Luke's Gospel

We haven't been here for the last few weeks. We've been going through a series in the book of Luke, and we're gonna be continuing on, tonight. With the next section. So that's page 10 36. Before we read, let me pray, and then we'll, we'll read Hermany father, thank you so much that this is your life giving Holy Spirit Word.

We praise you that you've given us your words so that we can know you and know just what you have done for us. So please, will you make our hearts good soil now to your word? Will you please help us to put out of our minds and hearts for other things, other distractions? Other things we're thinking about, please fix our rising hearts on Jesus now. And will you please help us to know and love you more.

Please help Pete as he preaches now, help him to point us to you faithfully. So we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. It luke 7 verse 36 to 50. When 1 of the pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the pharisees house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Faracy's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.

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 pour perfume on them. 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. Jesus answered him. Simon, I have something to tell you.

Tell me teacher, he said. 2 people owed money to a certain money lender, 1 note in 500 and the other 50. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the depths of both. Now, which of them will love him more? Simon replied, I suppose the 1 who had the bigger debt forgiven.

You have judged correctly, Jesus said. Then you turned towards 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. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman from the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet.

You did not put oil on my head, but she is poor perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you her many sins have been forgiven as her great love has shown, but whoever has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, your sins are forgiven. The other guests began to say among themselves, who is this who even forgives sins? Jesus said to the woman, your face has saved you.

Go in peace. Well, keep that keep that open. I don't know whether I don't know whether you've ever been to a dinner party where, you know, you're invited as a guest, but actually, you know, halfway through the dinner you think gosh, I I wish I wasn't here. I've been to several of them. People in this no.

But you, you know, either the host or something has a has an argument or, you know, gets all very embarrassing, or you just suddenly realize that you're not actually very welcome, or that not only are you not welcome at actually you're just in a different class, and you're not going down very well, and everything you say is is sort of going down badly. And when you get out of that, finally get out of that party. It's such a relief. You know, it's it's a way A few years or many years ago, actually, I was invited as a guest speaker at a dinner party, and the dinner party was at the Masonic lodge. I was the guest speaker at a masonic lodge.

Now, if you if you don't know what the masons are, the masons are really an all male secret sort of semi religious business sort of cults that are into the occult. The whole thing is based on, occult stuff. Sort of weird satanic sort of stuff. And so it was a very strange and unique invitation for me to be the guest after dinner speaker. There was probably about 80 men there.

It was a really horrible occasion in in lots of ways. It was a 4 course meal, addressed up due. The only women there were all very, very young, all wearing very short black dresses, and it was a really horrible occasion of how the men treated those those women. But it wasn't long I wasn't there very long before I realized I wasn't there just as the guest speaker. I was there to be insulted and mocked.

That's why I was there. That's how I got in. And I didn't realize that at the time, but it didn't take long for me to realize I was on the top table. There were 3 of us on the top table, and, all the other men were on tables, you know, and we were sitting facing all the other men. There was me.

I forget the actual titles of these men now. There was the grand master. That was the title of the lodge. He was sitting there. And between me and the grand master was the sort of deputy grand master.

I'm not quite sure what he was called, but he was like the the second in command. He hated me. He wouldn't speak to me. There's 3 of us on the table. He didn't say anything to me, but he spoke about me to the grand master throughout the meal.

He put me down to the grand master so that I could hear. It was a really horrible occasion. And I sat there chickening out. I had to stand up and speak and didn't know what to do. And I went to the toilet and prayed, lord, I can't do this.

This is too scary. I'll just give my testimony. I'll just tell my story quickly. They can't argue with that and sit down. As I stood up, I was introduced in a fairly fairly bad terms.

Here is a man that, well, he isn't a vicar, obviously. Look at the way he's dressed. But he's come to address us. As I stood up, I don't know whether it was anger. But I did feel a boldness at that moment.

And as I spoke, the deputy Grand Master her, drew on the table cloth, a white table cloth, 6 6 6, and pictures of Satan and horns to try to put me off. It actually really encouraged me to be quite honest. And I went for it. And, then there was a question time. And in the question time, I was insulted It was things like you're not a real minister, are you?

I was put down, all that I was said was was joked at, mocked. Until right at the end, 1 man stood up and said, Do you know what? I think why we're all angry in this room is because what he said is true about us, and I, for 1, I'm quite impressed. I wanna find out more, Pete, And that was the end of the meeting. Now, I tell that story because I I want to show you that this is exactly the sort of thing that's going on here.

