Proof of Love

Text: Luke 7:36-50

Central Idea of the Text: Christ’s gracious reception of the sinful woman illustrates the great love of his heart.

Proposition: Great love produces great forgiveness. Great forgiveness returns outpourings of great love.

Purpose: All who hear of the love of God should respond to the Love of God.

Hook

The job of a pastor is not simply to make people comfortable. I’m not just here to shake hands and pat you on the back. I’m here to shake things up at points. Church has to be about that, because if we were just about you being comfortable, fat and happy, we would stop focusing on our mission and be stuck in our sin. So since it is my role to be uncomfortable and make you uncomfortable this morning, I’ve cooked up a (couple) scenarios, and I’d like to ask you vote on a scale of 1 to 10 with each sentence how comforable you are with what is happening in the scenario. Let’s start.

A sinner walks into church.

A sinful man walks into church.

A sinful toothless, stain riddled t shirt wearing man walks into church.

A sinful toothless, stain riddle t shirt wearing man with no shoes walks into church.

A sinful toothless, stain riddled t shirt wearing man with no shoes walks into church and the first word out of his mouth is a cuss word.

Let’s try the exercise again on another scenario:

A sinner walks into church.

A sinful woman walks into church.

A sinful woman wearing too much makeup & perfume walks into church.

A sinful woman wearing too much makeup and perfume walks into church, while is clearly recovering from a hangover.

A sinful woman wearing too much makeup and perfume walks into church, while clearly recovering from a hangover, trailed by her four kids that are being too loud and unruly.

These are just a couple of situations that, while you may not have seen them lately, there could come a point that you would either walk into one of these people at your local church, your local school, or at your local Walmart. But what is your first reaction? Is it disgust and revulsion? Or is it compassion & care? I think if we’re really honest, we can try to fight the stereotyping or judgmental attitude, but actually engaging with, talking with, showing genuine care? Those are another matter. And we all fight it, including your pastor.

These scenarios may sound far fetched, but they actually are not far from the scenario that today’s text presents us with. These are not just hypothetical, though. The story is real and it happened in the life of Jesus, in order that he might show proof of the Great Love of God in His life. Let’s look at today’s text, found in Luke 7:36-50:

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.”

This is the word of the Lord for us this morning.

Would you pray with me? Father, thank you for Jesus, and thank you that he came near to us: God in the flesh. As we see the great care and love that he expresses in today’s text, may we experience that same great love. As we have sins as this woman did, may we turn from them and be forgiven. As we have judgement or cynicism toward those we deem more sinful from us, may we turn from our callousness and be forgiven. May the Love of Jesus be our example. It is in his name we pray, Amen.

When we last heard Luke’s testimony of Jesus last week in chapter 7, the case was built for his Authority. He demonstrated it quite clearly in the raising of the Centurion’s servant, but Jesus was not done there. Jesus goes on in the following verses to one up even himself by raising the dead son of a widow back to life in verse 11-17. That event is followed by John the Baptist sending word to Jesus. John hears of what Jesus has done, even while John is in prison. Word of Jesus power and authority is spreading. And John wonders if maybe this Jesus, with all this authority, might throw a little of it his way to get him out of prison. But Jesus simply sends word back that He is the one, that he is bringing to pass all the things that were prophesied. He commends John to the people, but Jesus is not giving him a get out of jail free card. John will be martyred for his faithful witness and preaching. And in verses 33-34, Jesus basically says that both he and John will be rejected by the people because of hard hearts: (Luke 7:33–34) “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” Hard hearted people would call John Demon possessed and call Jesus a “friend of tax collectors and sinners”! He must be a glutton and a drunk! Guilt by association.

As if to prove the point after this message to John, the narrative immediately goes to a place where Jesus will be doing the very thing he is being accused of: being a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Jesus is placed in what could be an uncomfortable situation, and was a more uncomfortable situation for those who were at this meal with Jesus. As we said, Luke’s accounts are based on the testimony of eyewitnesses, and I believe that Luke may have taken part of this account from the very woman who is spoken of here. One thing we can be certain of for her in the passage is this: that she directly saw and experienced the proof of Jesus’ love. This love is the most real love that people have ever experienced. It shows up in this uncomfortable situation, and real love is messy, and hard, and surprising. But Jesus shows he is the best one to express it. Every other expression of love finds its deeper meaning and purpose in Jesus.

Let’s look at two ways that Jesus displays the great love of God.

