How God Forms Extraordinary Love in Us

Introduction

Opening: Andy Prinsen, amazed he wanted to simply speak with them

Personal:

Context:

Luke 7:36–50 “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 …”

Meaning & Application

I DOCTRINAL

Sinful & Broken: First I would like to reveal from this text the great beauty of what we see taking place. This story drips with grace like honey from the honeycomb. The story begins with Jesus entering the house of a Pharisee named Simon. While he is there a woman who is desribed as a “sinner” enters his house. More than likely, this woman was a local prostitute who had lived not only a very sinful life, but a very broken life. I want to highlight both of these aspects of her story, and bring them to the forefront.

Sinful: As a woman who earned her money through prostitution, this woman was guilty sinner of many different kinds. We are not talking any light kind of sin, or sin in a flippant regard, as if we could speak that way. She was a prositute. She had sex with men for money. This woman had forsaken the guiding counsel of her youth, and the laws of her God. She had turned her body into a vessel of abomination. She had turned sex, which is a good gift, given by God for the context of marriage between one man and one woman, and she had scorned that good gift. Not only that, but prostitutes are very often the cause of the downfall of marriages. She was a harlot, the kind of woman that Proverbs warns young men to avoid. She was a sinner of sinners. She knew it. Jesus knew it. And Simon the Pharisee knew it. We cannot properly interpret this story until each of us in this room feel the weight of her guilt before her God.

Wounded: But her story has another dynamic to it. Her story is one of woundedness no doubt. While she actively made decisions to sin, there were dynamics at play in her story that would make each of us sad were we to know them fully. We are not told how this woman found herself in prostitution. Was she sold by her parents at a young age, as was a common practice then, and is now in many places around the world? Did she find herself at a place of uttern aloneness, with no ability to provide for herself, and as a last resort she took on a job she never would have fathomed? We don’t know. It is interesting that this woman is never given a name in this passage. She’s nameless. She lived in the shadows of society. Isn’t it so often the case that deep sinfulness forges deep loneliness and deep hopelessness.

Her Extravagent Love: It’s that woman that comes into Simon the Pharisees house and begins to anoint Jesus with an extravagent display of love. There are at least four aspects to her love that we should notice.

Weeping Love: First, it was a weeping love. The tears she cries are not tears of pity, or of sadness, but of overwhelming joy love for Jesus. I read this week of a young man who spent seven years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit and was expecting life in prison. He came to court with new evidence that demonstrated that indeed was innocent, and the judge released him from prison then and there. And that man broke down crying tears of joy in that courtroom. Those are coming close to the tears of this woman.

Serving Love: Second, it was a serving love. Using her tears, the only thing she had, she began to wash Jesus’ feet. This was something Jesus notes the Pharisee failed to provide. This scene is the picture of a woman showing love to Jesus in the only she can imagine in the moment.

Unhindered Love: Third, hers was a unhindered love. We’re told she took down her hair and dried his feet. For a woman to let down her hair in public, especially in a pharisees house, was highly questionable in that culture. One commentator said that a woman letting her hair down in this setting would have been equivalent in our modern day of a woman walking around with her top off. At the least she would look like a fool, and at most she may give off the impression that she was seducing Jesus. But she’s not concerned about anybody’s opinion. She just wants to show Christ how much she loves him.

Practical Love: Fourth, hers was a practical love. She took an alabaster flask of ointment and anointed Jesus’ feet with it. This was likely the most expensive thing she owned. It was a bottle of perfume that more than likely she had used many times before to prepare herself for her night’s work. Here, she pours out that costly perfume on the limbs of the savior. No words are said. None need be. “This is all I have. This is all I’ve known. It’s yours. You are worthy of it all!” Many people profess Christ today simply in words and pretense, but there is never anything practical about their love of God. She poured out all she had on Christ.

