The Sinner Transformed

We are continuing today in the last few of our parables. And today's parable is very timely. Today's parable is about the transformed sinner. When you think about evangelism, or missions, or reaching the lost, what is it do you think that makes the most impact for their transformation. Is it the logical argument? Is it the promise of prosperity? Is it the thought of eternal life? What is it that takes a person from my life as a Sinner to a life that embraces the forgiveness of Jesus Christ?

The Sinner Transformed

Obviously, one of the first things that needs to happen, is that the truth needs to be proclaimed. Somewhere, the truth needs to be separated from the lies. Somewhere the person listening needs to come to the realization of the necessity for Jesus to become Lord of their life. We are not asking them to join a club. We are not even asking them to subscribe to a religion. We are asking them to be reborn through the power of Jesus Christ. That is exactly what we are looking at today in this parable. God loves sinners and Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

The Sinner Transformed

So now we come to today's parable. And this parable, like every other parable, is encapsulated with background that is necessary to understand what Jesus is saying. There are a lot of people included in this story. Jesus has been called, “the friend of sinners.” (Verse 34). When they were talking about sinners, they are talking about the worst of sinners: prostitutes, tax collectors, drunkards. But the worst kind of Sinner is not any of those things, the worst kind of sinner is the self-righteous, which Paul said he was “the chief of sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15).

Now before we get into this parable, I want to be clear that this story is not to be confused with another story that has some similarities. The story of the woman anointing Jesus’s head as recorded in Matthew chapter 26, mark 14 and John 12. There are clear differences in the stories, different locations, different hosts, different circumstances, in different times.

Luke 7:36–50 ESV

36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 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, 38 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. 39 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.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 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. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The Sinner Transformed

We don't know where and when this exactly took place other than it was sometime during his Galilean ministry. He was probably in a town or village surrounding the sea, and as was customary, when someone spoke at a synagogue on the Sabbath, the teaching rabbi was invited home for after Sabbath meal. Or he could be attending a banquet of someone of significance, or simply invited over by a curious Pharisee. We don't really know but on the surface it seemed like A very common gathering that this story takes place.

The Sinner Transformed

We've learned extensively about who the Pharisees were. They were legalistic, religiously devoted Jews. They were fastidious about keeping the law and every detail, to the point that they completely missed the essence of their relationship with God. Yet, as legalistic and prominent pillars in First-Century Israel, they were prideful and self-righteous. This kind of attitude led to many confrontations with Messiah Jesus.

In reality, the Pharisees hated Jesus. They hated him because of his message. They hated him because he preached against their self righteousness. And they hated him because he focused more on the outcasts of society then whom they thought he should be hanging around. To them, he was defiled and a heretic, but yet many could not resist finding out more about him.

The Sinner Transformed

So with all that mounting up against Jesus, a pharisee, perhaps trying to get more evidence against jesus, takes advantage of the situation and has him over for dinner while jesus is in his town. When they had dinner together it was a long, opulent, formal time together. And here is Jesus sitting in this man's house, Jesus knew he was a hypocrite, he knew that this pharisee had evil intentions toward him. Jesus knew everything about this man and yet he goes there. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. And with that, Jesus enters the Pharisees house and they are reclining around the table eating dinner.

Verse 37 says, “behold” meaning that there was something unusual what happens during the dinner. The shock was that a stranger, a woman who is a Sinner, likely a prostitute comes into the home. Everybody knew she didn't belong there. She wasn't invited and she wasn't wanted. We don't know for certain that she was a prostitute, but the term Luke uses has disdain in it. By the way, this is not Mary Magdalene.

The Sinner Transformed

Whoever she is, she knows who Jesus is, she knows who she is, and she has a plan. This woman has brought an alabaster vile of perfume. Perfume was used in Jesus’ day as a means to cover up body odor. It was also used as a means of trade, since it was considered valuable. This was not cheap perfume but it was costly. It was in an alabaster container which means that it was quarried out of Egypt.

Verse 38 tells us why she is there. To understand this you have to understand how Jewish men reclined at the tables. The tables would have been in the center of the room and the person would have laid on their side, perhaps in a chase style lounge, with their head close to the table and their feet away from the table. The reason for this was because the feet were dirty and they kept the feet as far away from the food and the festivities as possible. So now a sinful woman slips in and wets his feet with her tears, drying his feet with her hair, and kissing his feet, and anointing his feet with the perfume.

