The Cruel Art of Labeling

Labels… We all have them

Some have been given to us / While others we give to our self.

Perhaps your label is a result of a decision you made or didn't make

Perhaps your label is a result of life you were born into.

Perhaps your label has been unfairly assigned to you...

We’ve almost perfected the art of labeling people today, even those we do not know, just because we won’t associate with them because of some label such as liberal, conservative, soft on crime, leftist, socialist, tree hugger, bleeding heart, lazy, bum, baby killer, gun-loving, LGBTQ+, SINNER.....

We forget that these people we label are God’s children and we lose sight of seeing people that way when we use these derogatory labels. In fact, we often won’t engage or stop engaging in conversation because of these labels. Now don’t get me wrong, there are sometimes concerns about people who wear these types of labels, but we cannot lose sight that they are also children of God - who deserve grace as much as we did - NOT AT ALL, but to whom God extends grace freely anyways (thankfully, regardless what we think).

Whatever the case, Negative labels choke out the abundant life Christ has for you and Me.

They tend to stick to us & follow us everywhere we go

They tend to Isolate & Dominate our mind

They Usher in guilt, shame, & Condemnation at every opportunity for progress.

They remind you of what you have done, who you were, how much you have failed

They remind you that you will never change, You will always be this way.

They tend to make you numb to life and choke out any hope of change.

I’ve heard it said “The quickest way to believe a lie is to repeat it over and over again...

I’ve heard it said “The quickest way to believe a lie is to repeat it over and over again...

The quickest way to believe a lie is to repeat it again...

Did you know that Jesus had labels to? Friend of sinners, glutton, drunkard, blasphemer, threat to Rome......all of the labels given Jesus were not good, they were evil - no different than many of the labels we know about today. Those labeling did not sit down and talk to Jesus - they just knew he was dangerous without as much as a conversation. And he was dangerous, just not in the way that they expected. He turned the world upside down through love - not through any sort of earthly power.

This morning we will be in Luke 7:

Luke 7:36–50 NIV

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

We will see some of these labels in our passage. We see the woman that was interacting with Jesus - S I N N E R - there was no denying she wore this label. In fact, she might as well have had it tattooed on her forehead, she couldn’t shake it. On the flip side we see Simon - someone who was labeled as holy. He would have been the perfect church person that we think about - tithed, helped in every area of the church, intercessor, biblically knowledgeable and I could go on. He was “holy” in the eyes of men in every way.

But I want us to take a moment and imagine how this seen would have played out. We see that Jesus was reclining at the table - his feet would have been out behind him. They didn’t sit in chairs at a table like we do today. Directly in front of Jesus would have been Simon, the host. This woman would have been behind Jesus - he would have been in between them. Between holy host and sinner.

We see in verse 39:

Luke 7:39 NIV

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

A prophet should know these things, right? He should have known that this was not an act of worship but an act of seduction. He should have known that this was a sinful woman. But we see Simon labeling Jesus in this thought. He is taking away the label prophet and replacing it with “not a prophet” or else he would surly know. However, we see Jesus speak in response to Simon in a way that earns him another label - friend of sinners:

Luke 7:40–43 NIV

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Love is empowered by forgiveness. Jesus knew this woman’s intentions were worship. He was able to see past the label that had been given this woman. Dr. Boone writes, “Jesus knows the difference between heartfelt worship and dull routine. He knows the difference between obedience and showing off. He knows the difference between a sacrificial gift and a religious tip. He knows the difference between a glittering image and a pure heart.”

But did you notice that Jesus hadn’t even turned around to look at the woman at this point? But in the following versus we see he does turn:

Luke 7:44–50 NIV

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

IN Jesus’ normal fashion, he turns the tables upside down. Did you notice how the labels changed? From sinner to forgiven. From holy host to little forgiven/little loved. Jesus just turned Simon’s world upside down.

The lesson for us this morning is that the labels that get thrown around in this world are not what truly define us. We need to start to look past the labels as followers of Jesus in order to have discourse with people and see them as Jesus sees them. The only hope we have in reaching people for the Kingdom is to put aside the labels that others give us and those that we give to others. They are not helpful and most of the time prevent conversation that can lead someone to Jesus.

Chuck Lorre, who is a television director often has a 1-second card that pops up at the end of episodes. Here is one that Pastor Cindy reminded me of that is fitting for us today:

The human mind is very adept at labeling. Left to its own devices, it will label situations, things, places, and people. It’s a pretty handy app. Except when it comes to people. Over time those labels tend to solidify. They become all we can see. They become what we experience. The true depth of a person, the breathtaking miracle of their very existence, is replaced with a word. A sound. An assemblage of vowels and consonants. Ink or digital letters on paper or screen. Which is why I sometimes try to look at people and see them, witness them if you will, without immediately attaching a mental label. This is especially fun to do in a crowded public place. After a few minutes of practicing nonjudgmental looking, I find my heart filling with affection for total strangers. It’s an extraordinary experience. I encourage you to try it sometime. Be warned though, when you feel affection, you can’t stop smiling. This may cause total stranger to react fearfully, or, in New York City say, “What the **** are you look’ at you *******.” And all of a sudden you’ve gained a new label.

We need to practice looking at people and not immediately labeling them and then remember that they are labeled by God, just as we are.

Friends, God is the one who defines us. The same God who created you, sent Jesus to die for you, The one who has great plans for your life.

Jesus has taken your labels, your failures, your fears, your sin and nailed it to the cross.

So Whatever labels you are carrying… you are not alone! We see labels even in the day of Jesus, labels that were derogatory, not helpful, not encouraging, and frankly were down right evil.

You Must Remember and Remind yourself that you are Forgiven, Redeemed, Loved, Chosen, Valuable

It is when we remember these labels given to us by God himself are what defines each of us that we can live for God’s Kingdom to our fullest potential. When we focus on these labels we start to label others in the same way - as worthy of love, worthy of forgiveness, worthy to be chose, and valuable. It is at this point where we will see God’s power work through us in incredible ways!

The woman and Simon each had very different labels that changed through their encounter with Jesus. The similarity is the truth that Jesus loves them both and was headed to Calvary to pay for both of there sins. This same Jesus loves