Showing Love

Showing Love (Luke 7:36-50)

VERSES 36-38:
A Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him.
Question: Why?
– The scriptures don’t tell us.
– He may have been interested in learning more about Jesus (like    Nickademus).
– He may have been curious about Jesus
(what is this person that I’ve heard about really like?).
– He could have had some evil motives
(to get some information on Jesus to use against Him).
Note:
At this stage in His ministry, the Pharisees had accused Jesus of:
– Blasphemy (Luke 5:21).
– Being a friend of sinners (Luke 5:30).
– Breaking the Sabbath law (Luke 6:7).

Note:
The Pharisee did not perform the common courtesies
expected from a host by his honored guests.
(Note: This implies his motives were less than cordial).

In spite of His strained relations with the Pharisees, Jesus accepted the invitation.
Question: Wonder why?
Question: What would you have done?

“reclined”
– In those days, they reclined on their sides with their feet stretched out   behind them.

Customs observed:
– Sandals removed when entering the house (exposing their feet).
– Uninvited guests were allowed to stand around and observe the
interaction of the host and his dinner guests.
Note: This explains how the sinful woman was able to enter the room.

“woman…sinful life”
– The Pharisees felt that nearly everyone who was not a Pharisee, was a     sinner.
– The description of this woman implies she was a notorious sinner.
(more than likely she was a prostitute who was well known in the town)
– Before the Pharisee could have her removed, she did what she came to do.
– She heard that Jesus was going to be there, so she took an alabaster
jar of perfume with her and went to the house of the Pharisee.
– More than likely she had met Jesus previously and was going there to   either
(1) be forgiven, or
(2) show her love and gratitude for being already forgiven.
– As He was reclining, she made her way to where His feet were resting.
– Her plan was to anoint His feet with the perfume, but she ended up doing   a lot more.
– Her love and gratitude caused her emotions to overflow.
Note:
It was considered shameful for a woman to let her hair down in public,
but her emotions caused her to disregard how other would perceive her.
Also, with her reputation, she may have thought this type of shame would
be minor in comparison to what they already thought about her.
– To kiss a rabbi’s feet was a sign of deep reverence and love.

Note:
– Jesus did not rebuke her for her actions;
He accepted them as her expression of love for Him.

Summary:
– Jesus came for all kinds of people.
– Some people have mixed motives when showing an interest in Jesus.
Examples?
– Politicians.
– TV Evangelists.
– Those who love Jesus will find ways to express their love.

VERSE 39:
The host Pharisee (Simon) was not pleased
with the interaction between Jesus and the sinful woman.

“this man”
– He didn’t use the name of Jesus;
he simply referred to Him as ‘this man’ (which shows a lack of respect).
– He believed that a true prophet would:
– Recognize the woman as a sinner.
– Never let a woman of her reputation talk to or touch him.
Note: Simon would have never let her touch him
(in his mind, that would make him ceremonially unclean).

We can learn 2 things from this part of the story:
1. No matter what we have done, or what others think of us, Jesus still     accepts us.
Sins can be forgiven by the gracious God of the universe.

2. Saved people should not allow their past lives to haunt them.
They should not be discouraged by others
who reject them because of who they were before.
We need to see ourselves as Jesus sees us, not as others see us.

Question: What are the drawbacks of being influenced by how others see us?

Question: What are the advantages of being influenced by how Jesus sees us?

(Verses 40-46)

VERSE 40:
Although he didn’t speak his thoughts,
Jesus responded to Simon and called him by name.

Question:
Why would He call him by name?
– Addressing the host would get the attention of all in the room?

In essence, Jesus was asking permission to speak to Simon.
Since he was the host, and with many observing, how could he refuse?

VERSES 41-42:
Jesus told the story about two debtors who owed money to the same person.

“denarius”
– The amount paid to a worker for one day’s work.
– One owed about 7 weeks of salary.
– The other owed more than a worker could earn in 1 year.

Canceling their debts was an act of grace.
– He could have confiscated all they owned.
– He could have sold them as slaves to get his money back.
– Instead, he “forgave” their debts (an act of grace, not the law).
Note:
This is a great example of how God forgives and cancels our debts
(we are debtors to God because of our sins).

In the story:
– The greater amount represents the sins of the woman.
– The lesser amount represent the sins of the Pharisee
(at least from an outward estimate – what could be seen).

Note:
Many people count sins by comparing themselves with others,
but God says we are all sinners.

Simon was guilty of self-righteousness, a judgmental spirit, and hypocrisy.
– These were serious sins, but by most people’s standards,
they are less than the sins of sexual immorality.
Question: Are they?

In front of all the people present, Jesus asked Simon a question with an obvious answer.