The Sinner Transformed

Stop right there. As a Gentile man, the first thought into my mind is, ‘ewe.’ With that kind of close contact with someone else’s feet. As a Jew, this sentiment would have been expanded seven-fold.

Look a little closer at the actions of this woman. She begins to weep. Her heart is flooded with emotions. She lets loose with what Martin Luther called, “heart water.” Out of her eyes burst and emotional damn, so much so that she begins to wet Jesus’s feet with her tears. The Greek word here, brechō, means ‘rain.’ She is wiping his feet with her head. This means she didn't even have a towel. This also means that she had to let her hair down because Jewish women were required to wear their hair up in public. This would be grounds for divorce. However, she was manifesting a selfless, shameless, loving affection. For it also says she was kissing his feet. Kataphileō is an intense word for intense emotional affection.

The Sinner Transformed

In reality, this could be a very difficult situation for Jesus. In the 1st place, she's a known prostitute. Secondly she's shamefully taken down her hair and she is touching them. Not only is she touching him but she's washing her feet with her hair. This is a very serious breach of propriety that could bring a tremendous amount of shame upon Jesus

That was the sentiment of the pharisee who was hosting Jesus at the dinner. The disgust and uncomfortableness would have been clearly seen in the pharisee. “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” (v 39). Which brings us to the parable. In order to bring clarity, Jesus tells Simon a story.

Luke 7:40–42 ESV

40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

The Sinner Transformed

That's quite a story isn't it? Can you imagine getting a call from the bank that holds the mortgage to your home? They say, “How much do you owe?” You say, “Well, I can't pay that this month.” They reply “OK, well we'll forgive your mortgage and send the deed to your home.” I'm sure you would remember that. There’s a word Jesus uses here, charizomai, it a business word used for forgiving a debt and it’s a theological word used by Paul. Jesus is describing the magnamity of this woman’s forgiveness and your forgiveness.

The Sinner Transformed

There was once a man who was bitten by a dog, which was later discovered to be rabid. The man was rushed to the hospital where tests revealed that he had, in fact, contracted rabies. At the time, medical science had no cure for this disease and so his doctor faced the difficult task of informing him that his condition was incurable and terminal. "Sir, we will do all we can to make you comfortable. But I cannot give you false hope. There is nothing we can really do. My best advice is that you put your affairs in order as soon as possible."

The Sinner Transformed

The dying man sank back on his bed in shock, but finally rallied enough strength to ask for a pen and some paper. He then set to work with great energy. An hour later, when the doctor returned, the man was stilling writing vigorously. The doctor commented "I’m glad to see that you’re working on your will." "This ain’t no will, Doc." Replied the dying man, "this is a list of the people I’m going to bite before I die."

The Sinner Transformed

This story reminds me of a movie released in 2000 called Pay It Forward that tells the story of a boy named Trevor. Trevor has been given an assignment by his social studies teacher to come up with a plan that will change the world. His plan is to "pay it forward" by doing a good deed for three people who must in turn each do good deeds for three other people. The boy becomes disheartened by the adults in his life who resist changing their own lives to make the world a better place. How insightful of Jesus to use money and forgiveness in the same parable! Two of the most difficult areas for people to submit to God are their possessions and their hurts. (From a sermon by Tommy Burrus, Pay It Forward, 10/14/2009)

The Sinner Transformed

Something to keep in mind is that anytime somebody forgives a debt, they themselves incur that debt in full. If i lend you $500 and you tell me you can't pay that back. I say, “i forgive that.” I've now incurred that debt to myself completely. The cost has been transferred to me. That's what we have to understand when we look into the forgiveness of God. When he forgave our sins, it wasn't that just they whisked away in the wind. That debt was incurred upon the cross of Jesus Christ for him to pay it. That that doesn't just go away. It still has to be paid. And the payment is made not by you but by Christ. The forgiver has to pay the debt for the one that is forgiven.

