A Worse Sinner?
Preached by Jason Abbott
May 28, 2017
What would have been a Pharisee’s view of humanity—of human nature? These were experts in the Old Testament Scriptures. Here are some familiar texts which every Pharisee should have known concerning mankind.
The intention of man's heart is evil from his youth (Genesis 8:21).
There is no one who does not sin (1 Kings 8:46).
There is none who does good (Psalm 14:1).
There is not a . . . man . . . who does good and never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20).
The [human] heart is deceitful above all things / and desperately sick / who can understand it (Jeremiah 17:9)?
Certainly, a Pharisee like the one Jesus interacts with in today’s passage would have known these verses—perhaps even known these verses by heart. Moreover, these Pharisees, or religious scholars, would have known the narratives standing behind these proof texts.They would have known the story of Abraham and his up and down journey with God—of his moments of faithfulness but also, more commonly, his moments of faithlessness and sin. They would have known the story of Moses’ anger and sin in the desert—a heinous sin which kept him from ever entering the Promised Land. They’d have known the story of David and Bathsheba and Uriah and Absalom—the story of sin heaped upon sin. And these are the stories of their heroes!But, in the passage we’re going to study today, we will see how simple it is for a Pharisee (and us?) to forget these proof texts and stories—to forget our sins.
Luke 7:36-8:3
7:36 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. 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.” 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.” 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?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”8:1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
This morning we’ll visit four S’s as we begin to study this passage in Luke: (1st) we’ll look at the sinners; (2nd) we’ll look at the story which Jesus tells here; (3rd) we’ll look at the salvation which may be hinted at here; and (4th) we’ll look at the supporters Luke lists at the end of this text. So let’s begin.
1. The sinners
As we read this account, we have three main characters—Jesus, the woman, and Simon the Pharisee. So, three people but only two sinners and only one sinner who truly knows she’s a sinner. Simon may acknowledge he’s a sinner in his head, but it’s clear he doesn’t know this in his heart. Simon doesn’t feel his brokenness and need of a Savior. Thus, when this notoriously sinful woman enters and begins honoring Jesus, Simon silently judges him and her. Look at what he thinks:
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 (v. 39).
Do you remember all those Old Testament texts I read in the introduction? And do you recall the stories which show even Israel’s heroes as utterly sinful men and women? What has Simon done with those? How has he rationalized those texts in hopes of justifying his sin—and somehow making it respectable before God?! His self-righteousness is very ugly here. “The [human] heart is [indeed] deceitful above all things . . .” (Jeremiah 17:9).But, what a contrast between Simon and this woman! While he thinks only about the sins of others, she thinks only about her sin and is overwhelmed by it. She owns it. She weeps and repents of it. She rejoices over the love and the mercy of Christ. Her humble joy over Jesus makes for the most beautiful scene.Have you ever seen thankful-joy like this before?I recall one time going to my father’s CPA office while I was still in college. And as I was walking in an older woman was walking out with an associate of his. When my dad’s associate introduced me to her as Mike’s son, this little woman—who was old enough to be my grandmother—brightened up with tears in her eyes and began to tell me how grateful she was for all that my father had done for her. How much he had helped her! How kind he was to her! What a great man he was! Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. I remember thinking—He just does taxes?! Yet, it was so much more than taxes to her! It was a rescue!Friends, this sinful woman—who anoints Jesus’ feet with very expensive oil and her tears and wipes them clean with her hair—knows that she’s been rescued. Hers are tears of thankfulness! Thankfulness for all the grace and mercy and love which she’s received from this Jesus of Nazareth! A beautiful scene!Luke’s passage displays two very different kinds of sinner. On the one hand, there are those who, like Simon, consider themselves to be respectable sinners. Their sins are not all that bad. Certainly, they’re not so bad as to need a rescue. With a little work, they’re pretty sure they can get their lives straightened out.On the other hand, there are those like the woman here. They feel their need. They know they’re in trouble. In fact, the world is always telling them that they’re in trouble. Their sins are not respectable sins and no amount of work will fix that. They are broken and can’t repair themselves. This kind of sinner longs for a rescue and longs for it now.Friends, who do you identify with in this passage—Simon or the woman? Which kind of sinner do you fancy yourself to be?Well, let’s move now to Jesus’ little parable.
2. The story
As all this judgment hangs in the air over this woman’s response over Jesus, Jesus decides to tell a little tale and ask Simon to interpret it. Let me read it again. Jesus says:
“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 [Jesus] said to him, “You have judged rightly” (7:41-43).
