Your Sins Are
Forgiven
[Luke chapter
7, verses 24-50]
For
this week's study we'll be covering the second half of Luke chapter
7. When we left off last week, John the Baptist had sent 2 of his
disciples to Jesus to ask him if he was the true Messiah, the
Anointed One of the Lord. Jesus replied, “Go back and report to
John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame
walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”
Jesus was telling John's disciples they should be certain about
Jesus' true identity by his actions and not his words. Today as we
take up where we left off last week, we find out what happens
afterwards as Jesus addresses the ever-present crowds of admirers,
followers and hangers-on, beginning at verse 24.
“After
John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John:
'What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the
wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine
clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury
are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? This is
the one about whom it is written, 'I will send my messenger ahead of
you, who will prepare your way before you'. I tell you, among those
who are born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one
who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.' (All the
people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words,
acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized
by John. But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law rejected God's
purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)”
(Luke 7, verses 24-30)
The
quote Jesus used from the Old Testament, “I will send my
messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you”,
comes from Malachi chapter 3, verse 1. Jesus knew the Bible as it
existed back then better than anyone who ever lived, as you can see
from this relatively obscure scriptural quotation. “'What
did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?”
I can almost hear the nervous laughter rippling through the crowd.
“But what did you go out to see? A prophet?”
'You went to see a real prophet, didn't you', Jesus was saying! Our
Savior then answers his own question, “I tell you, among
those who are born of women there is no one greater than John; yet
the one who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
To receive a compliment like this from the Lord Christ Jesus was
nothing short of superlative from John's standpoint. It sure would be
to myself! I'd be happy just to be John the Baptist's maintenance man
at his mansion in the sky!
“...
yet the one who is the least in the kingdom of God is
greater than he.” There is
unconditional equality in God's kingdom! The least in God's kingdom
to come (and soon!) are still greater than John the Baptist. How can
this be? Is this because no one is considered to have any superiority
over anyone else, or great authority? That's partly true, but I think
the main reason is that no one who made it to God's kingdom did so by
their own efforts. Only the shed blood of Christ qualifies any of us
to be there in New Jerusalem (heaven) with him. “All the
people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words,
acknowledged that God's way was right”.
They embraced Jesus' teachings because they had embraced John's, who
had told them in advance of Jesus' coming. There's something to be
said in favor of faith right here. When these people came to hear
Jesus, that was the proof of the pudding as far as they were
concerned. This was a confirmation of their faith, and of the
teachings and prophecies of John the Baptist. The Pharisees and
“experts” in the Old Law rejected Christ, much to their own
condemnation. And now let's move on to the second part of our study,
starting at verse 31, as Jesus continues to speak.
“'To
what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are
they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and
calling out to each other, 'We played the flute for you, and you did
not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry'. For John the
Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He
has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say,
'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and
'sinners'. But wisdom is proved right by all her children.' Now one
of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to
the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had
lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the
Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she
stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with
her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured
perfume on them. When the Pharisee who invited him saw this, he said
to himself, 'If this man were a prophet, he would know who is
touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.”
(Luke 7, verses 36-39)
Jesus
compared the religious establishment of his day, the Pharisees and
Rabbi's, to children playing who, when no one would join in their
games, sat around pouting and sulking because they didn't get their
way! “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor
drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'”
John the Baptist lived by himself in the desert, eating locusts and
wild honey for his main diet. This gentleman was evidently a hermit
of sorts who would go out and preach sporadically but frequently in
the desert areas of Judea, in what is now called the West Bank area
of Israel. One thing is for sure – John was not a normal, everyday
kind of guy. But since the religious establishment didn't understand
him or believe what he preached, they said John was some kind of
demon-possessed individual. Jesus then told his critics that day,
“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say,
'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and
'sinners'. But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
The Pharisees and Rabbi's were so arrogant that they passed judgment
against both John the Baptist and Jesus without so much as a second
thought. The religious establishment of today hasn't changed a bit,
no matter which faith it may be.
Then,
the text does a 1st
century version of 'fast forward' as it jumps over to the dinner at
the Pharisee's house. As the “sinful woman” weeps at the feet of
Jesus, “she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then
she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who invited him saw this, he said to himself, 'If
this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what
kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.'”
So it's plain to see that the Pharisee who invited Jesus to dinner
was judging this woman, possibly someone involved in the sex trade,
and he assumed he could hide his thoughts from our Lord. But he
assumed incorrectly, as we will now find out, beginning at verse 40.
“Jesus
answered him, 'Simon, I have something to tell you.' 'Tell me,
teacher', he said. Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One
owed him 500 denarii, the other one 50. Neither of them had the money
to pay them back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them
will love him more?' Simon replied, 'I suppose the one who had the
bigger debt canceled.' 'You have judged correctly', Jesus said. Then
he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, 'Do you see this woman?
I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet,
but she wet my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You
did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has
not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she
has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins
have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been
forgiven little loves little.' Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are
forgiven.' The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is
this who even forgives sins?' Jesus said to the woman, 'Your faith
has saved you; go in peace'.” (Luke 7, verses 40-50)
Here
again we find ourselves being confronted by Jesus who granted
unconditional equality to everyone no matter who they were. As you
can see, our Savior took great exception to anyone who considered
themselves better than others, no matter what the reason. He was
reprimanding Simon the Pharisee in a diplomatic sort of way. Simon
had provided Jesus with a nice dinner in comfortable surroundings,
that is true. Did Simon the Pharisee reap an eternal reward for that?
I would think so, but Jesus was gently telling him that he shouldn't
think so highly of himself. The woman who wept at the feet of Jesus,
although described by the apostle Luke as “sinful”, she was
evidently shedding some tears of repentance. 'You didn't wash my
feet, but she did. You didn't greet me with a kiss, but she has
kissed my feet nonstop since I've been here. You didn't anoint me
with oil, but she has doused my feet with perfume. Your dinner has
been nice, Simon – very nice! But she has done more – much more!'
Jesus regarded the acts of the sinful woman as being more noble than
all the religiosity that Simon could muster.
“....
her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much.
But he who has been forgiven little loves little.' Then Jesus said to
her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' The other guests began to say among
themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?' Jesus said to the
woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace'.”
For she loved much? But he who has been forgiven little loves little?
Yes, the (previously) sinful woman had been forgiven many sins, so
she loved Jesus more than all the others, particularly Simon. Simon
loved Jesus the least of everyone at the dinner because he held
himself in high regard and probably had a 'holier than thou' attitude
to boot. But it's not our own efforts that can save our souls, but
faith combined with our acts most definitely can! If that formerly
sinful woman's faith saved her, so can ours. Only, let's similarly be
formerly sinful like she was after she met Jesus, and let's all do
our level best to live the rest of our lives in this way. And next
time we meet, well start on part one of Luke chapter eight.
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