June 17 Sermon – Luke 7:36-50
Today is Fathers’ Day - a time to remind ourselves that being a father
is not an easy job. And some men have
difficulty carrying out its responsibilities.
To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin’s sarcastic comment, “One good father is
worth two good mothers, because, the scarcer things are, the more they’re
valued.”
We do value fathers for they have a high calling.
Hence it is sacrificial love. It
costs a man to be a father. His
preferences may have to be deferred, his desires denied, and regular decisions
that choose putting his family first.
The comparison of a father’s love to that of Christ suggests one more
important point - it is an unconditional love that the family can count on.
Children don’t have to earn their father’s love. Dad doesn’t say I’ll love you if you first
measure up. What makes a father a father
is that he cares about his kids when they don’t measure up - even when they
mess up. He’s
still there for them no matter what they say of do.
That kind of love is hard to put into practice. The only One who can really love in that way
is the Lord.
That is what Paul is writing
about in our 2nd lesson:
“And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus,
so that we might be justified by faith in Christ,
and not by doing works of the law.” Galatians 2:16
We have been made right with God not by what we have
done -- but by what God has done for us through Christ. And we come to know this truth by
faith.
You don’t do a lot of stuff to get saved – to earn your salvation. You are saved by God’s grace – it is a gift –
and that grace and salvation become real in your life through faith in Christ.
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That‘s what Jesus is teaching Simon the Pharisee in today’s gospel,
when He was a guest at his house for dinner. A Pharisee was “a good man in the
worst sense of the word.”
Back then, before chairs were in common use, the dinner table was low,
and one dined in a reclining position.
As they were talking and eating, a woman of the city, who was a public
sinner, came in, weeping and carrying a jar of ointment.
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It must have taken a lot of courage for her to enter a Pharisee’s
house. It reminds me of a true story
about a conversation a policeman had with a prostitute.
She was in horrible shape - hooked on drugs, unable to buy food for he
two year old daughter.
She was desperate for
help, any kind of help.
Finally he said to her: “Have
you ever thought of going to a church for help?”
She was shocked: “You’ve
got to be kidding! Church? Why would I ever go there? I’m already feeling terrible about
myself. I don’t need that kind of guilt trip.”
The woman washed Jesus’ feet, died them with her hair, and anointed
them with oil. Simon and his guests were
shocked by her scandalous behavior. The host thought, If
this man Jesus really had prophetic insight, he would be able to tell what kind
of woman this is – that she is an unclean sinner. How can he let her touch him? Is this any way for a real prophet to behave?
After all, what is religion for if not to enable one to discern between
good and bad, the righteous and the unrighteous?
Simon the Pharisee and Jesus have contrasting responses to the sinful
woman. Simon has an understanding of righteousness
– of being right with God – which causes him to distance himself from her. Association with a sinner would make me
unclean too.
Jesus understands righteousness to mean moving toward her with
forgiveness and blessing. Righteousness
in that sense is the power of God and can be extended to others.
She is an example of those sinners who, as Jesus said know they are
sick and need a physician - of those who know they need the Lord and His
grace. But Simon, who is self-righteous
and rejects her, is an example of sinners who do not know that they are sick –
who think they are just fine - and hence really don’t need help from the
Lord. But they are both sinners – Jesus
ministers to both, and is at the same table with
both. He receives the weeping penitent
with forgiveness. He patiently, though
honestly, instructs the self-righteous Pharisee.
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Having welcomed the sinful woman, Jesus turns his attention to Simon,
the righteous Pharisee, instructing with a little parable. A creditor had two people who owed him
money. One owed a lot; the other a
little. When they could not pay, he
forgave them both. Now which will
love him more?
The one for whom he forgave the greater debt.
That parable, Jesus says, shows the contrast between Simon and the
woman – the contrast between how Simon received Jesus and how she did. He describes her seemingly scandalous
behavior as a kind of hospitality, which Simon had not offered – washing his
feet. She did this to express her love
and gratitude in response to receiving forgiveness.
And so, I tell you, her great love proves that her
many sins have been forgiven.
Because she was forgiven much, she loved much. Acts of love - of charity - are the response
to God’s grace received. Having received
God’s goodness, we pass it on.
On the other hand, Simon is self-righteous, and doesn’t think he needs
any forgiveness. Hence he has no need to
be thankful and loves little
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Where would you be at that dinner at Simon’s house? Maybe some could identify with Simon – good
at being good and religious, upright and spiritual. Others might identify with the sinner who
needs God’s grace. For some, our sin is
in found in our life-style – for others our sin is in our condemnation of
other’s life style. Some sin in their
sinfulness; others sin in their righteousness.
Jesus is at the same table with both, welcomes both, and teaches both.
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All - Simon the Pharisee and the un-named woman of the city, Peter and
Paul, you and I, are really sinners in need of God’s grace – the grace and forgiveness
we freely receive form Christ.
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Jesus has been preaching and bringing the good news of the
One of the criticisms of Jesus was that he showed poor taste in his
choice of dinner companions. This man
eats and drinks with sinners.
The charge is undeniable. In doing so, Jesus demonstrates that he has
come to set us free from all bondage, even the bondage of our narrowly
conceived religion. He has broken down
the barriers between “sinners” and “righteous” – and especially the barriers we
might erect. God’s grace removes the burden of self-righteousness – the burden
of comparing my life to others to show that I am holier than you are – and thus
in God's favor.
Jesus reveals a new kingdom, in which old values, old standards of
insiders and outsiders, sinners and righteous are turned upside down and set in
a new light.
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Remember Jesus said to the woman,
“Your sins are forgiven.”
Those at the table began to question Jesus’ authority to forgive sins,
but Jesus said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
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This scandalous gospel is
printed out in your bulletin, and we look in vain for Jesus’ words “Go
and sin no more.” He said that another
time to someone else, but not this time to this woman of the
streets.
We also look in vain for her repentance - for her promise
to reform her life. It’s not there.
There are no strings, no conditions - just pure grace
- an undeserved gift from God.
His words are simply “your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Her faith - she believed that the Lord would forgive her - and when she
heard his word of forgiveness, she believed that she was forgiven by God
- and so she could go in
peace.
In the catechism Luther says, when we come to communion, we need
only believe the words of Jesus “given for you for the forgiveness
of sins”
- Believe that God loves you with
a faithful, steadfast
love
Believe his promise that he is present
- that he will walk
with you
Believe his word: “Your sins are forgiven
- and like the woman you can go in peace...
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, friend of sinners, help us to remember that we were
outsiders, are sinners, and far from being perfect disciples. And you have come to us, invited and called
us, embraced and forgiven us.
Lord Jesus help us to remember your invitation
and forgiveness – and help us to do the same in our encounters with those whom,
we consider outsiders and sinners.
Lord Jesus, forgive our uncharitable thoughts, our kind words, our
judgmental attitudes.
Renew your Spirit within us, that others may see You
reflected in our lives.