I’ve taken so many tests during my years in school where I got a good grade but didn’t really grasp the material—didn’t really understand the subject matter. Can you remember having tests like that? I think that’s like Simon’s situation here. I think he gives the right answer without really getting it.Perhaps, we can see Simon’s “successful-error” by telling a different parable which moves in the same direction as Jesus’ parable. Let’s give it a try.A certain basketball coach places two basketball goals before his star player. One basketball goal is 15-feet tall and the other is 25-feet tall. Then the coach asks: “Which basketball goal do you want to try and dunk on?” What’s the right answer? Which goal should the star player pick? (Logically the 15-feet tall basketball goal!)Yet, though that’s the right answer—the logical answer in human terms—what’s the problem? What’s the result? What lesson is this basketball coach really trying to teach this star player? (That he can’t dunk on either goal!)Friends, Simon is like a basketball player who says he’d rather try dunking at 15-feet—and believes he’s got a chance! He’s answered correctly or logically without grasping the point of the story Jesus tells. It’s stated as clearly as can be, but Simon ignores or misses it. Look at the story once more:
“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?” (7:41-42).
Do you see? Jesus plainly tells Simon—“You can’t pay. You can’t dunk.” But, Simon doesn’t get it. He misses that he’s a debtor without the ability to pay. Instead, he thinks merely in human terms and misses the divine point or logic here. Namely, if you can’t pay a $1,000,000 or can’t pay 1₵, your situation is the same: You can’t pay. You need grace. You need a rescue.This story at this moment falls on deaf ears. Simon remains in his sins here, while this woman goes away forgiven and saved. So Jesus tells her:
“Your sins are forgiven. . . Your faith has saved you . . .” (7:48, 50).
Friends, these words are for you too. No matter if you’re a respectable sinner or a heinous sinner, a Simon or a sinful woman—trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. You cannot pay, but Christ has paid for you. Trust in him!Well, let’s turn to our third point now.
3. The salvation
While the woman goes away saved, we don’t know what happens to Simon. Nevertheless, I have hope. I wonder if we don’t have some reason to think Simon, in the end, understood the story. I wonder if we don’t have some reason to believe that he eventually placed his faith in Jesus as his Savior.We must wonder how Luke is able to record the inner thoughts of Simon. Certainly, it’s possible that Jesus—knowing Simon’s thoughts—told his disciples who then in return told Luke who was writing his gospel account about 30 years after the crucifixion of Jesus. This is certainly a possibility, but without certainty since the Bible doesn’t tell us how Luke learned of this encounter.What we do know is that Luke the historian interviewed many eyewitnesses while doing his research, which poses another beautifully provocative possibility: What if Luke knows about this account because he interviewed Simon himself?! What if an aged, former Pharisee shared his story firsthand with the historian?! Indeed, that would explain how Luke would know what Simon was thinking!If this is the case, I imagine a scene not unlike the one being communicated. I imagine a tearful and repentant Simon weeping like the woman at the party wept. Not at Jesus’ feet but at Luke’s side! I imagine the embarrassment mixed with joy as he reflected upon his pride and arrogance on the other side of grace. If this is so, it must have been beautiful to behold.Let’s close now with this strange snapshot of Christ’s ministry-support team which Luke gives us.
4. The supporters
These are the kinds of verses which no one would ever labor to memorize. These are nobody’s “life verses” . . . right. They seem like filler to us:
. . . [Jesus] went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means (8:1-3).
These verses aren’t filler! Take in these names slowly and give them honor. Without the labor of these godly and faithful women, the most profound ministry in history would’ve struggled along. “Mary, called Magdalene . . . Joanna . . . Susanna, and many others . . . provided for” Jesus and the disciples. That ministry traveled because of these ladies! What a profound service!Throughout my ministry, I’ve been blessed to have godly women like these who supported and encouraged me. I could name many of them—Eunice Davis and Mary Renn or Ricky Fackler and Jean Morgan. I praise God for their ministry to both me and the church! It’s foundational ministry!In our day and age, we’re often taught and tempted to think that success means prominence and power. But the kingdom of God does not work in that way. And the ministry of the ladies listed in this passage testifies to that.We’d do well to remember their example of Christlike service. It’s beautiful! Perhaps the church would do better if we’d take verses like these to heart.
