The Sinful and The Scornful

Text

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.”

Introduction

Today I believe that one of the biggest hindrances of people coming to Jesus is the judgmental attitudes of many people who are part of the Church.

I remember a guy saying to me he don’t want to come to church because people there watch you from head to foot.

We see someone who is a sinner and we brand them and at times we want nothing to do with them.

We gossip about them and we don’t try to help them.

But Jesus came for the sinners. He said I came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Today we will be looking at the lives of 2 people. One named Simon who was a pharisee and the other was an un named woman who was a famous prostitute to many people.

However at this point in the narrative, it would seem that she was a prostitute who had repented of her sins and was now willing to follow Jesus.

Today I want you to know that Jesus came for the prostitutes, he came for the drunkards, he came for the liars, he came for the murderers.

Today I want you to know that Jesus is not just a friend of sinners but he is the Savior of Sinners.

Introduction to Scripture

(1) The scene is the courtyard of the house of Simon the Pharisee. The houses of well-to-do people were built round an open courtyard in the form of a hollow square. Often in the courtyard there would be a garden and a fountain; and there in the warm weather meals were eaten. It was the custom that when a Rabbi was at a meal in such a house, all kinds of people came in—they were quite free to do so—to listen to the pearls of wisdom which fell from his lips. That explains the presence of the woman,

In the middle east the guests did not sit, but reclined, at table. They lay on low couches, resting on the left elbow, leaving the right arm free, with the feet stretched out behind; and during the meal the sandals were taken off. That explains how the woman was standing beside Jesus’ feet.

In this portion of scripture we can see 3 attitudes that Jesus has towards the sinner

Jesus Loves Sinners

lk 7 36-5

Luke 7:36–38 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.

One thing I can tell you about Jesus is that he loved sinners.

He had a deep longing and love for sinners.

If you are a prostitute he would love you.

If you a drug addict he would love you.

No matter your sin he still loved you.

The Scribes and Pharisees hated that about him

They said he should not eat with sinners.

Here he was invited by a Pharisee who also was a sinner.

The New Testament depicts the Pharisees as opponents of Jesus or the early Christians. They always were finding fault with Jesus and they always was looking for faults.

Some people find fault like there is a reward for it.

They didn’t say why this Pharisee invited Jesus.

Normally if I am invited it is a good sign that the person like me.

Most likely it was a bad reason. It was to test Jesus or see what fault they could find with Jesus. The Pharisees were a group who were out for him.

The good thing about Jesus is he will still come to you even though you may be out for him. He loves the sinful as well as the scornful.

This Pharisee should have felt honored that Jesus accepted his invitation.

That showed Jesus’ love for Simon.

The bible says there was another sinner in this story.

It was an un named woman who would appear was a prostitute.

A woman who heard Jesus was there ended up coming to the Pharisees house and she went up to Jesus with an alabaster flask of ointment.

This woman who was a known sinner to everyone went up to Jesus and she had an alabaster flask of ointment and she started to weep and her tears will fall on jesus feet and she will wipe them with her tears and she would kiss his feet and anoint him with the ointment.

This would be a very strange spectacle because it would look like Jesus does not realize she is a sinner.

Jesus does not push her aside, Jesus loves sinners.

IN these Bible times a touch by a sinner like her would render Jesus ceremonially unclean. So most rabbis would want nothing to do with a woman like her.

Illustration

When humans behave badly, God behaves graciously

This is illustrated throughout the Bible at times

When people mess up God is not quick to judge them but to show Grace towards them

e.g The Woman caught in adultery. The Prodigal Son.

Jesus came for sinful people

He loves the sinner

Application

Today you might be saying to yourself that I am a big sinner and God won’t love me

That is not true

It doesn’t matter if you have been committing adultery, or you have been sleeping around, or you have been on drugs I am here to let you know that he still loves you even though you may be doing the wrong things.

Society may be quick to condemn you for your sins, but Jesus loves you

We shouldn't be shocked when people sin. It never shocked Jesus. He wasn't shocked when the woman was caught in adultery. It didn't shock Him that another woman had five husbands. None of this shocked Jesus! He knows we sin, and it's why God sent Him to die for our sins.

Jesus is not just a friend of sinners - he is the Savior of Sinners.

Jesus did not come to shame sinners but to save sinners 

Jesus Forgives Sinners

Luke 7:48 ESV

And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus is not only quick to love the sinner but he is quick to forgive a sinner as well.

Jesus is not only quick to love the sinner but he is quick to forgive a sinner as well.