What Is Jesus Doing: What is Jesus doing during all of this? He is quiet, treasuring her love. And then he showcases the vast difference between her love and the lack of love of that the Pharisee offered Christ. Oh how Christ adores the simplest displays of affection from his children! A few weeks ago I was out of town for a few days, and my oldest daughter left me a little love letter, in which she wrote precious words to me. She even sprayed it with a little bit of good smelling oil she had, circled the drop and said to “smell here.” She made a tiny clay figurine and taped it to the paper. Do you know much, as her Dad, I cherish that letter. Christ cherishes the simplest displays of love from his children far more than we could ever dream.

“Her Sins Are Forgiven” (47): Turn your attention to verse 47. This is a critical verse and we must properly understand it to interpret this passage. There is a wrong way and a right way to read this verse.

Luke 7:47 ESV

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

The Wrong Way: The wrong way to read this verse is to say that “as a result of her extravagent love of Christ, she has been forgiven.” In other words, that word “for” in the phrase “for she loved much,” is taken causatively. Her love was the “cause” of her forgiveness. But this cannot be what Jesus is teaching, and I’ll give two reasons why.

Reason 1: The Very Next Phrase: First, the very next phrase, which is the counterpart to this sentence by Christ, uses the exact opposite logic. “He who is forgiven little, loves little.” In that phrase, the forgiveness comes first, and the love is the evidence of that forgiveness.

The Parable Itself: Secondly, the parable itself, that Jesus told is based on the premise that the love follows the forgiveness. Verse 42 reads,

Luke 7:42 ESV

When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

The Right Way: And so, the right way to read Jesus’s words to Simon in verse 47 is not that this sinful woman’s love of Jesus has earned her forgiveness. Rather, this sinful woman’s love of Jesus is the evidence that she has already been forgiven. What this implies is that this woman and Jesus had a previous encounter, an encounter not recorded in the Scriptures, in which she experienced the full weight of the forgiveness of her sins, not because of anything she had done or could do, not because any extravagent love she had shown Jesus, but simply because Christ had the authority to forgive, and he chose to forgive her. As it turns out, it is Christ that is first to offer extravagent love, and any and all love we reciprocate will never match what he has first done for us. And this, dear Church, is the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I want to spend the rest of our time today applying this deep into our hearts.

II THE WONDER OF UNMERITED FAVOR

This text begs us, to consider the wonder of unmerited favor.

Tracing Her Story: I wonder what her story was in the days leading up to this moment in Simon the Pharisee’s house. In wonder how she first heard of Christ, and how long it took for the transformation. Knowing how God so often changes hearts, I might take a guess. I suppose she might have been part of the crowd that beheld Christ’s teaching. We know that the word of God goes forth with power and efficacy. Perhaps one day she saw a crowd gathering, and she drew near to hear herself the man who had drawn the crowd. Perhaps she knew nothing about Jesus, as a woman like her might not know for she was not part of the regular religious crowd.

Hearing Grace Offered: Perhaps she heard Christ preach on grace. Perhaps she heard a sermon that God was willing to forgive even the greatest of sinners. That he was willing to give them new life. No matter the category of their sin, or the degree of their sin, God was ready and willing to forgive.

Seeing Grace Transform: Maybe as she looked on in that crowd she saw something she had never seen before. She saw tax collectors, known sinners like her, being welcomed by Christ, being shown forgiveness.

Went Home: Perhaps she went home that night, with a conscience burning like fire through paper. Perhaps that night she felt the full force of the law of God bearing down on her, revealing the full depth of her sinfulness, and shallowness, and brokenness. I imagine that before there were tears of joy for the forgiveness of sin, there were tears of sorrow for the recognition of sin.

Tempter’s Fiery Darts: And, as is so often the case, as the law weighed down on her, the Devil came to tempt her, whispering in her ear, you are unforgiveable. You are unloveable. You have gone too far. You don’t belong. Your sin is of a different kind altogether. Oh, how the tempter throws his fiery darts at our weakest moments! Maybe you’ve felt those darts before. Maybe there are times when you truly ask yourself, “Am I redeemable?”