Jesus Receives Sinners

We noted in verse 34, Jesus has now done this so much, that people have stuck this label on Him. Jesus Dines with sinners and tax collectors! And this is no small point, that Jesus actually eats with anybody. We are talking about God made flesh, Immanuel here. And yet, he puts himself in proximity to sinful mankind. This is unlike any other king or power we know. Most would sit behind layers of security, bodyguards. But not Jesus. He goes to those who want to host him. And the one who wants to host him is this religious leader, a Pharisee named Simon.

Now to sit at the table, as the text says here, was to recline at the table. To go to dinner as it would be well hosted would be a very comfortable affair. Not uptight in chairs, but on cushions, with one’s feet angling away from the table. At the time, the houses of Israel were not as closed off as we might think of sharing a meal in our own homes. We might picture this table in something like a courtyard, where an outside could wander into the gathering unannounced or without knocking. And that is what happens with this woman.

We don’t know her name. We don’t know her story other than what is implied in the text. The text just says she was a woman of the city and a sinner. It’s very likely that the implications are that the woman has committed sexual sin, and that many people know of it. She’s not here weeping looking for Jesus because she committed petty theft or embezzled some money. In the ancient world, just like it is today, gossips love to gather and share details of people’s sexual sin, exalting it over sins like pride. What you can see in this woman is that she is filled with guilt, regret and sorrow over sin. What does this lead her to do? She brings this flask of ointment, very fragrant and extravagant. She comes in weeping. She goes to his feet as the lowest of servants would, and she begins to cry on his feet and wipe the feet with her long hair as the towel. As she dries the tears, she applies the ointment, and the smell fills the room. The entire thing is quite a scene.

To the other end of things, there sits Simon, the Pharisee. He’s watching this whole thing happen. And it’s made him quite uncomfortable. This woman has interrupted this quiet dinner with a man who simply wanted to know if this man was an actual prophet or something else. This woman has disrupted the agenda of the discussion. This woman has filled the room with her weeping sounds. This woman has filled the room with her tears and her smell to try to cover up her reputation. This woman has taken the whole meal off the rails. And this Jesus allows it! No way he is a prophet! If he was, he wouldn’t let a “sinner” like this woman touch him!

But look at what much of the discourse of the passage is. Jesus engages with conversation and seeks to teach the Pharisee as much as engages with the woman. On both fronts: Jesus interacts with them both. He receives the care and the worship of the woman. He receives the questions and doubts of the skeptical pharisee. And both of them, not just the woman, are the sinners of this scene

I think for us it’s really easy to look at both of the people in this scene, and see how neither would be people that we would love to engage with. That is part of our struggle as human beings. We like to rank and file the people around us. These people are the good people, they are like me. Those people are the bad people, they are not like me. We sort them, and we rank them and we dismiss them. But not Jesus. Jesus is patient and kind with both of these individuals, seeking to authentically show them who he is and what love is. He is not standoffish. He is willing to go to their messy house, sit at their messy table, have the messy conversation, receive the messy tears and the messy behavior of a messed-up woman, because his desire to express the Love of God is stronger than their mess.

Can you imagine being God, and sitting with this, in this? We can’t, because we are not God. We are finite, we get frustrated, angry, judgemental toward others. But not Jesus. They are receiving him in the story, but he is really the one receiving them by sitting, listening, patiently guiding IN the mess. He does this because, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient and kind. And when God comes to meet with us where we are at, he is being patient and kind to us. 2 Peter 3:9 puts it this way “God is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish.”

But his presence with sinners is not the only expression of his love here.

Jesus Speaks Grace over Repentant Sinners

In many ways, as the world of today speaks of the Love of God and Jesus as they would like him to be, they would like to simply settle for the Love of a Jesus who meets with you, eats with you, walks with you and talks with you AS YOU ARE. But Jesus’ desire is to leave neither of these people in this passage the same as he found them. The rest of 2 Peter 3:9 ends with this key phrase, telling us: “The Lord is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God is not just patient for the sake of patience, but he is patient for the sake of repentance, as repentance is necessary toward salvation. If there is no repentance, then there is no forgiveness.

So what we are seeing from the woman here in this uncomfortable situation is not mere sorrow or grief, but in the fact that she is bringing it to Jesus, as the one who can actually do something to alleviate the grief of her sin, she is offering what she is offering in a movement of repentance. Is she a hot mess of sin? Yes, she is. But in coming to Jesus, she is now Jesus’ hot mess, and he is going to do something with her, he is going to demonstrate the Love of God, by accepting her worshipful and repentant gift.