There was an evangelist of yesteryear who was the counterpart of Billy Graham today, a greatly used and anointed man of God. And this is what he said. He said there's one sin that Christian's have more difficulty with than any other and there's one sin that is holding back the power of God more than any other sin in the life of Christians. Now he was a wise and intelligent man and a man gifted of God. Would you like to know what that sin is. He said it is the sin of an unforgiving spirit.

The Adrian Rogers Legacy Collection - The Adrian Rogers Legacy Collection – Sermons.

Sometimes when people do us wrong it can feel hard to forgive them.

Sometimes it just keeps replaying in our head what someone has done for us

It can be hard for us but yet for Jesus he is quick to forgive us of our sins.

Sam Jones, another evangelist of yesteryear said, and I quote, I had a hard time forgiving people until I made up my mind, I wasn't going to fall out with anyone until he treated me worse than I treated Jesus. We crucified the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Adrian Rogers Legacy Collection - The Adrian Rogers Legacy Collection – Sermons.

When Jesus was dying on the cross he prayed Father forgive them for they know not what they do

There were two thieves on the cross with him and one asked for forgiveness and Jesus was able to forgive him

Jesus is so gracious he is so kind to us that he is more than wiling to forgive us our sins

This woman was a known sinner to everyone there

Most likely she was a prostitute

When we look at how she approached Jesus we can see that she was a repentant person.

The woman’s tears and her anointing of Jesus’ feet demonstrate penitence and humility.

This woman was much different than Simon the Pharisee

Simon saw himself as righteous but she saw herself as unrighteous

She knew that she was a sinner and she needed a Savior

She knew that Jesus was more than just a friend of sinners but he was also a Savior of Sinners

The passage does not state why she was weeping. It may have been because she was seeking repentance. Or she may have been weeping for joy at the opportunity of being around the One she obviously considered to be the Messiah

Whatever the reason, Jesus knew why.

She was not trying to manipulate Jesus in any way as she may have manipulated men in the bedroom

What she may have used to seduce men, she was using it to anoint Jesus.

WHEN WE HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN - THE THINGS WE USED TO USE FOR THE WORLD CAN BE USED FOR THE HONOR AND GLORY OF GOD

WE COULD HAVE BEEN A BIG SOCA SINGER LIKE DENYSE PLUMMER WHO NOW SINGS SOCA FOR JESUS

Jesus knew the real heart of this woman and he offered her forgiveness

Notice that she did not even ask for forgiveness but yet she was forgiven

Was she forgiven because of what she did for Jesus?

Absolutely not

But the woman was not forgiven because of her love; rather, she loved because she was forgiven (vv. 47–48). Her faith brought her salvation: Your faith has saved you; go in peace (cf. 8:48

there are two types of people in this world forgiven and unforgiven

The woman represents the forgiven

the pharisee represents those that are self righteous and feel they need no forgiveness

Today I want you to know that you need Jesus to forgive you of your sins.

This woman came to the one who can forgive her of her sins.

Would you follow the example of this woman and come to Jesus and be forgiven of your sins tonight?

A Sunday School teacher was talking to her class about forgiveness. She asked her students what a person needs to do to receive forgiveness from God. There was a moment of silence, and then a little boy raised his hand and said, “You have to sin.”

That is true. You have to sin. And all of us qualify. We sin more often than we realize. So yes, we have to ask God to forgive us. Most Christians understand that God graciously gives us his forgiveness, though we don’t deserve it. He tells us that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” ( NIV).

All of us are sinners and we have all transgressed God’s Law.

We ought to admit that Jesus is the only one who can save us from our sins and confess it to him

Our sins are many; our failures are great. But we don’t need to mask them, hide them, deny them, or defend them. All we need to do is confess them in brokenness as, this woman did

Jesus is not just a friend of sinners - he is the Savior of Sinners.

Jesus Changes Sinners

Luke 7:50 ESV

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

One thing that we see here and throughout scripture is that an encounter with Jesus can save the sinner

No matter how bad you may have been, no matter what you may have done in love Jesus could change you.

No where in this scripture did Jesus tell her to stop sinning, she was already changed.

You can see by her tears, by her devotion, by her adoration , by how she treated Jesus that she was saved.

When Jesus truly touches your life, you will live differently.

You will respond differently to things that concerns him.

This woman may have used her perfume to seduce men, but now she was using it to anoint Jesus.

