Transformed by Faith

Historical Biographies are a type of movie that I enjoy, but not a genre of literature that I read very often. In the rare occasions that I have read biographies, I was drawn in to see how their experiences shaped their choices.

Today’s Scripture identifies 6 individuals in 2 separate events. These events are similar, but different. In the first event we will see the contrast between how 2 different people interacted with Christ. One was forgiven and transformed into a worshipper. The other was a socialite who remained analytical and distant and ends with the same guilt he had before the exchange.

In the 2nd event we meet 3 ladies who had been transformed by their faith. Their transformation turned them into disciples and patrons of the Lord’s ministry.

Faith Transforms “Sinners” into Worshippers (vv.36-50)

3 Characters (vv.36-37)

Just as baseball/softball/basketball games introduce the starting line-up so that spectators know where to give their attention, It is helpful at the beginning of this narrative for us to identify who is on the stage.

1. Jesus – the one who identifies true faith.

· V.35 has just made a statement about how wisdom is revealed, so in today’s text Jesus examines various responses to faith to illustrate wisdom in practice.

2. Simon – the one who lacks (and is blind to) true faith.

· A chasm has already begun to develop between Jesus and the Pharisees. Just 10 minutes of watching the news this week reveals how divisive culture can become when sides are drawn up and become entrenched.

· This Pharisee does the culturally expected thing by inviting a visiting Rabbi to his home after synagogue.

· There is debate about if courtesies like foot washing and face oil were expected or just done frequently, but the overall picture here is of a host who is courteous, but not hospitable. He doesn’t show explicit contempt, but he also doesn’t fully understand who he has invited into his home.

· The stark contrast of verses 34 and 36 cannot be overemphasized. In v. 34 Jesus is accused by the Pharisees of eating and drinking with Sinners, then in v.36 a sinner Pharisee invites Jesus to his house to eat and drink.

One of the hideous realities of the pandemic we are currently enduring is that people are spreading the virus without an awareness that they are carrying COVID-19. This Pharisee is just like the asymptomatic carrier who is unaware of the condition he is spreading.

· This man doesn’t experience forgiveness because he is in denial that he needs forgiveness. Unfortunately, that is the same condition of many of our neighbors. They are headed for a Christless eternity because they refuse to admit their lost condition and don’t realize how serious it is.

3. Anonymous Woman – the one who demonstrates true faith by lavish worship

· Public banquets would designate places at the table for the invited guests, but standing room would also be available at the edges of the room for uninvited citizens to observe the feast. If this happened today those around the edges would include aids, security, media and a few spectators.

I deeply appreciate one line in one of the worship songs that our teens have introduced to us. In the song “Jesus, Thank You” the lyrics read, “once your enemy, now seated at your table”. This is the picture of one of the anonymous spectators who used to observe from the outside has now been honored to join the feast at the invitation of the host.

· The picture I see in my mind is a joint session of political houses as the judges, senators, representatives, and cabinet are all seated in their assigned positions of honor as the Governor mentions somebody in the Gallery and every eye in the room diverts to that previously unnoticed person.

· Just as the anonymous citizen in the gallery had previously done something to catch the speaker’s attention, I believe this woman had an encounter with Jesus before the events of this banquet.

The Timing and Results of Her Faith (vv.47-48)

1. Most commentators question the interaction between the woman’s act of worship and her forgiveness. Was she forgiven because of her demonstration of love? This would be a works-based righteousness. If her forgiveness is based upon a previous encounter with Jesus, this act of worship becomes a response, not causation.

2. Depending upon your English translation, you may or may not find an answer to the order of events.

a. In the NIV (the text of our video) verse 47 reads, “her sins have been forgiven” and v.48 reads, “your sins are forgiven”.

b. If you are looking at an ESV or a Bible in the King James tradition you are reading “are forgiven” in both verses.

c. If you look in the NASB you see “have been forgiven” in both verses.

3. The answer is found in the type and timing of verbs.

If you asked Mrs. Ann if she is married today, she would say, “Yes, I’m married to the most wonderful man I’ve ever met.” If you ask her if she was married on Feb 3, 1989 she would say, “Yes, I was married to the most romantic and best looking man I had ever seen” (or something to that effect).

She is describing an event that happened in the past with a result that she remains in that state.

4. This is the way that Luke states both v.47 and v.48. but it would be awkward in English to be this precise so different translations communicate this idea differently.

5. Based upon the form of the word Luke uses and the testimony of the rest of Scripture that salvation is a free gift of grace and not merited by works, I believe Jesus had forgiven this woman in a previous event although Simon still knew her for and depicted her by previous indiscretions.

The Nature of forgiveness

1. Current (immediate) – Jesus is quoted as referring to a past event. What he does NOT say is “you are moving toward forgiveness” or “you will be forgiven”.

2. Complete -

Any students who want to score some extra points with your English teach can ask tomorrow, “What’s the difference between past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect tenses?”

· The key to understanding each of these is the emphasis upon a completed act.

3. Costly – any of us who have ever tried to help a paroled convict or a former addict know how difficult it can be for this individual to find employment and housing. Without a resume or references, the person trying to turn over a new leaf finds the reputation of their previous life haunts their new endeavors.

