Pride and Comparison
Notes
Transcript
Pride & Comparison
Pride & Comparison
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
Some of you may remember some of the details of a sermon that I preached at the beginning of the pandemic, almost two years ago. The sermon was titled “Faith & Forgiveness.” In that sermon we identified who the Pharisee and who the woman is in this story. For those of you who were not present, or don’t remember, or you are not familiar with the story we will quickly identify these unnamed characters.
The Pharisee is identified later on in the story in verse 40, when Jesus confronts him. After the Pharisee witnessess the woman pouring the oil and kissing Jesus’s feet he is horrifed and says to himself...
Luke 7:39 (NKJV)
39 […] “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
Then Jesus responds to him and calls out his name saying...
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
Now some of you might remember a very important detail about Simon. First of all, Pharisees were the enemies of Jesus; they were constantly plotting to entrap him and murder him because of their insane jealousy over the attention that Jesus was receiving from the people. Therefore, there had to be a marked reason for Simon to be having Jesus over for a meal.
6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
Now it’s quite evident that Simon is not called “Simon the leper” because he currently had leprosy. Lepers were not allowed in general public; no, they were quarantined and had to cry out “unclean, unclean” if anyone came dangerously close. Therefore, the only conclusion is Simon was healed from leprosy, and by who, the only person who is able to heal the sick, and raise the dead… Jesus Christ. Thus, Jesus is Simon’s guest of honor. Good, now let’s quickly identify the woman.
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Bible commentators tells us something peculiar about the relationship between Simon and Mary. Simon was Mary’s uncle, and when she was a young lady, Simon observed how attractive his niece was and did unthinkable… Now the plot thickens… Simon, who might as well have been called, “Simon the Abuser” is calling Mary a sinner! Wow!
1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,
Discuss prostitution… Greek... 7x
Even though Ellen did not read Greek she was in agreement the Greek text…
Mary had been looked upon as a great sinner, but Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her life. He might have extinguished every spark of hope in her soul, but He did not. It was He who had lifted her from despair and ruin. Seven times she had heard His rebuke of the demons that controlled her heart and mind. She had heard His strong cries to the Father in her behalf. She knew how offensive is sin to His unsullied purity, and in His strength she had overcome.
Ellen Gould White, The Desire of Ages, vol. 3, Conflict of the Ages Series (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1898), 568.
Let’s compare the Simon and Mary
Both lost their reputation… Simon because of Leprosy, and Mary because of abuse
Both lost their station in life… Simon would no longer be able to inhabit his home, probably a lavish home according to the standards of the day, and no one would marry Mary… a woman who could not get married was essentially useless in society.
Both were healed by Jesus.
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Water for feet, anoint with oil, and kiss… remember what Jesus did for Simon, and remember who is at the dinner table… his dinner table, Lazarus whom Jesus ressurected after FOUR days! Simon has the gaul to say to himself… if this man were a prophet...
Some Christians suffer from a malady that I call CC or “Comparative Christianity”… It’s a real disease :)
What are the symptoms of this disease. The symptoms of this disease are often manifested when corporate prayer is taking place and are accompanied by a strange type of inflamation called “comparitis.” The symptoms are:
Rebuke others who are present while praying
Correct others who have prayed previously who may have thanked God...
Contradict another prayer… the essentially tell God “This person does not know how to pray, let me show the how and what to pray for.”
Yes, friends these are the symptoms of CC.
Luke 7:47 (NKJV)
47 […]. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Another story in the Bible illustrates what CC looks like.
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
Are you seeing a similarity in these stories?
10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Pride)
C.S. Lewis [once stated]: Pride is essentially competitive—is competitive by its very nature—while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good looking, there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone. Gary Inrig, “A Call to Excellence,” Victor Books, Wheaton, ILL, 1985, pp. 33-45
Luke 7:47 (NKJV)
47 […]. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Simon was like the Pharisee that Jesus described in Luke 18. Although he was healed of leprosy, he was deathly ill with CC. When Simon would pray he would confess… “Oh Lord, forgive me for not giving my livestock enough water yesterday, forgive me for forgetting to tithe my mint plants, oh God… forgive me for walking into the temple with a wrinkled prayer shawl… what a horrible sinner I am. But thank you Lord, I am not like that… woman...” While Mary could not even lift up her head, she stood at Jesus’s feet weeping...
Mary weeping
Luke 7:47 (NKJV)
47 […]. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Simon did not see how desperate his case was, he did not face the depravity of his acts and his character, thus he was forgiven little. God can only forgive what we confess. When we fail to see how much God has done for us, when we fail to show appreciation for the debth of God’s love manifested to us in forgiving our sins in the gift of Jesus Christ we too will love little. On the other hand, Mary faced the ugliness of her hatred for Simon. Her response for what Jesus had done for her revealed a broken and contrite heart. Mary loved much, thus she was forgiven much.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
Which of the two are you? Have you been forgiven of much or little? If you compare your spirituality to others, if you correct others during prayer, if you rebuke others while praying… then I’m afraid you are like Simon. Although Ellen White states that pride is of all sins almost incurable, Jesus is able to cure the sin of pride. Love is able to conquer all, even pride. Simon’s pride in the end was overcome by the love of Jesus, and so it can be said of anyone who suffers.