When you become a changed person, things that you used to do for the devil, you are now using it for the honor and glory of God

ILL - THE GREATEST MIRACLE IS NOT PHYSICAL, IT IS SPIRITUAL

It is true to say that the greatest of sins is to be conscious of no sin

The Worst of Sinners can be changed by the Savior of Sinners

When someone has a real encounter with Jesus there is a massive change in their life

There is a visible change

If someone claims to have had an encounter with Jesus but their lifestyle has not changed, then we could question them.

Jesus Christ will change the sinner.

The advantage we see in this woman over Simon is that Simon felt he didn’t need to change, whereas the woman knew she was a sinner and in need of a Savior

“It is not what the sinner is that Jesus sees, but what the sinner could be through God’s love. It is Jesus’ awareness of how God can transform people that makes him, rather than dwell on their past, look forward to what God can make of them.”

Excerpt From: Darrell Bock. “BECNT-LK01.” iBooks.

Illustration

“The greatest surprise of all was that I—the one people called Rahab the whore—was considered righteous by God”

Excerpt From

Wisdom from Women in the Bible: Giants of the Faith Speak into Our Lives (Giants of the Bible)

John C. Maxwell

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“Many people express surprise that God would include a harlot in the bloodline of Jesus, but if you think about it, you can see that the Bible is really one long record of God-surprises. Noah was surprised when God ordered him to build an ark and saved him and his family from the flood that destroyed the world. Abraham and Sarah were surprised when God gave them a son in their old age. Moses was surprised by the burning bush. The Children of Israel were surprised when God rolled back the waters of the Jordan to allow them to march into the Promised Land. The people of the Holy Land were surprised when Elijah called fire down on Mount Carmel. And the entire world was surprised when God sent Jesus, His only Son, down to earth to redeem mankind.”

Excerpt From

Wisdom from Women in the Bible: Giants of the Faith Speak into Our Lives (Giants of the Bible)

John C. Maxwell

Application

When we look at sinners all we see is their sin but Jesus sees their potential.

This is one of the reason why he can change them and wants to change them .

He knows they can be greater than they currently are.

Some people may be looking at you and saying you are a drunkard, you are a thief, you are a prostitute. Jesus could rip that label of off you and make you someone brand new

“Why does Jesus associate with sinners? Because in forgiving sinners for a large debt of sin, God is able to transform them into people who display great love.”

Excerpt From: Darrell Bock. “BECNT-LK01.” iBooks.

MY ILL ON NEVER COMING TO CHURCH ETC

Jesus is not just a friend of sinners - he is the Savior of Sinners.

Conclusion

Tonight as we can see from this scripture is that Jesus offers forgiveness to everyone. We are all sinners and we need a Savior.

However we can be like either Simon and trust in our own righteousness which is self righteousness or we can trust in Jesus to save us from our sins.

Forgiveness is a gift of God’s grace; the debt was paid in full by Jesus Christ (; ). The woman accepted God’s free offer of salvation and expressed her love openly. Simon rejected that offer and remained unforgiven. He was not only blind to himself, but he was blind to the woman and to his honored guest!

First, we must not conclude that this woman was saved by her tears and her gift. Jesus made it clear that it was her faith alone that saved her (), for no amount of good works can pay for salvation ().

We are not saved by faith plus works; we are saved by a faith that leads to works.

How did the woman know that her sins were forgiven? Jesus told her. How do we know today that we have been forgiven? God tells us so in His Word.

How was this woman saved? She repented of her sins and put her faith in Jesus Christ. How did she know she was truly forgiven? She had the assurance of His word. What was the proof of her salvation? Her love for Christ expressed in sacrificial devotion to Him. For the first time in her life, she had peace with God (). Literally it reads, “Go into peace,” for she had moved out of the sphere of enmity toward God and was now enjoying peace with God (; ).

In 1830, a man named George Wilson was arrested for mail theft, the penalty for which was hanging. After a time, President Andrew Jackson gave Wilson a pardon but he refused to accept it! The authorities were puzzled: should Wilson be freed or hanged?

They consulted Chief Justice John Marshall, who handed down this decision: “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.”

; and 3:18

represents the woman but represents Simon

Jesus loves you

Jesus died for you

He arose on the third day.

If you have never accepted God’s pardon, now is the time to believe and be saved.

Forgiveness unlocked a new life for the woman who recognized her need and came to Jesus. But refusal to admit need, hesitation to take our places before Jesus as sinners, cuts us off from Him as surely as it cut off the Pharisee.

Jesus is not just a friend of sinners but he is the Savior of Sinners