The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
\nJune 12, 2016
\nLuke 7:36-50<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.\u00a0 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\u2014that she is a sinner.”\u00a0 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 “Tell me, teacher,” he said.\u00a0 “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender.\u00a0 One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.\u00a0 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.\u00a0 Now which of them will love him more?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.”\u00a0 “You have judged correctly,\u201d<\/em> Jesus said.\u00a0 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?\u00a0 I came into your house.\u00a0 You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.\u00a0 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.\u00a0 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.\u00a0 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven\u2014for she loved much.\u00a0 But he who has been forgiven little loves little.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”\u00a0 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 (NIV1984)<\/p>\n Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n True story\u2014 or so I am told:\u00a0 A young boy watched as his father walked into the living room.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The older boy sensed that John had done something wrong.\u00a0 Then he saw what his little brother had done.\u00a0 John had opened his father\u2019s brand new hymnal and scribbled all over the first page\u2014 in pen.<\/p>\n Books were precious to their father.\u00a0 For him, books were knowledge.\u00a0 Both brothers waited to see how their father would react.\u00a0 They watched in silence as their father picked up his prized hymnal and sat down without speaking a word.\u00a0 What their father did next was remarkable.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t get angry.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t yell.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t scold.\u00a0 He simply took the pen out of his youngest son\u2019s hand and alongside the scribbles the little boy had made his father wrote, \u201cJohn\u2019s work.\u00a0 1959. Age 2.\u201d<\/p>\n How could it be that a man who loved books so much didn\u2019t even get the least bit angry when one of his sons scribbled in one of his most prized possessions?\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty simple, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 The father loved his son and with love comes\u2014 forgiveness!<\/p>\n The sermon text that we have before us today gives to us a simple yet powerful example of how God\u2019s love and God\u2019s forgiveness come together beautifully for our benefit.\u00a0 Let\u2019s listen closely then, my friends, as the good Lord comforts our hearts this morning with the glorious words:\u00a0 Go in Peace!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Our text for today contains far more material than we could possibly cover in just one sermon.\u00a0 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:\u00a0 Go in Peace!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n There are obviously three main individuals highlighted here in our text for today\u2014 Simon the Pharisee, a woman \u201cwho had lived a sinful life,\u201d<\/em> and, of course, Jesus of Nazareth.\u00a0 The overriding event that brings these three individuals together is found in the opening verse of our text.\u00a0 Luke introduces us to the first individual when he writes, \u201cNow one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Luke never tells us why Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner at his house.\u00a0 If we look back to Luke 6:7 it is possible that Simon was one of the Pharisees who were \u201clooking for a reason to accuse Jesus.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 If we look back to the beginning of Luke chapter seven and remember what Jesus had recently been doing\u2014 healing the centurion\u2019s servant, raising the widow\u2019s son and answering John the Baptist\u2019s question, \u201cAre you the one to come, or should we expect someone else?\u201d<\/em> (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.\u00a0 What Simon did not anticipate was the unexpected arrival of an uninvited \u201cguest.\u201d\u00a0 Luke tells us, \u201cWhen a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee\u2019s 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.\u00a0 Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 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\u2014 \u201ca woman who had lived a sinful life in that town.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Very literally the Greek here reads, \u201cAnd behold, a woman who in that town was a sinner\u2026.\u201d <\/em>This was a woman who had a reputation\u2014 and it certainly was not a good reputation.\u00a0 She may have been a prostitute.\u00a0 She may have been an adulteress.\u00a0 She may have been someone who like the Samaritan woman at Jacob\u2019s well had a reputation for sleeping around with a number of different men (See John 4:18).\u00a0 While we do not know exactly why this woman had a reputation for living \u201ca sinful life\u201d<\/em> it is clear from verse 39 of our text that her sordid reputation in that town was very well known.<\/p>\n So on one side we have Simon the Pharisee\u2014 a man who was convinced that he could earn his own way into heaven by obeying the Law and living a \u201cgood\u201d and \u201crespectable\u201d life.\u00a0 On the other side we have a woman who had earned a reputation for living a \u201csinful\u201d<\/em> life.\u00a0 Who is in the middle?\u00a0 It is Jesus!<\/p>\n As the eternal Son of God Jesus knew the contempt that Simon felt in his heart when he looked at this woman.