Want you to sort of get into this story here. Here is a dinner party, and it all looks very good. And there's this pharisee and he invites Jesus as the guest of honor. Perhaps, actually, as the after dinner speaker, because Jesus was a rabbi and a teacher, but he's asked him, look at verse 36 of chapter 7 of Luke's gospel. When 1 of the pharisees invited Jesus to end, to have dinner with him.

He went to the Farris's house and reclined at table. Now my first point I want to show you is that he is a horrible host. That's the first thing I want you to see. He's a horrible host. Just like those masons for me.

A horrible host. Now I hadn't seen this, I have to say, until this week. When I reread this story for this sermon. I I'd I'd known that the pharisee, in this event was a very bad host. I knew he was a bad host.

But I I don't think I'd read it properly. He's a horrible host. He's deliberately out to humiliate Jesus, like those Masons were with me deliberately out to humiliate. This is an invitation to insult. He's got Jesus around his house as a guest to insult him.

That's what's going on here. And I guess probably show off to his, pharisee fraternal. Look how he insults this man. See, what you gotta get here is that the hosting of a dinner party had lots of etiquette. There was there was lots of expected courtesies in those days when you when you put, when you when you put, a dinner party on.

And the fact that this man is a pharisee. He would have known all those rulers. The pharisees loved the rules. They loved the etiquette. They loved social conventions.

So it couldn't be that he didn't know about these social conventions. He was a pharisee and actually normally these pharisees would be outraged at anyone that blip broke the rules. So this Pharacy, as I'll show you, didn't just break the rules. He deliberately broke the rules. He was a horrible host, and he's deliberately out to be offensive.

And that's why he's got Jesus around. See, normally what happens is that you would arrive in those days, the way they did it, you would arrive as a guest if you're if you're a guest of honor, particularly like Jesus, you would arrive as a guest. You'd be greeted with a kiss on the face. You would be put on a on a seat. Which would be a place of honor.

And if you were a rabbi, particularly, distinguished guest, you would have this place of honor. People would sit on stools around you and around this u shaped table that had, a particular Roman name and then water and olive oil would be brought to, you know, put on your head and to wash your feet. And only when that had happened, then there would be thank giving to god for the food, would you then recline at the table? They laid down to eat. It was a very odd thing.

You would recline at the table and then you would eat the food that was served to you. But what I've just said is the bare minimum. The guest would be kissed There'd be water, there'd be oil, there would be honor, thanksgiving, and then the food. But none of that happened here. None of that happened around the Farris' house.

None of these conventions. In fact, you can see, Jesus says, you did not 3 times in verses 44 to 46. When Jesus rebukes this pharisee, he says I came into your house. You did not give me water for my feet. You did not Give me a kiss.

You did not put oil on my head. Do you see? And I want you to get this. This isn't the pharisee just simply making mistake. It's not sort of, you know, he's he he he's stop making this sort of social faux pas, you know, where he got the knife and fork the wrong way round.

And, oh, I'm really sorry, or he passed the wine in a different way or put the wine in the wrong sort of flagging or something like that. This isn't just a sort of mistake. This is a deliberate set up. These were well known worked out conventions, and he's a pharisee that would be deliberate about this. But what he's doing is having a laugh.

At the expense of Jesus. He calls him teacher or rabbi. Now in those days, if a rabbi came to a feast, it was said that there was divine presence there. So you treated the rabbi like divine presence. Because because the rabbi is a teacher of god and and and god is gonna teach me and so you you treated him as the respect of as if there's divine there.

He wasn't treated like that whatsoever. This was the pharisee saying, I don't believe you're a real teacher. I'm gonna show you up You're no rabbi of mine. You're not from God. So there's the first point.

A horrible host. Really horrible. Here's the second thing. A hysterical guest The Farris' treatment of Jesus produces outrage in an uninvited guest. Someone who's hiding in the shadows because they weren't an acceptable sort of person to have at a party.

Steps out of the shadows though into the spotlight because of the way Jesus has been treated. She doesn't come out smiling. She doesn't come out smirking. She doesn't come out thinking this was a great joke to put Jesus down. She sees this calculated attempt to mock Jesus.

And she sobs. She sobs She cries enough tears to wet and wash Jesus' feet. So this isn't just sort of wet eyes. This isn't just sort of damp, little drops in the eyes that she can wipe with her hand or on her sleeve. This is massive sobbing going on, enough to be able to wash someone's feet with, look at verse 38.

As she stood behind him, At his feet weeping. Here's Jesus lying down. Remember reclining, and she's behind him at his feet. She began to wet his feet with her tears and then she wiped them with her hair and kissed them and poured perfume on them. Who is this woman?

