Thursday, March 4, 2021

No Matter What ...


 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

 

Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.

 

“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

 

Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other.  But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?

 

Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

 

That’s right,” Jesus said.  Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet.  You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

 

I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”  Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Luke 7:39-48

 

My children always see two sides of me.  There is the very loving and affectionate father the grandchildren see most if not all the time.  Then there is the very hard, rigid, and uncomfortable dad when they failed to meet the expectations set by the household.  I always prefer the former because that is always the easiest for me to portray, but at times, I must bring out the rigid side because I am trying to teach them something or divert them from the wrong path.  None of them really liked that side of me growing up, but of course as they got older and had their own children, they came to appreciate it.  I certainly pray the 16-year-old will say the same thing(smile) because no matter how uncomfortable I make them when they are wrong, I want them to know how much I love them no matter what.

 

This week, I was challenged by a theologian’s message on the two faces of Jesus.  There is the one side that is the righteous and just God who is uncompromising, and He will turn over tables creating chaos in mayhem in the Temple at Jerusalem.  Yet, there is the Jesus where an immoral woman knelt at His feet and washed them with her tears and perfume and was forgiven.  So here is the million-dollar question.  If this woman knew of Jesus and His reputation, why on earth would she, as an immoral sinner, be so bold as to come up to Him and kneel at His feet?  Keep in mind she is not just an ‘one off’ kind of sinner.  Jesus described her degree of sinfulness as “her sins – and they are many.”  Yet He forgave them all.  This is the level of love Jesus had for us.

 

The goodness of God transcends our situation.  As I read the story, I am moved by the situation of this woman.  She could easily be substituted as ‘The Prodigal Son’ in a way.  As I mentioned last week, the Prodigal Son was a no one with nowhere to go but back to his father’s house.  Upon hearing the Messiah was coming to town, she took her expensive perfume to see Him.  Yet instead of coming to ask for forgiveness of her sins, she is overcome by grief, and fell weeping upon His feet and wiping them with her hair (see Luke 7:37-38).  Thus, it makes sense that Simon, who must have known the woman and her sins, would look at her with a degree of disdain to think Jesus should not let her touch Him in any fashion.  Yet Jesus looks upon her with great love for she first loved Him.  She went through the process of coming to Jesus, laid down her sins falling to her knees, released her shame and guilt through  weeping and tears, and surrendering her perfume, her hair (P.S. Men, compliment the women in your life on their hair, please), and herself to Him.  That’s a pretty full list!  Jesus understood all this, and not only forgave her of her sins but also taught Simon a lesson in the process about God’s love as well.  We too often will miss one of these crucial steps.  Perhaps we do not fully lay down our burden or keep harboring the guilt and shame of our sinful pasts.  We might even withhold giving all of ourselves to God.  No matter which part of our story or what combination we may fall short of, we must give up control as the words Dave Lubben song, “Here’s my life.  I lay it down.  I surrender it all to you.”  For if we surrender it all, oh how much our God will give in turn to us.

 

Jesus is always enough.  Whether it is past transgression or current failure, He loves us so much.  He will give it all to us if we are willing to surrender it all to Him.  Let us be open and willing to take our burdens to God and lay them all down to Him.  What do you need to bring to God today?  How can you release the burdens of your past to Him?  Will you surrender it all to Him?  My prayer is we fear not the anger of God and remember His love is there for us no matter what.  Amen.

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