The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 12, 2016
Luke 7:36-50
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and 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. 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. “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 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?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 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. 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 has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who 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 faith has saved you; go in peace.” (NIV1984)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
True story— or so I am told: A young boy watched as his father walked into the living room. He noticed that his little brother, John, suddenly stopped what he was doing and got a strange look on his face as soon as their father walked into the room. The older boy sensed that John had done something wrong. Then he saw what his little brother had done. John had opened his father’s brand new hymnal and scribbled all over the first page— in pen.
Books were precious to their father. For him, books were knowledge. Both brothers waited to see how their father would react. They watched in silence as their father picked up his prized hymnal and sat down without speaking a word. What their father did next was remarkable. He didn’t get angry. He didn’t yell. He didn’t scold. He simply took the pen out of his youngest son’s hand and alongside the scribbles the little boy had made his father wrote, “John’s work. 1959. Age 2.”
How could it be that a man who loved books so much didn’t even get the least bit angry when one of his sons scribbled in one of his most prized possessions? It’s pretty simple, isn’t it? The father loved his son and with love comes— forgiveness!
The sermon text that we have before us today gives to us a simple yet powerful example of how God’s love and God’s forgiveness come together beautifully for our benefit. Let’s listen closely then, my friends, as the good Lord comforts our hearts this morning with the glorious words: Go in Peace!
Our text for today contains far more material than we could possibly cover in just one sermon. Therefore, I invite you to take out your Bibles or take out your bulletins and follow along as we focus our attention on those portions of our text that tie in directly with our theme for today: Go in Peace!
There are obviously three main individuals highlighted here in our text for today— Simon the Pharisee, a woman “who had lived a sinful life,” and, of course, Jesus of Nazareth. The overriding event that brings these three individuals together is found in the opening verse of our text. Luke introduces us to the first individual when he writes, “Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him.” Luke never tells us why Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner at his house. If we look back to Luke 6:7 it is possible that Simon was one of the Pharisees who were “looking for a reason to accuse Jesus.” If we look back to the beginning of Luke chapter seven and remember what Jesus had recently been doing— healing the centurion’s servant, raising the widow’s son and answering John the Baptist’s question, “Are you the one to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:20) it is certainly possible that Simon may have anticipated that by inviting Jesus to his home for dinner he would have an opportunity to learn more about this Rabbi from Nazareth. What Simon did not anticipate was the unexpected arrival of an uninvited “guest.” Luke tells us, “When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and 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.”
In a very simple yet very powerful way Luke here introduces us to the second individual who plays such a prominent role in this text— “a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town.” Very literally the Greek here reads, “And behold, a woman who in that town was a sinner….” This was a woman who had a reputation— and it certainly was not a good reputation. She may have been a prostitute. She may have been an adulteress. She may have been someone who like the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well had a reputation for sleeping around with a number of different men (See John 4:18). While we do not know exactly why this woman had a reputation for living “a sinful life” it is clear from verse 39 of our text that her sordid reputation in that town was very well known.
So on one side we have Simon the Pharisee— a man who was convinced that he could earn his own way into heaven by obeying the Law and living a “good” and “respectable” life. On the other side we have a woman who had earned a reputation for living a “sinful” life. Who is in the middle? It is Jesus!
As the eternal Son of God Jesus knew the contempt that Simon felt in his heart when he looked at this woman. As this world’s only Savior from sin Jesus uses this opportunity to teach Simon— and to teach us! — a beautiful lesson on God’s love and God’s forgiveness for undeserving sinners. Look at verse 40-43 of our text. Luke writes, “Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii (a denarius was one day’s wage), and the other fifty. 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?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said.”
This is the sweet simple message that Jesus came into this world to proclaim to sinners— sinners like us! As mortal sinful human beings we owed a “debt” to the Lord God, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. Whether it was a “huge” debt or a “not so huge “ debt makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. On our own we could never even begin to pay our “debt” to God! So what did God do? He sent Jesus. He sent His only begotten Son into this world to pay the “debt” for us! Through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary’s hill our “debt” to God has been “canceled.” Amazingly, the Greek word that is translated here in our text as “canceled” comes from the very same family of Greek words that gives us the word for “grace.” In His amazing “grace” God has completely “canceled” your entire debt of sin! How wonderful is that!
How does that tie in with our sermon theme for today: Go in Peace! It’s quite simple. Just look once again at the individuals that we find here in our text. Simon is an example of someone who does not understand God’s amazing “grace.” Simon is an illustration of someone who does not think that he needs God to “cancel” his debt of sin. Simon is the poster-child for someone who thinks that by striving to live a “good” life they “deserve” to get into heaven all on their own. Simon is like the person today who looks down on other people and says, “I thank-you God that I am not like Joe. He’s a really bad sinner.” Simon is the type of person that we all are by nature. If you are not sure you agree with that statement, my friends, just look back over your own life and look deep into your own heart. Have you ever looked down on someone because they do not live up to your “standards”— much less God’s “standards”? Have you ever thought that someone does not “deserve” to be forgiven because what they have done is so much worse than anything you have ever done? Have you ever hesitated— or perhaps refused— to share the message of the cross of Jesus Christ with someone because you were sure that someone “like that” is not going to listen anyway? If so, my friends, then there have been times when you were no different than Simon the Pharisee here in our text. If so, then you would do well to remember that Simon is the type of person who because of his own self-righteous heart will never hear the good Lord say to him, “Go in peace.”
In sharp contrast to Simon the Pharisee there is the woman here in our text. We’ll call her Sally. Even though Sally had a reputation for being a woman “who had lived a sinful life in that town” what did Sally know that Simon did not? Sally knew who Jesus of Nazareth is— the long-awaited Promised Messiah. Sally knew what Jesus came into this world to accomplish (pointing to the cross). Sally knew that even though she did not deserve it, through faith in Jesus her entire debt of sin had been “canceled” by God Himself! Even though people like Simon might still look down on her and mutter, “…she is a sinner,” Sally knew in her heart that the Lord her God would always look at her in His grace and in His mercy and in His love and say to her, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Sally knew that out of love and thankfulness for the grace that the Lord had so richly showered upon her that she not only had to change the way she lived her life, but she also had to find a way to openly proclaim her love and her thankfulness for her Lord— hence the alabaster jar of perfume. Yes, by the grace of God Sally was now a different person! Therefore, out of love and thankfulness Sally would now live her life in a way that revealed to everyone that she is a saved and forgiven child of God.
“Go in peace.” Those are the words that Jesus continues to speak to everyone who confesses their sins, repents of their sins, turns away from their sins and trusts in Him as their only Savior from sin. “Go in peace.” No matter how sordid our past may be, no matter how many “skeletons” are rattling around in our closet, no matter how often or how badly we have stained that beautiful white robe of righteousness that the good Lord Himself gave to us at the time of our baptism those are the words that we hear our Savior speak directly to us every time we approach His altar and humbly receive His holy Supper. “Go in peace.” Those are the words that this cross proclaims to you, my friends, week after week after week. “Go in peace.” Those are the words that now guide your life, the words that now direct your life, the words that now motivate you to openly live your life in such a way that no matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, no matter who you are with everyone will know that you are a saved and forgiven child of God.
“Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” May God grant that like this woman here in our text we will hear those sweet words so clearly in our hearts that our lives will openly proclaim our love for our Savior.
“Go in peace!”
To God be the glory!
Amen