Who is this hysterical guest that's come out of the shadows, uninvited, bawling her eyes out Look at verse 37. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the pharisees house So she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet, we ping. She began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

Now when it says, here is a woman from the town that lived a sinful life. It's it's a euphemism, you know, we use, you know, it's like a woman of the night or, you know, or a core girl. So it's this is a prostitute. Yeah? She's a prostitute.

That's what it's saying. And so what is she doing here? Well, she's been there since the moment of this humiliation We know that because she'd seen the whole horrible plan to humiliate Jesus. But you've got to get it. It's very different today because in those days, if there were dinner party going on.

They're a bit of a spectator sport, you know, in the village. And particularly if a famous rabbi is coming to town, everybody came out and looked through the window. And there were open planned houses much more, and everybody so there's a hive of activity going on. So that's how she's there. And so she could have easily snuck into the house because of the the buzz that was going around and everybody's looking at Jesus and and this pharisee and but actually she turns not into a spectator.

She comes out into center stage. That's the remarkable thing about this woman. She steps out into the limelight, and I want you to remember that. Now the implication is And it's really more than an implication that she had met Jesus before because she doesn't get her sins forgiven. By what she does to Jesus, her sins are already forgiven.

That's what's happened. So she seems to have met Jesus before and undoubtedly has, and her sins are forgiven verse 47 says they are forgiven. So she's come to this house knowing that all that she's ever done are forgiven that she is right with god. And she comes in appreciation. Originally bringing some perfume, very expensive perfume, probably an heirloom, probably her her savings.

All of her money is in this. This is very expensive stuff. And Alabaster jar is just worth a lot of money and the perfume in it. And she she's coming to Jesus and perhaps to present to him to give to him for the work. I don't I don't know why she's coming, but she's coming in grateful appreciation because her sins are already forgiven.

She loves this man. And she's in the shadows just wanting to see him again. And perhaps when he was leaving, she would say, I love you. Here's a gift. This will go to the workup, perhaps.

That sort of stuff was going on. But what she sees horrifies her She's in the shadows hiding away because she's a woman of the night. And she knows what it is to be shamed and mocked and put down. And a scum. And she sees Jesus treated like she's been treated.

Mocked, laughed at, humiliated. No 1 wants to touch Jesus. No one's kissing Jesus. No oil for Jesus. No cleaning of his feet.

And she's standing there in the shadows perhaps. His feet are outstretched, and he's reclining up and the meal, and she weeps. I don't think now because of her sin. I think she's appalled. Why would they treat my savior like this?

It could be rage. She might be angry, and these are tears of anger. They may be pity. I know what it is to be shamed and they're shaming him. They're shaming my love.

But but whatever it is it tears of love, whether they're pity or anger or both. Other men had scorned her, but not this man. She'd heard the message from a man who is a friend of sinners, even to her, a friend of sinners. He's my friend. He's my savior.

I am forgiven. I my slate was wiped clean. I've been given a fresh start. He's a friend of sinners. He's my friend.

And now they're humiliating him. And she comes out, wanting to protect him. She'd probably ask for a bowl of water to wash his feet, but no one's gonna listen to her. So she washes her feet with her tears. And then she does the unthinkable.

She breaks 2 social taboos. 2 social conventions are broken. She steps out and breaks these taboos deliberately maybe. The pharisee had If the pharisee can break social conventions to humiliate Jesus, why can't she break them to show her love for him? So she lets down her hair in public outrageous.

It's like taking a top off It's outrageous. It has sexual connotations, but actually more than that. Of course, the critics of her and the critics of Jesus would just focus in on the sex. That's what they still do, isn't it? But it was more than just sex.

When the bride and the bridegroom on their honeymoon were first together. The woman would let her hair down, and it was a sign of covenant love I love you. We're in relationship together. We're in covenant relationship together. You get it actually in song of songs that we've been looking at.

In, in, sun on Sunday morning. So as long as chapter 4, you see it there. She's letting her hair down. It's not just a sexual connotation It's much deeper and much more beautiful and much more than that. It's saying that I'm in relationship in a sense that I'm in covenant with you.

And I offer my commitment to you. That's what it's saying. Publicly committing to you. Who are humiliated? The 1 that's at center of humiliation, I'm coming out and standing with you.

That's the first thing she she does. She lets her head down. The second thing is she touches him. I mean, that's a terrible taboo. She touches him.

There would have been touching and gosh, gasps. Look at verse 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. Oh my goodness. It makes me ill to think of it.