As Simon questions the gift, Jesus tries to help him understand by way of a parable of two debtors. On of them owed the moneylender 500 denarius, and another 50 denarius. A denarius was a days wage in Jesus’ time. So basically, one owed 2 months, and the other owed 2 years pay. Many of you know that if you’ve ever been in debt, it takes a long time to pay off even an equivalent debt of 2 months pay. You still have to live while paying it off, so it gets spread out over many payments. A 2 years wages debt? That’s a HUGE debt. Jesus simply poses a question regarding the forgiving of the two debts. “Which do you think will love the one who forgave the debt more?” Jesus asks. Simon answers, “the one who had the greater debt forgiven.” When Jesus tells this story, he is implying some things that are going directly over the heads of Simon and his friends. Jesus is implying that both Simon & the Woman are sinners. There is no status of her being a sinner, and Simon is not. She merely is admitting it, confessing it, and in the act of her worship & weeping, is turning from this sin. But they both have a debt that needs to be forgiven. She is the one acknowledging the debt and begging upon his mercy.

Simon merely wants Jesus there for what he can extract from him. He won’t admit he’s done wrong, he needs forgiving or saving. And he won’t appreciate or worship the one who has arrived at his house. Jesus says, You didn’t provide water for my feet, as is common hospitality. You did greet me with a kiss, which is as common as a handshake. You didn’t anoint me with oil, a way of blessing me. BUT SHE DID ALL THAT, because she knows the one who can forgive her sin. Jesus says in Luke 7:47 “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.””

Great love gives birth to great forgiveness. You see friends, we love because Christ first loved us. He is the one who is the author of Love and the truest expression of the Love of God. And because he loved this woman in the first place, he was ready and waiting to give her great forgiveness. And so he says to her, “Your sins are forgiven”. The room is shocked to hear it. Who is this that forgives? There is more shock here in moments like these than at many of Jesus’ greatest miracles. For some that was because they saw it as blasphemy. But it was no blasphemy. Christ was showing the great authority and great love of God in this moment. God is the same God who testified regarding the nature of his character to Moses in Exodus 34:6 “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Those Jews questioning Jesus for saying this, wondering if God would strike him dead for this blasphemy, would be shocked to see Jesus still standing. And perhaps that is the more shocking thing of this lesson on forgiveness. Perhaps, in Jesus’ eyes, to be forgiven is the greatest of all his miraculous acts and works. To experience the forgiveness and grace of Christ the greatest Joy and display of God’s power in our midst.

And when we experience great Forgiveness, that produces in us outpourings of great love. This woman likely already knew what Jesus would do for her, because she had heard he had done it for others as well. She came to Jesus with an expectation that he would forgive her and take away the stain of her sin. She had nowhere else to turn. It was OK to cry over sin. It was OK to express her love and care for the savior, poured out before he had even spoken those words of forgiveness over her. The woman came to Jesus by faith. It was born in her that day. Jesus saw it, and Jesus commended it.

Christ is really laying all of this down for Simon to say: “Will you see me for who I am, the loving savior that I am, or will you still be skeptical? Will you still have ears that don’t hear, and eyes that don’t see, or will you see the laid out evidence in front of you. The Love of God is in this place in a tangible way today.

Summary:

This morning’s story proving Christ’s love is a tangible proof in a real occurence toward real people: Jesus didn’t have for come to be with us, but he did. Jesus didn’t have to receive us and interact with us, but he does. Jesus didn’t have to give grace and kindness, but he will. He will give grace and mercy to all who call upon His name.

In this room today, the Greatest Thing that Jesus can say to us are the same words he spoke to this woman: “Your sins are forgiven.” He speaks it to those who turn from their sin, and seek the forgiveness of the savior. This is why we believe what the Bible says about sin. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for. Sin is what must be dealt with so that we can be forgiven. So what has God done with your sin?

You could play the skeptic, like Simon. Many people do. You could say:

“I’m a good person.”

“There are plenty of people worse than me.”

“I’m not a sinner.”

“That person over there is way worse than me.”

“God can’t forgive THAT person.”

“I’m fine, I don’t need to reflect or show any need or weakness in my life.”

“I’m good with Jesus as a status symbol for me, but I don’t need him as my Lord.”

Ultimately, none of those attitudes are living in the truth of the matter or the reality of the Grace and Mercy expressed in the Love of Christ.

Don’t miss the point Jesus is making! See your sin for the ugly thing that it is. Turn from it, and turn to Jesus! He stands ready and waiting to forgive.

Invite:

When people are broken in their sin, and they know the need for Jesus, then they must respond. Peter said to the people in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be Baptized every one of you.” We want to visit with you and pray with you today. Call on Jesus, turn to him, be obedient to him. He is the Way.