Years ago a religious talk show hostess was interviewing a new believer. The new believer had come from the wrong side of the tracks--economically, socially, morally, and spiritually. As he gave his testimony, this man, who had seen it all and done it all continually thanked God for the change God had made in his life. “I can’t express,” he said, “the gratitude I feel that God has changed my life.”
The talk show hostess knew where he was coming from--for she, too, had walked on life’s wild side before coming to Jesus. She said, “I know what you mean. Every day that I live I thank him for [changing my life].”
Then she added a very profound statement: “You know what I’ve noticed though? People who have always been in the church, always done the right thing, always been prim and proper, don’t know how to give thanks to God. In fact, I’ve noticed that they are prone to complain because God hasn’t done even MORE for them.” (1)
If you can relate to that judgment, you will appreciate the story of a woman of the city, a sinner, who came to Jesus as he dined in the house of a Pharisee named Simon. It was the custom, notes Bible scholar William Barclay, that when a Rabbi was at a meal in such a house, all kinds of people came in--they were quite free to do so . . . so that they might listen to the pearls of wisdom which fell from the Rabbi’s lips.
Other scholars tell us that at such gatherings the host provided cushions around the perimeter of the room or the courtyard where the meal was eaten so that uninvited visitors could have a place to sit, watch and listen. So, when this woman heard that Jesus was dining at Simon’s house, she made her way there, carrying an alabaster jar of perfume.
Another important fact is that when they had a meal back then, the guests did not sit in chairs, but rather reclined around the table. They rested on their left elbow, leaving the right arm free, with their feet stretched out behind. During the meal they took off their sandals. This woman of the city positioned herself at Jesus’ feet. Standing behind him, she began to weep. Soon she was kneeling at his feet and her tears were falling on his feet. Her tears were so great that she tenderly used her long hair to wipe them off. Furthermore, she kissed his feet and anointed them with perfume.
The Pharisee was scandalized by such behavior. For one thing, women didn’t take down their hair in public--some men would even divorce their wives if they did that. And then to indulge in this public display of emotion and affection--it was a disgrace. “If this man were a prophet,” Simon the Pharisee said to himself caustically, “he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
We are continuing our series of messages “When Good People Have Bad Times.” Today we are dealing with a woman who was obviously burdened with guilt and regret. You may protest that we shouldn’t be including her in a series on good people. Maybe you’re right, but do good people ever make bad mistakes?
Even more relevant, can you imagine a situation where a good person might be forced into a lifestyle he or she despises by desperate circumstances? I’m thinking of the victims of human trafficking. I’m thinking about people who are the victims of grinding poverty. Perhaps she had been sexually abused as a child. We don’t know what brought this woman to this place in her life. But we do know that she had not hardened herself to it. She still felt guilt. She still felt regret. She still longed to be made clean.
Simon the Pharisee obviously wasn’t willing to cut her any slack. “If this man were a prophet,” he said to himself huffily, “he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”
Jesus could tell what this Pharisee was thinking. So he said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
The Pharisee answered, “What is it, Teacher?”
Jesus instructed him with a parable. “A certain creditor had two debtors, one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more.”
Jesus said, “You have judged rightly.” Then Jesus turned to the woman and 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 (of greeting), but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil (as is customary), 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.”
Many of us cannot say that we really love God. I hope that statement doesn’t jar you too much. But think about it for a few moments and I believe you will see that it is true. We can say that we believe in God, reverence God, perhaps even fear God, but if we were candid, we would have to say that we do not really love God.
The great commandment says that we should love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Can you say that you love God with your whole heart? Chances are that you cannot. And the problem may lie right here. We do not love God with our whole heart because we have never experienced the realization of what it means when God says to us, “You are forgiven.”
Theologian Karl Barth, one of the giants of the 20th century, understood that. “We live solely by forgiveness” he declared. He was but echoing the message of the Apostle Paul. Paul struggled mightily to obey the Jewish Law, for he believed it to be the path of salvation. But instead of saving him, he came to the conclusion that it was the law that condemned him. Who can satisfy the demands of a totally righteous God? The answer is, no one. Thankfully, however, there is one by whose death and resurrection we are made acceptable to God. The price for our sins has been paid. We are forgiven. We are made right with God through the death of Jesus Christ. As St. Paul puts it in Galatians 2: 21, “I am not one of those who treats Christ’s death as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping Jewish laws, then there was no need for Christ to die.” (Living Bible)
Forgiven! Can you grasp the full meaning of that word?
Mark Twain once said that everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.
Twain may be right, but here is the Good News. God sees that dark side that nobody else can see. Yet because of what Christ has done upon the cross, he accepts us just as we are.
All of our trespasses--all of our transgressions are completely drowned in the sea of his grace. Some Christians pray “forgive us our trespasses.” Others pray “forgive us our debts.” Presbyterians pray “forgive us our debts.” Some say that is because of their Scottish heritage--you know how a Scot is with his money.
We are told that Henry Clay, the great statesman of another generation, once fell into hopeless debt. Notes for forty thousand dollars, an enormous amount of money in those days, were held by a bank in Lexington, Kentucky. Clay was preparing to sell off everything he owned in the world in order to satisfy that debt, when one day a stranger appeared at the bank asking how much Clay owed. When told the amount, he produced the $40,000, thereby canceling Clay’s debt.