And what kind of woman she is that she is sinner. Now, do you see what this woman is doing? She's trying in the only way that she knows how to side with Jesus to ease his pain to be ashamed and a shame along with this 1 who is ashamed, who's who's treated as shameful. She's risking even the little reputation that she might have in doing this. It's quite risky what she son.

You can hear people saying she thinks she's forgiven. Look at the slut. Look at what she does. She thinks she's forgiven and right with god. She hasn't changed.

Look at her, letting her hair down and touching a man. A dirty horror. But I don't know about you, but I find this deeply moving story. It is an amazing story. This woman is prepared to pay the pay the price of further ridicule and mocking that she might stand with Jesus, who is being mocked And of course, get this.

This whole hysterical scene from this uninvited guest and this sobbing woman proves to the pharisee that he had got Jesus right Don't it? He's not a holy man. Is he? Look at verse 38 again. When the Faracy who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, He would know who's touching him and what kind of woman she is that she's a sinner.

Now you've gotta get You gotta get this because, unfortunately, when we think of a prostitute today, we we Hollywood sells prostitutes, you know, like they're beautiful people. You know, they're always really good looking. They're they're fairly sympathetic. They're they're just doing a job. They've got stable character, but prostitutes aren't like that.

Even if you see pictures of prostitutes to try to get men to you know, sign up that they're always nice looking women, great figures. You know, they're they're so quite beautiful. But that's that's not true of most, is it? The picture of the woman standing behind Jesus who snuck into this is a woman caked with cheap makeup and cheap jewelry. An unstable personality with syphilisic sores all over her, arms that show that she's been taking banned substances to get her through her horrible career.

She's hard and cynical, tough character. That's what prostitutes are really like. But knocked by men again and again. So this is a scandal as far as the pharisee is seen. He sees this woman still with her cheap makeup on, or maybe it's wiped off.

And now she she she looks as ugly as she really is. This whore. And all of her venereal diseases are very seen all over her face and arms. And and he sneers at her because he still calls her the sinner. If only Jesus knew what this sinner was was actually like, she's disgusting She's torn families apart with her prostitution.

Isn't god pro family? Well, surely, wouldn't be pro, this sort of woman. Isn't isn't isn't goded for purity and sex within marriage, where she's flouted god's law, So Jesus is no man of god. Is he for this cheap hussy? So I think this ferrissey must have felt really smug, don't you?

He'd put on this dinner party to humiliate Jesus, and he hadn't planned for this, and it's gone absolutely the right way. It hasn't it? Jesus has just been shown shown up. He's not a man of god at all. And I I bet you the pharisee was thinking this is so good.

I put this dinner party on. I thought it'd be a late night, but this has now stopped the party. I've proved my point. I can even go to bed early content. I've done what I wanted to do to mock Jesus and this has done it.

Thank you, Old Hall. Which leads me onto my third point. Cause there are 3 people in this story, And 1 of them is Jesus, and Jesus is a rabbi, and Jesus is a prophet. Look at verse 39 again. Just look at it.

When the pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself. Yeah? If this man were a prophet, he would know who was touching him, and what kind of woman she is. That she is a sinner. That's in his head.

Look at verse 40. Look at verse 40. Look at it. Jesus answered him. Right?

That's brilliant, isn't it? He's thinking this, and Jesus says, I know exactly what you're thinking. I know what's on your heart. I know you. I'm not only a prof it.

I'm not only a prophet. I'm a mind reader. I mean, it's brilliant. 1 minute, He doesn't even know who she is. Next minute, he knows everything about my thoughts and what's in my heart.

Very scary. And then it gets personal. Because it's right at this moment. This is why Luke is such a good storyteller. It's right at this moment that we now know that the pharisee has a name and his name is Simon.

He's called the pharisee up until this point, and now he's called Simon because Jesus is getting up and personal. He's in his head, and now it's personal. And Jesus the teacher now is let free. Here's the after dinner speech. Here's what he's gonna go for.

Jesus answered him. Simon, I know you. See, I know you. I have something to tell you. Tell me teacher, he said.

2 men owed money to a certain money lender. 1 owned, owed him 500 dollars and the other 50. Neither of them had the money to pay him back. So he canceled the debts of both now. Which of them will love him more.

It's a very easy little story, isn't it? 2 men who money lender money. 1 owes 10 times as much as the other, but neither of them can pay back. So they're both in the search situation of not being unable to pay. 50 Denari is about a month and a half's wages.

500 Denari is about a year's wage and neither of them can pay them back. And then Simon, now we know his name, replied, I suppose I love that. You remember he's a pharisee. He knows the law. He's, he he loves the details of stuff and he he he he's forced into this, isn't it?

