The Gospel of Love (Luke 7:36-50)
Is it hard to keep the zeal going and light a fire under you to do things for God? Is it hard to feel love toward God and have a relationship with him? Often we struggle to pray like we should or study as we should. But hopefully, we are here because we don't want that to be the case anymore. Have you ever seen a zealous Christian who shines so brightly and then stops? Before long, they become like the rest of us or are lost altogether. We don't want to do that either. We want a flame that never goes out.
But how do we become zealous people who remain zealous for a lifetime? How can we be on fire for God all the time? How can we love God more than we do right now? That's the question Jesus will answer for us as Luke recounts a story in Luke 7:36-50.
The Woman
The story begins for us with an unlikely event. A Pharisee has asked Jesus to eat with him. This is interesting because Luke has told us multiple times that the Pharisees have rejected Jesus. They rejected him for spending time with sinners, healing on the Sabbath, and not keeping their traditions. Luke has also told us of the teachings of Jesus that are opposed to the teachings of the Pharisees. So we begin our story with what seems like an unlikely event.
Luke 7:36--38 (ESV) --- 36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
Picture the scene. Jesus and the Pharisee walk into the house, and this Pharisee's wife and servants start cooking. The whole place starts to smell like fresh food. Bread is already on the table. They wash their hands, as was the Pharisee custom, then lay down to eat. Now, we might be confused at this point. Who lays down to eat? None of us are familiar with this kind of ritual. But they would lay down on their sides facing a table low to the ground and put their feet behind them. I imagine the discussion is mainly between Jesus and his disciples, with the Pharisees joining in on the small talk about some political or religious discussions. Several people are gathering around his house. Many of them could walk in and witness the discussion, though they probably would not be invited to sit at the table. That's just the way it was back then. Everyone wants to see Jesus and hear these conversations. Open doors policies were standard during meals, although we might be disturbed by such a thing today.
Another visitor comes in about the time the food is ready, but her presence stops all conversation. She's got something in her hands, and she approaches Jesus. No one greets her. No one says anything to her. They stop and stare. They cringe as they watch her approach him. How embarrassing that must have been for her. Have you ever felt embarrassed for someone who didn't belong? Have you ever wanted to go back in time and stop something from happening? That is probably what is going on in many visitors' minds. While others are thinking, "We haven't eaten yet, and things are already getting awkward. She is ruining everything!" She is a sinner. That's all that is revealed about her sin, but her reputation was such that everyone knew what she had done. She is a "woman of the city," and she would not have been invited to listen to these discussions.
She is crying while standing over Jesus. The crying turns into weeping, and she bows down at his feet. As the tears pour out of her, they hit Jesus' feet. She sees the dirt that is mixing with her tears. His feet are dirty. She doesn't have a rag and wouldn't ask for one because that would be inappropriate. She touches his feet. She uses her hair to wipe the dirty tears away. Then she kisses his feet repeatedly. She takes what she brought and opens it. It's an alabaster that fills the room with a sweet smell. She pours the fragrant oil on his feet as she continues to kiss his feet. Everyone stares.
Simon Responds
Luke 7:39 (ESV) --- 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
If he were a prophet, he would not let her touch him like this. Pharisees did not touch those who were sinners because they viewed sin as a disease that would spread to them. Can you imagine walking by a prostitute, and she wants to touch you? The text doesn't tell us she is a prostitute, but if she was, imagine Jesus allowing her to touch him and kiss his feet. Who knows how many men that mouth has kissed! How disgusting is it for Jesus to allow this to go on? He must have no idea who she is. The Pharisee tells himself, "Oh well, it's too bad we spent all this effort on another fake prophet.
Jesus Responds
Jesus knows who the woman is and what the Pharisee is thinking. Listen to his response...
Luke 7:40--43 (ESV) --- 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Jesus knows what the Pharisee is thinking. He calls him by his name and tells him this parable. The idea in the parable is a simple one to understand. Having more debt canceled would make us happier. If we owed $100,000 and were called to pay the debt off today, can you imagine the stress we would be under? We would have to sell everything, and even then, we couldn't pay. Then, the owner of the bank calls and says not to worry about it. Would you kiss him and hug him for that generosity? If we had the same thing happen but with $10,000, we would still be grateful but not as grateful. We might have come closer to paying that debt off. What man in their right mind would cancel such huge debts? That kind of grace and generosity is not common in our world. Not many of us will experience being forgiven $10,000, much less $100,000.
Why did Jesus give this parable? He explains the parable by turning his back to Simon...