“Who shall I say has paid this debt?” asked the banker.
“Just tell him it was paid by some of his friends,” responded the stranger.
When Clay learned that his debt had been paid, according to one historian, “the strong heart melted, the frame shook and the great Clay, who never flinched before countless enemies, nor flinched in the face of any opposition, now wept like a child.”
His debts had been forgiven. It may be that some of us are among those who have abused the availability of easy credit terms. Perhaps we are facing our own small mountain of debt. I wish I could say to you that all your financial debts have been canceled. Wouldn’t that be great--to begin today with a completely fresh slate? I can’t say that, of course. But I can say to you by the power invested in me as a minister of Jesus Christ that, by faith in him, all your sins are forgiven. The slate is wiped clean. Today is a brand new day.
What does it mean to say, “You are forgiven?” Doesn’t it mean, first of all, that we are free to make a new start?
That is the meaning of the word “repentance.” It is not simply “feeling sorry for one’s sin.” We are told that the word “repent” appears 46 times in the Old Testament. In 37 of these instances it is God who is said to repent. Certainly God could not be said to be sorry for his sin. No, repentance is a change of mind, change of attitude, change of direction. To know that the slate has been wiped clean calls us to make a new start.
Doris Donnely said, “Forgiveness is an invitation to redeem failure.” She is right. Consider a husband who has hurt his wife very deeply. She has learned of his unfaithfulness. With a heart filled with regret he goes to her and begs her forgiveness. She does forgive him, truly forgives him, and affirms her faith in him. Do you think that he says to himself, “There, I have been forgiven, I will, therefore, go out and sin again.” Of course not--not if he is any man at all. Knowing the pain he has brought her and being more aware than ever of the faith she yet has in him, he will seek to be a better man, a more faithful and loving husband. So it is in our relationship with God. If you know yourself forgiven, truly forgiven, today will be a turning point in your life.
The knowledge that we are forgiven frees us to make a new start. Knowing that we are forgiven also allows us to forgive others. If you know yourself to be a sinner made acceptable only by the grace of Jesus Christ, how can you possibly not forgive others for their sins? It is impossible.
George Whitefield was one of the greatest evangelists who ever lived. He was a true man of God. But when he saw a condemned man going to the gallows he whispered those famous words, “There but for the grace of God go I.” George Whitefield knew, in Barth’s words, that he lived solely by forgiveness.
Many of us do not want to forgive. We nurture and nourish our resentments, our grudges. But Jesus comes to us and says, “You are forgiven,” and suddenly we realize that we, too, can forgive.
Someone has said that a person who knows himself to be a sinner avoids church like an overweight person avoids the scales. But, if we could tell that sinner, “you are forgiven,” a barrier will be taken away.
I once read about a very bitter man who was sick of soul, mind and body. He was in the hospital, in wretched condition, not because his body had been invaded by a virus or a germ, but because of the anger and the contempt and self-pity in his soul. Finally one day, when he was at his lowest, he said to a nurse, “Why don’t you give me something to end it all?”
Much to the man’s surprise, she said, “All right, I will.” She went to the nightstand and pulled out a Bible and began reading. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” When she finished she said, “There, if you will believe that, it will end it all. God loves you, he accepts you, He forgives you. You are His child.”
Such a simple answer would not work with everyone. But it worked with this man. He realized after much soul-searching that she had spoken truly. He accepted the love and grace of Jesus Christ, and he learned that he could love God, because he knew that God first loved him.
You are forgiven. Can you give more than intellectual assent to that proposition? This brings us to one more thing that experiencing forgiveness does for us--it allows us to love God. Can you feel its impact in your heart of hearts? When you experience God’s forgiveness, it frees you not only to make a new start--just as this woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears made a new start--and allows you to love, accept and forgive others, it also removes a critical barrier between you and God. You are now free to truly love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. All because of what Christ has done in your behalf--you, and I, are forgiven.
There is a classic story about a noted conductor who was taking his choir and orchestra through their final rehearsal of Handel’s beautiful and inspiring “Messiah.”
When the soprano soloist came in with the refrain, “I know that my Redeemer liveth,” she sang it with flawless technique, perfect breathing, and clear enunciation.
After she completed her part, everyone looked at the conductor expecting to see his response of approval. With a motion from his baton for silence, he walked over to the soloist and said, almost sorrowfully, “My daughter, you do not really know that your Redeemer lives, do you?”
Embarrassed, she answered, “Why, yes, I think I do.”
“Then sing it!” cried the conductor. “Tell it to me so that I’ll know you have experienced the joy and power of it.”
Then he motioned for the orchestra to begin, and she sang with a fervor that told of her faith in the risen Lord. Those who listened wept and the old master, eyes wet with tears, said to her, “You do know, for this time you have told me.” (2)
Many of us have never truly felt the need for a Redeemer and thus do not know the joy of being redeemed. This woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears knew, and so she loved Jesus with a love that the righteous Pharisee could never know.
1. This sermon is adapted from a classic sermon from Dynamic Preaching. This illustration was contributed. The source is unknown.
2. Jen Barnet, http://www.lakestreetumc.org/Sermons14/JB050414.htm.