\u00a0 As this world\u2019s only Savior from sin Jesus uses this opportunity to teach Simon\u2014 and to teach us! \u2014 a beautiful lesson on God\u2019s love and God\u2019s forgiveness for undeserving sinners.\u00a0 Look at verse 40-43 of our text.\u00a0 Luke writes, \u201cJesus answered him, \u2018Simon, I have something to tell you.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Tell me, teacher,\u2019 he said.\u00a0 \u2018Two men owed money to a certain moneylender.\u00a0 One owed him five hundred denarii<\/em> (a denarius was one day\u2019s wage), and the other fifty.\u00a0 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both.\u00a0 Now which of them will love him more?\u2019\u00a0 Simon replied, \u2018I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018You have judged correctly,\u2019 Jesus said.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This is the sweet simple message that Jesus came into this world to proclaim to sinners\u2014 sinners like us!\u00a0 As mortal sinful human beings we owed a \u201cdebt\u201d to the Lord God, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.\u00a0 Whether it was a \u201chuge\u201d debt or a \u201cnot so huge \u201c debt makes absolutely no difference whatsoever.\u00a0 On our own we could never even begin to pay our \u201cdebt\u201d to God!\u00a0 So what did God do?\u00a0 He sent Jesus.\u00a0 He sent His only begotten Son into this world to pay the \u201cdebt\u201d for us!\u00a0 Through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill our \u201cdebt\u201d to God has been \u201ccanceled.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Amazingly, the Greek word that is translated here in our text as \u201ccanceled\u201d<\/em> comes from the very same family of Greek words that gives us the word for \u201cgrace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 In His amazing \u201cgrace\u201d<\/em> God has completely \u201ccanceled\u201d<\/em> your entire debt of sin!\u00a0 How wonderful is that!<\/p>\n How does that tie in with our sermon theme for today:\u00a0 Go in Peace!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 It\u2019s quite simple.\u00a0 Just look once again at the individuals that we find here in our text.\u00a0 Simon is an example of someone who does not understand God\u2019s amazing \u201cgrace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Simon is an illustration of someone who does not think that he needs God to \u201ccancel\u201d<\/em> his debt of sin.\u00a0 Simon is the poster-child for someone who thinks that by striving to live a \u201cgood\u201d life they \u201cdeserve\u201d to get into heaven all on their own.\u00a0 Simon is like the person today who looks down on other people and says, \u201cI thank-you God that I am not like Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019s a really bad sinner.\u201d\u00a0 Simon is the type of person that we all <\/strong>are by nature.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Have you ever looked down on someone because they do not live up to your <\/strong>\u201cstandards\u201d\u2014 much less God\u2019s \u201cstandards\u201d?\u00a0 Have you ever thought that someone does not \u201cdeserve\u201d to be forgiven because what they <\/strong>have done is so much worse than anything you have ever done?\u00a0 Have you ever hesitated\u2014 or perhaps refused\u2014 to share the message of the cross of Jesus Christ with someone because you were sure that someone \u201clike that\u201d is not going to listen anyway?\u00a0 If so, my friends, then there have been times when you were no different than Simon the Pharisee here in our text.\u00a0 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, \u201cGo in peace.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n In sharp contrast to Simon the Pharisee there is the woman here in our text.\u00a0 We\u2019ll call her Sally.\u00a0 Even though Sally had a reputation for being a woman \u201cwho had lived a sinful life in that town\u201d<\/em> what did Sally know that Simon did not?\u00a0 Sally knew who Jesus of Nazareth is\u2014 the long-awaited Promised Messiah.\u00a0 Sally knew what Jesus came into this world to accomplish (pointing to the cross).\u00a0 Sally knew that even though she did not deserve it, through faith in Jesus her entire debt of sin had been \u201ccanceled\u201d<\/em> by God Himself!\u00a0 Even though people like Simon might still look down on her and mutter, \u201c\u2026she is a sinner,\u201d<\/em> 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, \u201cYour sins are<\/strong> forgiven\u2026Your faith has<\/strong> saved you; go in peace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 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\u2014 hence the alabaster jar of perfume.\u00a0 Yes, by the grace of God Sally was now a different person!\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n \u201cGo in peace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 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.\u00a0 \u201cGo in peace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 No matter how sordid our past may be, no matter how many \u201cskeletons\u201d 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.\u00a0 \u201cGo in peace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Those are the words that this cross proclaims to you, my friends, week after week after week.\u00a0 \u201cGo in peace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 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<\/strong> a saved and forgiven child of God.<\/p>\n \u201cYour sins are<\/strong> forgiven\u2026Your faith has<\/strong> saved you; go in peace.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n \u201cGo in peace!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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.\u00a0 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 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