VERSE 43:
From Simon’s response (“I suppose”),
it seems he knew where Jesus was headed with the story and question.
Note:
He could have also been expecting a trick (since the answer was obvious),
so he answered cautiously.

Jesus immediately confirmed that his answer was correct.
Note:
Almost the same as saying, “Good, we are all on the same page”.

VERSES 44-46:
Still speaking to Simon, Jesus turned His eyes toward the woman.

“Do you see this woman”
Question:
Why would He ask the obvious?
– He may have wanted Simon to see the woman through the eyes of Jesus,
and not as he had seen her up to this point (through his own eyes).

Jesus contrasts the shortcomings of the host,
with the love shown by the woman.
1. Washing feet.
– Washing the feet of his guests was a courtesy of the host.
Note: Either the host, or someone else in the house
was assigned to wash the feet of the guests
(they wore sandals and the roads were dusty).
– Simon not only didn’t wash His feet, but he didn’t even
have any water available for Him to wash His own feet.
– The woman used whatever was available (her tears and hair).
Note: Her tears were probably a result
of her overwhelming love for Jesus…or…
she could have been brokenhearted that no one had already
washed His feet (if anyone deserved this courtesy, it was Jesus).

2. Kiss.
– People greeted their guests with a kiss (probably a glancing kiss
on one or both cheeks…still practiced today in some areas).
– Simon again failed as a good host
(he may have been pre-occupied with his less than honorable motives).
– As a result of her love for Jesus,
she expressed it much more than just a courtesy kiss…on the cheek.

3. Anointing.
– A host would anoint the head of his quests with olive oil.
– The woman not only anointed His feet (which showed even greater love
and respect), but she used expensive perfume (instead of olive oil).

Question:
Was Jesus teaching that we must be great sinners
to show great love and devotion?
No…His point was:
– We are all sinners in need of forgiveness.
– Sin separates us from God,
and it has deadly consequences without forgiveness.
– We should all be grateful for God’s forgiveness.
– Differences in the amount of sin is not the issue.

Question:
Since we can’t show our love like the woman did,
how can we show our gratitude and devotion?
– By worship and prayer.
– By being faithful stewards of His blessings.
– By helping the needy.
– By loving each other.
Note: The world will NOT love us (hates us), so if we
expect to receive love, it will have to be from other believers.
– By witnessing to a lost world.

Question: What efforts are each of us making in all these areas?

Summary:
– Self-righteous people overlook their own sins,
but condemn others for their sins.

– When God forgives sin, He removes the guilt of sin.
Question: Why would He do that?
– So we can effectively worship and serve Him?

– Lack of love sees the faults in others; love finds the good in people.

– Lack of love emphasizes the faults in others; love embraces their good   qualities.

(Verses 47-50)

VERSE 47:
This woman knew she was a sinner, and she knew Jesus was the One
who could forgive her (which is why she came to Simon’s house,
showed her love, and was overwhelmed with emotions).
Note:
– She may have had an earlier encounter with Jesus where He forgave her   sins.
If this was the case, she came to express
her love and appreciation for what He had already done.
Note: If that was the case, when Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven”,
He was stating a fact of what had previously happened.

In either case, she was honest with herself about her sins,
and what they were doing to her
(as a result, she had a great appreciation for His forgiveness).

Others who are not as honest about their sins
(and may even justify some of them),
just don’t have the same sense of the need for forgiveness
(even though they should).

They don’t appreciate His forgiveness as much and consequently,
don’t express their love and devotion as they should.

Question:
Do you think the other guests “got” the points Jesus was making?

The guests:
– Could have been thinking, “We’ve heard of His healing people,
but He can also forgive sins”…”Who is this man?”

– Could have been thinking,
“Who does He think He is? Only God can forgive sins?
Note: If this was the case, they were probably Pharisees (Luke 5:17-21).

Jesus didn’t respond to the guests; He was focused on the woman.

Question:
What was the key factor to her forgiveness?
– Her faith.
Note: She was not saved by her expressions of love;
she showed love out of gratitude for her forgiven sins.

Note:
Simon (and probably the other guests) seemed to think
they could make themselves acceptable to God by obeying His laws.

Question:
What is the fallacy with this approach?
– They can’t keep ALL the laws; if one is broken, they are all broken.

“go in peace”
– This was more than a dismissal
…it was an invitation to a new way of living.

Question:
Should believers expect to live a more peaceful life
after they have been forgiven? How/why, or why not?

Summary:
– We are forgiven in response to our faith.
– When we are forgiven,
we should have a natural desire to show our love to the Lord.
– Forgiveness means a new life and a new way of living.