Moral, moral, moral are You, O God!” But, “Holy, holy, holy are You, O Lord!”

Holiness Demanded, Volume 50, Sermon #2902 - Hebrews 12:14

Charles Spurgeon

Verses 36-39 provide us a picture of the way society looks at the outward appearance to assess whether people have value or not; whether they are worthy of fitting in or not. Simon, the Pharisee, sees as humanity sees., He sees what the two eyes can see.

On the contrary to this perception, Jesus sees as God sees. Jesus sees the heart of the person and assesses the value not by anything else but by the object of their faith and the intentions of the heart.

In the course of the exchange we see a woman who is humbled before the Son of God, while the Pharisee pretends to make himself an equal or a higher authority than the one who sustains his life.

The real problem facing us today, as to those who have entered eternity is that we overvalue our worthiness of God’s mercy and grace, while undervaluing the availability to other wretched sinners like us.

In God, however, there is a great source of hope and comfort that cannot be overtaken by any other.

What is sin worth in comparison with God’s forgiveness? How do you measure the God’s vast forgiveness?

Forgiveness received is a life transformed

Oswald Chambers states:

The most marvelous ingredient in the forgiveness of God is that he also forgets, the one thing a human being can never do. Forgetting with God is a divine attribute; God’s forgiveness forgets.

Oswald Chambers

Jesus takes note of the reasoning in Simon’s heart towards the woman that anointed his feet. Notice the following details about Jesus in reference to this particular interaction:

Jesus is not caught by surprise at the woman’s actions.

He is not repulsed by her “wayward” behavior about moral standards.

Jesus allows her to follow in obedience to the lavish love of God as an expression of her repentance.

Beyond these important details, Jesus speaks not to the woman whose lavish love has been expressed in the washing and anointing of the Lord’s feet. The Lord speaks directly to Simon, teaching him in the manner of a parable. This is a signature manner of teaching for Jesus when dealing with those outside of his group of disciples.

Simon learns about the two debts and aptly expresses the bottom line of the lesson—Those who are forgiven much, love much. Those who perceive to have little to be forgiven, love little. Jesus points to the fallacy of self-justification in Simon and expounds on the reality of the Gospel’s balances for God’s justice.

Those who know their true stance before God, as sinners, embrace forgiveness and express lavish love because of the freedom experienced through redemption from the idol of self. Simon mused on the “prophet” who dined at his table during the banquet, while the sinful woman surrendered to the Son of God in all his royal might, divine love, and eternal forgiveness.

Simon knows the Law frontwards and backwards; The woman met the law-giver and in the process her life was transformed. There are many across the centuries of Christian history who have seen the transforming power of God’s hand in their lives. Those of us gathered here today, who belong to this select group, can attest that God moves in us, through us, and into us to grant us a life that is better than anything else we can fathom, simply by being known by the Living God of the universe.

When it comes to God and the Gospel we can surely expect transforming power as we surrender our lives. Truly do we sing, “There is power, power, wonder working power! In the blood of the Lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power, in the precious blood of the Lamb.”

What is the result of experiencing such forgiveness that radically transforms?

Do you hold fast to the Law? or do you hold fast to the Law-giver?

God-given Faith leads to humble obedience and worship

Listen to the words of the late B. B. Warfield on faith:

It is never on account of its formal nature as a psychic act that faith is conceived in Scripture to be saving. It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power resides exclusively, not in the act of faith or the attitude of faith or nature of faith, but in the object of faith.

Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield

Jesus shines the light of the Gospel into the hearts of all before Him, and both Simon and the woman are being highlighted in their relationship with the Son of God. Their relationship is marked by the obedience displaying love for Him.

Simon opened his home for the Lord, but did not express the kind of love that is due to the guest of honor in a home at the time. The acts Jesus describes in the text are not normal procedures for hospitality for all guests. The gestures of foot washing, anointing, and kissing with a fraternal kiss are all expressions of love and honor to a guest. The text intimates that Jesus was nothing more than amusement to Simon.

The woman, presumed to be a prostitute by the limited scope of how a woman might be perceived as “sinful” by the community around her enters the banquet as it was allowed to anyone in the community, as it was a social gathering open to those outside of the guest list. This woman does what can only be described as a lavish love for lavish forgiveness of a Holy God.

She enters and washes Jesus’ feet with a deluge of her tears, the expression of grief and sorrow for the sins that marred her relationship with God Almighty.

Notwithstanding, the feet of Jesus are wiped dry with the locks of hair from the woman’s head. She embraces her shame and in love humbles herself before the one who took a very active part in her creation and who is now recreating her.

Last, though not least, an alabaster vial is brought to Jesus’ feet and breaking the seal of the fragrant oil mixed with spices, the oil fills the air as the oil runs down the Savior’s feet. This great prize, probably an inheritance from her family, or the reward of her sins, is poured out as an offering to worship God and to celebrate her new reinstated relationship with the Triune God.

Here we see the greatest portion of the woman’s object of faith. Jesus turning to the woman gives more than absolution; Jesus gives freedom. This is freedom in three parts:

Your sins are forgiven.

Your faith has saved you.

Go in peace.

Our Lord has set her free in the kind of freedom that only God has the power to offer:

God no longer has record of her sins (Psalm 103:12).

God has made her alive because of the Father’s great mercy and grace (Romans 3:28).

Jesus is the one who can give lasting peace because He procures it with his blood (Isaiah 53:5).

The Son of God shows himself to be worthy of faithful, loving obedience. Not out of compulsion, but of deep eternally-minded gratitude. What a glorious Gospel we have, Church. What a Gospel, indeed!

So What?

Are you burdened by the weight of the law and think it sufficient? Repent and worship the king.

Are you musing over Jesus as a teacher, philosopher, role model, or prophet alone? Repent and confess him as king!

Do you think yourself too far gone, or too good for the message of the cross? Repent and reach for the lavish love made reality for us at Calvary’s cross, verified by the empty tomb!