Who do you see?

Luke 7:36-50

          Have you ever noticed how we humans tend to see a person as what they are, rather than who they are? I’m not sure why we do this but the practice certainly lends itself to judging people before we really get to know them. In our lesson from Luke’s gospel today, Jesus is going to deal with this issue.

          Turn with me if you will to Luke 7 beginning in the 36^th verse. Since He delivered the “sermon on the plain” Jesus has gone to Capernaum and then onto Nain. This may be where this event took place.

          One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. 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, 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. 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." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he 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 wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss 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 are many, are forgiven- for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"  And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." 

               If Luke wasn’t an artist, he should have been. The picture that he paints here is so detailed that it takes almost no imagination to envision the scene. All we have to do is fill in a couple of historical customs from the time.

          The location is a courtyard where the dinner is taking place. It was outside with the table placed under an awning, if you will. When an important guest was invited, friends and neighbors could stop by and watch the festivities. They would sit on or against the wall surrounding the courtyard and even engage in conversation with the guest if desired. Because of the formality of this particular dinner, it probably took place on a Sabbath after the service at the Synagogue.

          The table was close to the ground and the guests would lie on cushions at an angle to the table with their feet away from the table. They would lean on their left elbows and eat the food with their right hands off the table. It is because of this arrangement that one of the three main characters of our story had access to both the house and our Lord.

          While Jesus was lying there, a woman came up behind Him to anoint His feet with very expensive perfume. As she approached Him she was overcome with emotion and began to weep. The tears fell on Jesus’ feet and she let her hair down to wipe them off, kissing His feet as she did so. After His feet were clean, she took her alabaster flask of perfume, broke the neck of the bottle, and anointed His feet with it.

          When this happened, the Pharisee “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.’” At this point Jesus told a parable to the host, "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?” 

          This may seem like a rhetorical question but at this point we must ask, “What did the Pharisee really see?” Did he see this woman for who she was or what she was?

          Every day we come into contact with people and the first thing we do is judge them. This is kind of a defense mechanism that helps us establish boundaries that protect us from all kinds of situations. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but we must use discernment.

          Kathy and I received another letter from Troy this week. It’s been a long time since we have corresponded and although I have thought about writing him over the past several months, I just never got around to it. I guess I never realized how important it is to him. I will try not to let that happen again.

          We know Troy through his letters to us that I share with you. I can tell you that Troy is back in medium security after spending the past several months in maximum security because of that little incident in the kitchen last winter. I can tell you that Troy has found some Christian men to hang out with and is enjoying fellowship with them. I can say “Hi” to you from him and tell you that he is “super home sick.” I can tell you that he prays for our church everyday and that and that he misses our letters. And I can tell you that Troy should be getting out in January or February of next year.

          This is the Troy that we know, but the Troy that gets off the bus in this town early next year will be known as Troy the parolee. That is the tag that will be placed on him by society and it will not matter who he is, only what he is. We know that he has done his best to follow Jesus in prison and that he will need our prays to stay strong and committed after he is released. But society will be waiting for him to mess up, that’s just the way it is.  

          When Jesus asked Simon, “Do you see this woman?” all he saw was the local prostitute who had crashed his dinner party. He didn’t see the person who had been transformed by the grace of God and was showing her gratitude the only way she knew how, by loving the one who gave her freedom from her sin.

          Everything she did that day were things that Simon should have done. When an honored guest entered a house there were three things that were customary to do. First, the host would place his hand on the shoulder of the guest and give him a kiss of peace. This showed respect and would always be done in the case of a distinguished rabbi. Second, the feet of an honored guest would always be washed with cool water to cleanse and comfort him. And third, the guests head would always be anointed with a drop of attar of roses or sweet incense were burned. Simon did none of these things.

          The woman on the other hand washed Christ’s feet, kissed them as she did it, and then anointed them with expensive perfume. After Jesus pointed this out he continued, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven- for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." He then turned to the woman and said, “Your sins are forgiven”

           Jesus doesn’t down play the fact that this woman was a sinner. In fact he acknowledges that her sins were many. What he does do is emphasize that her sins were forgiven, every one of them. It is because her sins were forgiven that she responded the way she did. She was saved the same way every other person has ever been saved, by faith.

          This is a story about two people and how they react to the gospel. The Pharisee believes that his righteousness is all that he needs and this shows in his attitude. He disrespects Jesus by not treating Him the way honored guests should be treated, and he looks down upon the woman when she does the things he should have done.

          She on the other hand, recognizing that her sins are forgiven and that the source of that forgiveness is Jesus Christ, responds with love and gratitude. What it comes down to is this, when people look at you, do they see the self-righteous Pharisee or the grateful forgiven sinner?

          This passage is long but the lesson is short, we are known by our fruit. That is what people see in us. That is what they are watching for. Fruit is how we show our love to God and His son Jesus Christ. We are not saved by our works but our works show our gratitude for our salvation.

           What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?  For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. James 2:14-20, 26