Oh, I suppose you can, you know, he knows something's going on. He knows he's he's He's actually he thought the night was over and he was gonna have an early night. And now he knows he's in with a fight. Not only does Jesus know his thinking, he's trapped him. I suppose The 1 who had the bigger debt canceled.

You have judged correctly, Jesus said. Simon, he says, personal. 2 people owed a debt, and Simon, you're 1 of them. See, there are only 2 people in the story other than Jesus, even though there would have been a crowd there. There are only 2 people identified, and there are 2 people in this story now.

2 people at the dinner party, 2 people that I'm picking on. Simon, you're in debt. Simon You're in debt. It doesn't matter that you may be in less debt than someone else. Simon, your bank balance is in the red.

You are in debt. You may not be in debt as big as the prostitute, but Simon, you are in debt. You see, 1 of the ways of trying to make us feel better about our debt is to look at someone else's debt, isn't it? You know, that's 500, isn't it? It's only 50?

And that's what he's doing, isn't it? He's thinking, I'm I'm good enough for god. I'm I'm better than god. I'm not like that whore. It's Faraces always like people that are worse than themselves.

They can always point at it. Verse 39. When the pharisee who had invited him saw saw this, He said to himself, if this were a a prophet, he would know who's touching him, and what kind of woman she is. That she is a sinner. She's the sinner.

If anyone's gonna be excluded from god, if anyone needs their debt paid, it's this filthy whore and she's so in debt that actually god could never pay it. I'm not as bad as that. That's his attitude. I'm a good pharisee. I'm a good pharisee.

Jesus is saying, do you know what, Simon? You are exactly in the same problem as the with all your religion. You're in debt. You owe god. You owe god your life.

You owe god your breath. You owe god your upbringing. You owe god your food. You are debtted to god. You are just as much in debt to god as anybody else.

You can't pay it. So it doesn't matter if it's got an extra naught on or not. You failed. With all your respectability, you're in debt. You're in debt, Simon.

What you need, Simon is a savior is a forgiver, just like this woman. You need a debt payer. You need to stop looking at yourself Raising up your religious pennies to try to pay off your debt, counting out your little laws to try to pay up your debt. You need someone to come into your life and pay off your debt. You're so busy looking at the pennies you're saving up.

You haven't realized that you'll never pay it off. You need a debt payer. And do you see what Jesus is claiming in this story, by the way? He's claiming to be much more than just a teacher. Look, how think about the story, though.

The story is clearly about forgiveness of debt. Yeah. The money lender clearly is god whom we've built up a whole load of unpaid debt. And yet verse 48, look, The 1 who forgives those debts, the 1 who forgives those sins, is Jesus. Do you see what he's claiming here?

Simon. We're up and personal now, mate. Who's the 1 in the greatest debt? Simon, you are. You really are.

Because the debt payer came to your house and you mocked it. You mocked it, Simon. You mocked the debt payer. You mocked the divine presence, the rabbi, the prophet, the son of a living god who's come into your house, and you have mocked him. It doesn't matter that you've lived a better life than this woman that you're pointing at as a sinner.

She's been forgiven. All her debts been paid, but you counting your pennies and think you can pay it off and you have blasphemed. We're living god in your presence. Now do you see the fruit of what it's like to be a forgiven person? It's all about Jesus, you see.

Because when you're forgiven, and when you know your sins are forgiven, you love the 1 that's put to shame. And even people mock him, and even people crucify him, and even people who put his name down and laugh at it, and even people that drag the name of Jesus through the dust. When you hear that, He wanna come out of the shadows. Outraged about how dare people would treat my savior like this? Because we love him, because he loved us.

When you're forgiven, you love. When you're counting your pennies like the Faracy Simon, You don't love, you mock. That's exactly what the cross does, isn't it? Why don't people come to a crucified savior who died on the cross to pay for our sin. Why not?

Because I don't want him. That's the place of shame and mockery. And I wanna pay my price. My I've got my pennies here. So where are you in this story?

Who are you, Either Faracy, you've Simon, or are you someone that you know has been so loved that even when Jesus is being mocked at work or being criticized or laughed at you come out of the shadows, and stand by him and love him. Will he stand by your savior and love him. Father god, you know everyone in this room. You know how this story opens up our lives by your spirit. Would you be kind, cause us to be people that know that Jesus is the savior, our sins are forgiven, and that we would love him.

And that even if he's being shamed, And even if he's being mocked and crucified, we would come out of the shadows and stand by him In Jesus' name, we pray these things,