· Even though change has happened in her life, the description of Simon in v.39 leaves no doubt as to what he thought of her.

· The woman in Luke 7 leaves her only source of income. Even if they had it in that day, she wouldn’t qualify for unemployment. Rome wasn’t sending out stimulus checks. And nobody would want her reputation to be associated with their family or business.

4. Commemorated – Paul wrote that as long as we eat the bread and drink the cup we proclaim his death until He comes again. V.50 is the root for words that you hear me say each week. I don’t say this out of liturgy or tradition. It is a proclamation that in this service we have testified and remembered the basis for our forgiveness so we can go forth confident we are at peace with God and seek to restore peace with our fellow man.

The Action of Faith

1. Verses 36-39 exposes different treatment that is rooted in presence/absence of personal faith.

2. Verse 40 Jesus asks permission to tell a story that shines a spotlight on the motivations of the 2 characters.

3. The story connects great love to great forgiveness, little love to little forgiveness, and (by implication) no love to no forgiveness.

4. This act of great love would have been noticed by all.

Do any of you live in a home with someone enamored by candles or scent diffusers? My diffuser is about 5’ tall by 4’ wide and runs on wood pellets. Some of you use a diffuser that generates heat in your kitchen. There is no masking the smell of fresh bread, warm cookies or roasting meat that fills the whole home. For others a light rain moistens the cattle pens and the whole neighborhood is flooded with the aroma of…um…money. These are scents that cannot be ignored

5. Would you be surprised if I told you that this act of love is connected to a holiday this past week? The ointment/perfume this woman uses was made from the third gift of the Magi. They presented him gold, fine incense and ??? (myrrh) Myrrh has a unique and pungent scent that spreads profusely. Myrrh is so pungent that it was used in the embalming process to mask decay. It was used in this woman’s work to disguise any scent from those she had previously entertained

6. As she poured out the oil, it was a testimony to her transformation. She had left that life and she no longer needed the oil for that purpose, so she pours it out in a public demonstration meant to honor the one who had changed her.

Transition: This woman’s worship was a testimony of love for the one who had changed absolutely everything for her present and her future. In the beginning of the next chapter transformation looks a little different.

Faith Transforms into Unlikely Partners (vv.1-3)

Prompt: Since Luke uses 15 verses to describe 1 women, and 3 verses to describe 3 women, I will give proportionate time to these 3 verses as well.

Women did not travel with Men

1. The main thought of this time in history is that women were unworthy of the effort to educate. They were not permitted in the gatherings where rabbis would discuss ideas (such as when Jesus engaged with the leaders when he was 12).

2. If they were unworthy of education, then they surely had no place traveling with a Philosopher and his disciples. Scandalous rumors would spread that if a woman were to travel with a group of men that she was offering the same type of entertainment as the woman in the last chapter.

3. It was based upon these assumptions that after the 6th century people began to merge the woman of 7:36-50 with the Mary of Magdala in 8:2 which continues to be promoted in movies like the DaVinci Code. But sin (ch.7) and demon-possession (ch.8) are very different conditions!

4. The New Testament goes out of the way to describe the Christian way of honoring and elevating women. Besides today’s text we have Jesus’ friendship with Mary and Martha of Bethany, the women who appeared first at the tomb, and Paul’s discipleship in the book of Acts.

5. As stated in the Moody Bible Commentary, “Although He did not appoint women to positions of leadership or as His apostles, He treated women with respect and esteem”[i]

Jesus saw women as worthy disciples

They weren’t included in the twelve, the Apostles, but they were worthy of healing and learning.

Mary had been fully possessed (the #7 speaks of complete) by demons. The description of her exorcism uses the same perfect tense that was used to describe the woman’s forgiveness in ch. 7 – past event with current state of being.

Joanna – the only other mention of her is on Easter. Luke 24 names her as one who saw Jesus laid in the tomb and came back on Sunday to find the tomb empty. The mention of her husband only indicates that he would have been trusted with significant resources and interacted with powerful people—he was “connected.”

Suzanna is named here but not in the resurrection account. We have no definitive information about her other than she was known by the resources that Luke consulted as he wrote Luke and Acts.

“many others” who contributed.

I hope you’re making plans to join us for the annual members meeting this afternoon. Because just as v.3 mentions “many others”, in our ministry team reports we find out about the many others who make FHCC influential in our county. “many” has room for “others” as we recognize people who may not be musical, or may be too shy to speak in a crowd, but they give faithfully of their resources and they invest their talents in our mission of making disciples of all in Chase County.

Application

1. These women could have reasoned, “because we’re not men we don’t belong” or “because we’re not educated we have nothing to offer” or “if I can’t contribute the whole need, my contribution won’t make a difference.”

2. But Jesus did not ask them “what are you not?” He simply brought good news, transformed them and permitted them to follow, learn from, and become like Him.

Conclusion:

An anonymous woman with a sinful reputation encountered Jesus, was forgiven by Him, and became a public testimony of His grace.

3 Women plus many others responded to the preaching of the good news and joined His mission through their participation and contribution

How can/should you respond to Jesus’ forgiveness of your sin?

How can/should you participate in His mission?

[i] Kevin D. Zuber, “Luke,” in The Moody Bible Commentary, ed. Michael A. Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 1565.