Jesus Forgives a Sinful Woman
Notes
Transcript
v.37
Woman who was a sinner
Most likely a prostitute
v.38
Standing behind Him
They would recline around the table with their heads facing towards the middle.
This would have made it easy for the woman to approach Jesus and begin to wash His feet.
Wiped with hair.
For this to happen her hair would have been down. This was a cultural no no. Women didn’t uncover their hair. She would have been drawing much attention to herself but she was so moved to approach Jesus that she didn’t care.
v.43
The one whom cancelled the larger debt.
Jesus making it clear that the reason that this woman is so passionate and so broken is because she had the larger debt, she is the one whom the cancellation would have moved to the point of unabashed love and gratitude.
v.44-47
I entered your house
When a guest would arrive, it was typical to give them water to wash their feet with, to give them a kiss of greeting.
Simon the Pharisee showed no hospitality at all to Jesus when Jesus came which is kind of a peculiar thing.
Her sins which are many
Simon didn’t think that Jesus was a prophet because he thought Jesus didn’t know what type of a person she was. Jesus is showing that He knows that she is a great sinner.
Jesus is letting Simon know that the reason she is showing such a display, is that she has many sins that she is forgiven of.
v.48
Your sins are forgiven
Now Jesus gets to the meat and potatoes. Your sins are forgiven. This brings up a whole bunch of grumbling that we will get to in just a minute.
3 Types of people.
The Pharisee
The Pharisee
When he sees the repentant woman, he sneers at her.
When he sees the repentant woman, he sneers at her.
When we see someone come to Jesus, how do we react?
32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
The people who we see come to Christ, won’t be good one’s, they will be sinners.
In high school I couldn’t believe that certain people came to know Jesus.
10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Simon hardened hmself against sinful people and had lost his capacity to rejoice at the repentance of a sinner.
Even the angels in heaven are rejoicing over 1, are we?
He sees his sin as less than hers.
He sees his sin as less than hers.
Her sin was clear, she was probably an adulteress or a prostitute.
The pharisee is so focused on her sin, he misses the pride that is like a cancer in his own life.
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
Therefore: Showing the sins that the Israelites committed in the desert. All the things that happened and the punishments that followed.
Don’t look at the sins of others, at their mistakes and believe that you are impervious to falling.
Grizzly bears, cougars, wolves, they are something to be cautious of but they don’t frighten me. What does is little spiders, the things that you can’t see, can’t feel but they can kill you just as easily.
Sure this woman was involved in sin that was plain to see; But do you have pride, jealousy, gossip, anger, lust, covet. These are all sins that people may not see but they are just as deadly, maybe even more because you don’t believe that you are doing anything worthy of repentance.
The Woman
The Woman
We see a heart of repentance.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
God desires us to be sorrowful for our sin, as this woman was.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Mourning, grieving over your sin, you shall be comforted.
1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.
Even though nothing on heaven or earth can contain the grandeur of God. His desire is to come near, to comfort the one who is humble, who’s heart is broken over their sin as this woman’s was.
What this show’s us about God and sinful people.
You Are Not Beyond Forgiveness
You Are Not Beyond Forgiveness
There is nothing you have done that is beyond the forgiveness of Jesus.
If you self medicate, with drugs or alcohol, and have feelings of worthlessness, or depression.
If you have had an abortion, and afterwards you regretted it. Now what you have done haunts you.
If you have lived a promiscuous life style, with each partner giving away a little of yourself until now you are a mere shell of the person you were before. You wonder if you can be made whole.
If you have been angry and bitter, driving the one’s who you love away. Now your bitterness has become a part of you and you see yourself as unlovable.
NO MATTER WHAT the situation, there is forgiveness, if you come to Jesus with a broken heart over your sin. Desiring to repent and to be made whole.
The Savior
The Savior
The savior that the woman comes to is Jesus.
Overwhelmed with emotion from feeling the weight of sin to the freedom from it she is literally at the feet of Jesus.
v.50
Jesus makes a profound statement, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
It is her faith, her complete belief.
More important than her faith, is the object of faith, faith in Jesus. She looked to Jesus to be her savior.
It is only faith placed in the right thing that saves you.
Stand up, and sit down. That is faith in a chair.
Only God has the power to forgive sins.
v.49
"Who is this that says your sins are forgiven.”
7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
What is Your Faith in?
What is Your Faith in?
Physical health, you believe you can make it through situations because of your physique?
The health care system, Whether doctors or medication. Are you praying for
The Government
Support groups
The only way to be any earthly good is to be increasingly heavenly minded.