Alone in Her Room: Then, something miraculous happened. A voice louder than the Devils conquered her soul. The fiery dart was put out. When that woman was about to lose all hope, to immerse herself in despair, she heard the words of Jesus say again that salvation is a free gift of God, not a result of works. And all her guilt, all her sin, all her iniquity, would forgiven in Christ alone! That God would offer her a new heart and a new life of obedience and joy and satisfaction, in Christ! Right there on that floor of her room, she believed on Christ, and received his free gift. What was that gift. Total love! Total redemption! Every part of her renewed, made alive for God! A new life!

Understanding the Doctrine: This exact story is what makes Christianity so scandalous. Why is this so scandalous? Because grace like this goes against everything we think we understand about being human. The default human setting is that you get out what you put in. Acheivement brings reward. We apply this in all areas of life. Parents, you put in the hard work, you’re going to lead a well maintained godly household. Employees, you put in the hard work, you’re going to earn a promotion. Students, you put in the hard work, you’re going to earn a passing grade or a degree. And througout human history we have done this with religion. If I make this sacrifice, God will be grant me favor. If I attend Church, God will grant me favor. If I help this charity, God will grant me favor. In fact there is a general sentiment among Christians that says, “God helps those who help themselves.” The idea here is that a person who becomes a Christian is somebody who does all they can to love and find God out of their own effort, and then God pushes them over them over the finish line. Many today, in this room, may mistakenly believe that is how God operates.

Biblical History: And so we read this story and think, “What religious zeal that woman has. She has found favor with God” But no! The forgiveness came first. She was forgiven while she was a sinner. It was God who, unbenownst to the prostitute, first moved towards her and poured undeserved lavish grace upon her. This is the repeated story of the Bible.

Noah: God showed grace to Noah before he ever built an ark.

Abraham: God showed grace to Abraham while he was still worshiping idols

Moses: God showed grace to Moses after he murdered a man and fled for his life.

David: God showed grace to David, anointing him king, before he had ever proven himself of any worthy character.

This is the whole story of the Bible, and this is why the Bible is so scandalous. From an earthly perspective, Hinduism with its doctrine of Karma sounds far more reasonable. But along comes Christ, dripping with love, and compassion, and wisdom, and offering grace, not to Simon the Pharisee, who had done all he could to earn favor with God, but to the unnamed harlot still in her immorality.

Christ Loved First!: Do you see Church?

Before this harlot ever moved towards Jesus, Jesus moved towards her.

Before this harlot ever wept a tear of love for Jesus, Jesus wept a tear of love for her. In love for that wayward sinner, Jesus saved that soul that did not deserve it.

Before this harlot ever washed Christ’s feet with her tears, Christ had promised to wash her soul with his blood, thereby making her soul cleansed from all filth and pollution.

Before this harlot ever made herself a spectacle by taking her hair down to wash Christ’s feet, Christ had promised that he would make himself an even greater spectacle, by being stripped, beaten, and hung publicly on a cross for her.

And before this harlot ever anointed Christ’s feet with perfume, Christ had promised her to anoint with the gift of the Holy Spirit, the seal of His righteousness implanted into her soul.

Why Her: Maybe, you ask, “Why her and not some other prositute?” If she didn’t earn some favor with God, then why was she chosen while others were not. Maybe the correct question to ask is not “why her.” But rather, “why me?” And “why you?” Look back on your life o saint, and you tell me, are you not guilty of breaking God’s laws as well?

Have you not harbored prayerlessness in your life?

Have you not played the harlot, if not in your actions, then in your mind, in your heart?

Have you not played the thief, coveting what God has not assigned to you?

Have you not played the pagan, bowing down and investing more of your heart and zeal and life and finances and worry and passion into everything other than God in your life?

Have you not played the liar, twisting the truth to benefit you, hiding certain aspects of stories to make yourself look better?

Why her? Why you? Why me? It is because of the sheer and utterly free will of God to save whom he will save. What a glorious truth.

Romans 9:15 ESV

For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Quote: Watson: Thomas Watson says it this way

The purpose of God is the sovereign cause of all that good that is in man, and of all that external, internal and eternal good that comes to man. Not works past, for men are chosen from everlasting; not works present, for Jacob was loved and chosen before he was born; nor works foreseen, for men were all corrupt in Adam. All a believer's present happiness, and all his future happiness springs from the eternal purpose of God.