Luke 7:44--49 (ESV) --- 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven---for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
Jesus turns toward the woman weeping behind him and asks Simon if he sees this woman. Then Jesus lays out a comparison between Simon and the "sinful woman." 1. He never gave Jesus the common courtesy of having a servant wash his feet. 2. He never greeted Jesus in his home with a kiss. 3. He didn't give him any cheap oil to refresh himself with after being out in the hot sun. She has gone above and beyond by using her tears, hair, and mouth on his feet and pouring a costly oil. She has shown great love for Jesus. Why? She was forgiven much.
What's The Point?
What a story this is! The parable's point is to show how much more the woman loved Jesus than Simon. She loved much because she was forgiven much, while someone forgiven a small amount would not love as she has loved. I would like us to look at each character in the story and see how this can help us be more zealous for the Lord.
Simon
Simon the Pharisee has spent years learning the law and attempting to live a pure and sinless life. He was probably blessed with good parents who sent him to good schools and took him to the synagogue. He was "brought up in the pews." But he missed who Jesus was. To him, the Messiah was coming to save the righteous from a sinful world instead of saving the sinful world from judgment. He sees himself as righteous in comparison to sinners like that woman. His thoughts toward the woman show that he views her as unworthy of forgiveness. But his sins were a small thing. His actions toward Jesus were hospitable, but he was missing the zeal and love for Jesus that would have been appropriate for a sinner like him.
The Sinful Woman
Look at the way she treats Jesus. Look at this woman's humility as she washes Jesus' feet with her own tears and hair. Who would do such a thing? She also considers him worthy of having this costly oil poured out on his feet instead of his head. She loved Jesus more than Simon and was focused on serving him because the forgiveness she received was worth more than anything she had to give. All the years she had spent in rebellion against God have brought her shame and guilt, which are now removed and make her willing to risk embarrassment to serve Jesus.
Jesus
Jesus was patient with Simon. He was willing to go into the house of a Pharisee. He allowed anyone to accept his message and receive his blessing. As the story goes on, Simon's motivations become clear. He was evaluating Jesus, and Jesus was allowing himself to be evaluated. He allowed himself to be treated disrespectfully by this Pharisee who refused to offer him common courtesies of that day. We might ask, "Why would Jesus spend time with this man?" He loves him too. He came to seek and save all of the lost.
Not only was he patient with Simon, but Jesus was also compassionate with the sinful woman. When the sinful woman enters the scene, we see that she is broken, and Jesus has compassion for her. The parable and explanation Jesus gives are most interesting because it challenges those who were the religious elite to become more like the sinful woman and stop trying to evaluate Jesus with skepticism. Jesus has proven himself repeatedly with power and wisdom, expecting the religious elite to conform to God's tender and compassionate ways as Jesus demonstrates them. Here we find the underlying issue. They are too proud of how little debt they have acquired to recognize that they can not pay and love a God who offers forgiveness.
What about us?
The story makes two critical points. First, it answers the question, "How should we treat a sinful person?" Would we be like Simon with a cold heart toward those who are broken and turning to God for guidance? When we have someone walk through the door, do we put up a wall to separate them and us, or do we appreciate their desire to turn to seek God? We must be warm and compassionate toward those seeking forgiveness and be reminded of our similarities.
The second point of this story is to answer our initial question, "How do we have a zeal for God?" How do we become zealous for God? To find greater zeal and love for God, we must consider ourselves the greatest of sinners. We must understand that we can't pay back a dollar of what we owe. We can't shrug our shoulders and be apathetic when we realize that truth. The only way we could stop being zealous toward God is if we forget how great a gift we receive every day. I pray that we never forget. I pray that we continue to learn about how great his love has been toward us. He has blessed us in ways we don't even know about. We must show our love and zeal for God as the sinful woman did.
This is the gospel of God's love for us. It should create love in us that endures embarrassment to glorify our savior. Do you know your sin is more significant than you can afford to pay?
Conclusion
This story ends in verse 50 with Jesus turning to the sinful woman and telling her to leave the house of this sinful Pharisee because "your faith has saved you." If that scene doesn't make your heart come alive, I don't know what will. While the people in the house continue to question Jesus, I imagine this woman rejoicing at the love she has found. We are all sinners like her. There is not one good person in this room. But when we come broken to the feet of Jesus, he makes us clean, not because we are so good, but because he loves us. It's terrific news. We leave his feet feeling refreshed and ready to use our opportunities to worship and serve God with love. If you've lost that zeal, you can find it again. Who will leave here zealously and rejoicing over what God has done for them?