An Uncomfortable Dinner Reservation

Introduction

I - Rule follower YOU - Anyone been accused of being legalistic? Or had someone lay a guilt trip on you?

TRANSITION: Jesus is so… different! The more I learn about him, the more I love him, and I keep learning how different I am from him.

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 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. Lk 7:36–37.

When we see “Pharisee” think, powerful, respected religious & civic authority, a rule follower to the highest level. Who would you put in that camp today?

While we always see Jesus standing up for the poor & standing with the marginalized, it’s also important to note that but he accepts the invitation from the powerful elite. He just as much came for them.

And this isn’t just a table for 2, several others are there as we find out at the end of the story. In the culture of the time, meals like this would not be behind closed doors, they were more public events where any uninvited person could show up not to eat, but to stand in the background and listen. And so this “sinful” woman shows up would not be out of the norm. Cringy, but the cringe factor is just getting started.

I think the text reporting Jesus “reclined at the table” is interesting. Some Bibles say “sat down at the table”. Does that paint a different picture for you? It does for me. In fact, many Renaissance artists trying to paint a picture would show something like this - a bunch of white dudes sitting on ornate chairs. But a Jewish cultural meal would look more like this: Lounging on a pillow or low couch. And while public, it was also intimate & meant to build and deepen friendship. Doesn’t this change the dynamic of conversation?

Since no one offered footwashing water, Jesus’ dirty feet would stick out and away from the table - much better for germaphobes and smells.

Next is where the scene gets crossculturally cringy. (Get volunteers). Imagine there’s a well known homeless prostituted woman behind me right here at Hillcrest, this classy religious establishment.

We read:

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. Lk 7:38.

Let me hear some responses: What would you think?

The Pharisee isn’t bugged by the strangeness of it at all. What annoyed Simon is he’s thinking:

“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. Lk 7:39.

He is so focused on discounting Jesus as an authority and proving where he is wrong, he doesn’t even see the woman as a person, a fellow human made in the image of God. She is utterly worthless - a sinner. And Jesus is not following the rules, so he is obviously an imposter.

Where do you find yourself most agitated, ready to prove someone wrong? To lose sight of our commonality as made in the image of God? A Social Media post? Political Conversations? People with a Pride flag on their house? Those protesting abortion outside Planned Parenthood, or Anti-Israel sit-ins on Western campus? The homeless man at the exit to Lakeway with the “Anything helps, God bless” sign.... Sinners, every one of ‘em.

I love how Jesus proceeds, so calmly and meekly: 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. 42 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?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Lk 7:41–43.

For someone living hand to mouth as most people were then - and now, 500 denarii was a massive debt. We’re talking $120K for someone living in Bellingham. If you’re scraping by, this is the rest of your life.

Being forgiven that kind of debt would be incredibly elating! Yet, hear the reluctance in Simon’s response to an obvious question? “I suppose.”

Jesus is courteous with his response: “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?

Do you see this woman? What a great question. Do you see the person skateboarding through downtown all tatted up w/ a cigarette hanging out of his mouth?

Now Jesus proceeds to build an open & shut case for how the Pharisee failed to perform very basic common cultural customs when having someone over for a meal.

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. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47

And now Jesus brings it home with a walloping - though gentle conclusion.

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” Lk 7:43–47.

Whoever has been forgiven little loves little. oooh, Lord, have mercy.

The danger of becoming a Christian is growing… in the wrong direction. Becoming more of a religious rule follower, than a fountain of love for God and grace for others. For some of us, Jesus rescued us out of a hellish life: Addicted to alcohol, multiple failed relationships… when we think of that life & the abundance we have been brought into we are still brought to tears - tears of gratitude and love.

But for others of us, we were maybe brought up in the church like me and didn’t ever do anything “all that bad”. We think in comparison to other people we’re actually pretty good. In fact, you might even say, “Jesus is fortunate to have me on his team.” Now, we wouldn’t ever actually say that.

But what comes out of us most of the time? Tears of appreciation for Jesus? How does the idea of kissing his feet sound to you? “That’s beneath me. It’s undignified.”

And when we look at others, especially those outside the church who are different from us, do we see them as redeemable, or “a basket of deplorables”? As those Jesus went to a cross for to rescue, or reprobates who should go to hell.

I love the story of 3 bishops who are worshiping. “Look who thinks he’s nothing.”

Don’t get me wrong, rule following is important. Jesus’ final words to his disciples before exiting for heaven was, “Teach them to OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED you.”

And Paul writes in Romans 6: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

He goes on to say, “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

The key here is not rule following to gain God’s acceptance, but responding to God’s forgiveness and acceptance with love.

The Pharisees were famous for their rule following - in fact they had 613 from the Law of Moses they followed to the letter and beyond, interpreting 100’s more rules & regulations from there.

But these became barriers to love & enjoyment of God and love & grace for others.