Meditation
on Luke 7:36-8:3
June
16, 2013
***
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat
with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the
table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he
was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of
ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe
his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued
kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.
Now when the
Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a
prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching
him—that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have
something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “Speak.”
“A certain
creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other
fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them.
Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon
answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus
said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
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 bathed my feet with her tears and
dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in
she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her
sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But
the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
Then Jesus said
to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
But those who
were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even
forgives sins?” And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in
peace.”
Soon afterwards
Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good
news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some
women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called
Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of
Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out
of their resources.
***
June is proving to be a busy month for weddings here at Ebenezer. I had
the pleasure of presiding over the wedding of Megan Dikken and Jordan Hegna
yesterday. And next Sunday, I look forward
to presiding over the wedding of Amy Kulberg and Tom Bakker.
The couples that come to me to be married complete about 12 hours of
pre-marital counseling to meet a new state requirement. While at first I was surprised by the
requirement, I have come to believe that it is a very good thing. It allows for
more time to get to know the couple, discuss many important topics, and
especially to bear witness to God’s mercy and grace and our forgiveness in
Jesus Christ. This forgiveness is undeserved, so it humbles us and shapes our
attitudes, relationships, and the way we live our lives.
Some churches have strict
guidelines about who may be married in their churches. Some require both husband and wife to be
baptized in their denomination and at least one of them to be a member. Others have
fewer rules about who may be married, but pastors have the right to decide that
it is unwise for a couple to marry if they feel they lack the maturity,
commitment, and understanding of the faith.
This is true for our denomination.
When a couple requests that I marry them, the first time we meet I try
to put their fears to rest. I assure them that I trust that the Holy Spirit is
in their decision, that their love for one another is a gift from God, and
their coming to me is a work of the Spirit drawing them closer to Him. Then I
make a commitment to pray for them.
I know that some pastors have turned couples away, sometimes for reasons
that aren’t scriptural, simply because they lack mercy and grace for a fellow
servant of the Lord. The hurt from this goes deep and lingers long. The couple
is left feeling judged and rejected by the pastor, the church, and perhaps God
Himself.
***
In our gospel today, Jesus is eating at Simon’s house with the other Pharisees,
trying to bring them back to the true faith of the Lord God of Israel. They have, most certainly, turned away from
our loving and merciful God to serve a false religion of their own making that
reaffirms their own sinful attitudes and selfish way of life. Their self-importance leads them to look down
on other people. Instead of
demonstrating God’s love, mercy, and grace to people in need and seeking to
help them, the Pharisees refuse to associate with them or even acknowledge them
if they pass them on the street. They scorn, judge, and separate themselves
from people whom they label as “sinners.”
And then this “woman of the
city” shows up at the meal and makes a scene.
Crying, pouring expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet and wiping his feet
with her hair. And Jesus, who knows the thoughts and intentions of the human
heart, hears Simon thinking, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind
of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.”
So Jesus tells a story about a creditor who
cancels the debts of one who owes him much and one who owes him little. Who would be more grateful and loving in such
a situation? Of course, the one who owes
the larger debt.
The woman of the city knows that Jesus is the Messiah, the Anointed One,
whom God has given the power to heal and forgive people for their sins. And she longs to be forgiven, healed, and reconciled
with the Lord.
Jesus, knowing the sorrow of her heart and the sincerity of her faith,
tells the Pharisees “that her many sins
have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love.” The Pharisees, who believe that their judgmental
attitude is what their religion requires of them, don’t understand that Jesus
is talking about them when he says “the
one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
***
It is interesting to me that this lectionary reading
ends not with Jesus telling the woman that her sins are forgiven, but goes on
to when Jesus is traveling and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, with
his 12 disciples and the women who had
been cured of evil spirits and infirmities. Women such as Mary Magdalene,
whom some say was the woman of the city who cried and anointed Jesus’s feet. Also
with Jesus were women of means who use what they have to care for the others.
Friends, this scene is a glimpse
of the present and coming Kingdom of God, a place where repentant sinners seek
to love and serve our Redeemer and Lord. God welcomes all to the Kingdom who
trusts in His Son; therefore our church, as a church of Jesus Christ, should
also be welcoming to all who trust in Him.
We cannot expect others to heal
themselves and fix their broken lives before they come to Christ and commune with
His Church. We come to the Lord just as we are. Sinners in need of a
Savior! We are all the children of God, chosen
for His work, but still human and flawed. We are people with broken hearts
needing mending and lives bruised by sin.
We come so that God’s love will
heal us and His Spirit will guide us onto the right path. We come to be strengthened to begin to repair
our broken lives, change our sinful ways, and learn to forgive one another as
God forgives us.
We come so that the Lord may use
us—new creatures in Christ—as instruments of His unconditional, healing love.
Let us pray.
Father, thank you so very much
for your healing love, shown to us in the sacrifice of your one and only Son,
Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Annointed One.
Forgive us for our many sins that we continue to commit every day,
despite our desire to walk in your ways.
May your Spirit strengthen, guide and empower us to live righteously—to
seek you daily to renew our minds and cleanse our hearts of all unrighteousness. And Lord, we pray for our church and our
communities. Bind us together in your love. Help us to be welcoming to all
people. Build up our faith so that we are empowered to share the gospel through
words and deeds. Give us compassion for
people in need, for people who may be difficult to love, and for those who
don’t know you as their Lord. Move us to reach out to them with your
unconditional, healing love. In Christ
we pray. Amen.
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