Philemon 18 ESV

18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

The Sinner Transformed

If God wants to love us infinitely and delight us fully and eternally, he must preserve for us the one thing that will satisfy us totally and eternally; namely, the presence and worth of his own glory. He alone is the source of full and lasting pleasure. Therefore, his commitment to uphold and display his glory is not vain, but virtuous. God is the one being for whom self-exaltation is an infinitely loving act. (John Piper)

So he tells Simon the story and then, Luke 7:42

Luke 7:42 ESV

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

The Sinner Transformed

ohh, that's simple. The one whom he forgave more. You could almost hear there what may have been a little sarcasm in his voice. Are you kidding me? So Jesus says that's right. Now, in verse 44, it all begins to make sense. He turns to the woman period now we've established the principle here. Great love comes from great forgiveness. You've said it yourself, right Simon? The greater the forgiveness, the greater the love. How much more can we say the same about our heavenly father? That's the reality. It was the reality then and it is the reality today in church too.

Sin is costly OK to the center, sin is costly period to forgive the sin, is even more costly to the father. And yet our Father in Heaven does it willingly and freely, no matter the cost. With the lavish love of God realized upon this woman, came lavish worship. No one asked her to do it. She didn't care about the people that were looking at her or judging her. She loved on her Lord with all that she had.

Luke 7:44–46 ESV

44 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. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

The Sinner Transformed

Worship is the submission of all our nature to God; the quickening of conscience by His holiness; nourishment of mind by His truth; purifying of imagination by His beauty; opening of the heart to His love; and submission of will to His purpose. All these gathered up in adoration is the greatest expression of which we are capable. (William Temple)

What is the most beautiful sight we can see here in CrossWay Christian Fellowship? Sinners worshiping God. They're not worried about propriety. They are pouring out their heart to the One who forgave them.

The Sinner Transformed

Notice that little statement, “I say to you, her sins which are many have been forgiven.” That's in the perfect tense. It didn't happen there in the home. It's in the past period something happened in the past with continuing effect that brought her to worship Jesus. She had already been forgiven. She came to him because she had been forgiven. Maybe it was the day before, maybe it was some time ago. We don't know that. But since she heard that Jesus was there, she came to worship.

Her guilt was gone. The stain of sin within her was gone. The chains were broken. And the only thing that occupies her heart now is love and gratitude to her savior. So much so, that she couldn't even contain herself when she heard that Jesus was there. Do you want to know how to tell that Jesus is alive in our church? Sinners come to worship Jesus here.

You know foot washing is a tradition that spans throughout the entire Bible. It's also a part of our tradition as a brethren church. It's an act of worship. It reminds us that our sins have been forgiven. Salvation may not be always outwardly evident. But it is available to every single person that is here today.

Luke 7:50 ESV

50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The Sinner Transformed

In Max Lucado’s book the “Applause of Heaven” reads, Even though by the “book” I’m guilty, by God’s love I get another chance. Even though by the law I’m indicted, by mercy I’m given a fresh start.

“For it is by grace you have been saved … not by works, so that no one can boast.” 9

No other world religion offers such a message. All others demand the right performance, the right sacrifice, the right chant, the right ritual, the right séance or experience. Theirs is a kingdom of trade-offs and barterdom. You do this, and God will give you that.

The result? Either arrogance or fear. Arrogance if you think you’ve achieved it, fear if you think you haven’t.

The Sinner Transformed

Christ’s kingdom is just the opposite. It is a kingdom for the poor. A kingdom where membership is granted, not

purchased. You are placed into God’s kingdom. You are “adopted.” And this occurs not when you do enough, but when you admit you can’t do enough. You don’t earn it; you simply accept it. As a result, you serve, not out of arrogance or fear, but out of gratitude.

The Sinner Transformed

I recently read a story of a woman who for years was married to a harsh husband. Each day he would leave her a list of chores to complete before he returned at the end of the day. “Clean the yard. Stack the firewood. Wash the windows ….”

If she didn’t complete the tasks, she would be greeted with his explosive anger. But even if she did complete the list, he was never satisfied; he would always find inadequacies in her work.

After several years, the husband passed away. Some time later she remarried, this time to a man who lavished her with tenderness and adoration.

One day, while going through a box of old papers, the wife discovered one of her first husband’s lists. And as she read the sheet, a realization caused a tear of joy to splash on the paper.

“I’m still doing all these things, and no one has to tell me. I do it because I love him.”

That is the unique characteristic of the new kingdom. Its subjects don’t work in order to go to heaven; they work because they are going to heaven. Arrogance and fear are replaced with gratitude and joy.

Would you come and receive him as your Lord today?