Why Is This So Important: O Church, are you seeing God-centered and Christ exalting this passage is. This story is not about our extravagent love of Christ, it is abaout Christ’s extravagent love of us. Why is it so important that we stand unshamedly on the free gift of grace. Let me give you three reasons.

This Brings God The Greatest Glory: First, this wonderful doctrine of salvation by grace brings God the greatest glory. For if we place our salvation in anywhere other than God’s hands, then we become the instruments of our own salvation, we have something to boast about.

Galatians 6:14 ESV

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

If Not, We May Be Lost: Second, if we believe that it is upon us to earn our salvation with God, then we must also believe that it is upon us to maintain our salvation with God. To any man or woman who has done the hard work of searching their own heart and knowing the shallowness and sinfulness that lurks beneath the surface, what a terrible fate that would be.

This Brings Us The Greatest Joy: But third, and what I think is most present in the passage before us, this doctrine brings the saved sinner the most amount of joy. For as Christ clearly hints at in his parable, the greater the gift, the greater the joy. This woman was overcome with joy in Christ, because she didn’t deserve it. And simultaneously, this Pharisee had almost no love for Christ that we can tell, because he believed he had earned it.

II APPLICATIONS

As we near the end of this message I want to leave us with three very clear applications, straight from the text itself. All three arise from Christ’s actions towards this woman

Jesus Forgave Her Guilt: First, Jesus forgave her guilt. This is the heartbeat of what we have been saying thus far in this message. But I want to bring this home to you in this room whose guilty conscience lies heavy upon you this morning. Maybe you are in here today, and like that guilt ridden sinner, feel the tension in your conscience that your life is out of line with God’s design. I want you to know that the same free gift of salvation that was offered to that sinful woman by Christ, that free gift that changed her life forever, transformed from a sinner to a saint, is available to you right now. It costs you nothing, because the full cost was paid by Christ Jesus on the cross. Will you receive it today? Will you believe it by faith? I invite you to say this prayer right now in your seats.

“Lord Jesus, I am the sinner, I am the guilty one. Who am I that you would forgive me, that you would love me? But I receive your gift of forgiveness by faith? Grant me faith to believe.”

If you said that prayer, then I want to invite you during our closing worship songs today, to get out of your seat and come let one of our deacons know who will be spread out around the room.

Jesus Received Her Worship: First, Jesus forgave her guilt. Second, Jesus received her worship. This woman had very little to offer Christ, but that which she had she brought in abundance. Had she no alabaster box of perfume, the weeping heart of joy-filled spirit and a desire to be near Jesus, would have been enough. What worship are you bringing the Lord? What heart of gratefulness are you offering him? Does your worship look like this woman’s. You may not be weeping every day. But her worship of Christ was rooted in knowing what she was saved from, and what she was saved to. She was saved from the wrath of God, and saved to a new life not of herself, but infused with the wonder and the majesty of God. This is your story in Christ!

Jesus Defended Her Honor: Third, Jesus defended her honor. When Simon the Pharisee in his mind mocks her and diminishes her, Christ defends her. Wherever you go, whatever circumstances you find yourself in, Christ is your defender. He is your shield.

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

For those of you who feel disheartened, beat down, tired, diminished, ashamed, look to Christ your Savior and see him defending your honor. He is working in ways that you cannot see. If you are in Christ by faith, he knows your heart and your circumstances, and he has not forgotten you. You are his beloved.

Closing

I came across this wonderful hymn titled ‘Conversion,’ that I would like to close with.

“Oh, gift of gifts! Oh, grace of faith! My God, how can it be, That thou, who hast discerning love, Shouldst give that gift to me!

How many hearts thou mightst have had, More innocent than mine! How many souls more worthy far, Of that pure touch of thine!

Ah, Grace! into unlikeliest hearts, It is thy boast to come; The glory of thy light to find, In darkest spots a home,”