According To Luke: Messy Grace

According To Luke: Messy Grace

Opening Illustration:

It was nearly 3 years ago that Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina experienced a horrific scene. A gunman entered their prayer meeting packed with parishioners and opened fire. He killed dozens of people. On June 21st, 2015, a Sunday after the gunman opened fire, Reverend Norvel Goff said these words, where only half a week before such great evil had descended upon his church that nine had been killed during Bible study by racial hatred and evil. As he spoke in the first sermon after the massacre, he said this: "We ask questions, Lord; we ask 'Why?' We cannot help it. It's our human nature. But through it all, those of us who know Jesus, as we find ourselves engulfed in sadness and darkness, and as we find ourselves walking through the shadow of the valley of death, for those of us who know Jesus, we can look through the windows of our faith and we see hope and we see light, and we hear your voice saying, 'I am with you.'"

Reverend Goff would become the picture, the living illustration of forgiveness and grace. I can remember an interview where he was discussing weather or not he would be able to forgive the shooter. He said that grace is always complicated. Grace is always difficult. He called grace messy but marvelous. Those words stuck in my head for three years. Grace is messy because we want to pass judgement on evildoers. The only problem is that we are all evildoers in our own right. So we are thankful for grace and thankful that it is wonderful and marvelous. 

Grace Is Always Messy and Marvelous!

Background:

Today we are back in Luke’s Gospel. I am excited to be back here because this is one of my favorite stories in the entire Gospel narrative. To catch you up, let’s see where we have been thus far. Jesus has been traveling from Capernaum where he healed the sick servant of a Roman officer. From there he travels to Nain and heals a widow’s son. Raises him from the dead in fact. While in that town, Jesus is confronted with John the Baptist’s followers asking him on John’s behalf if He is indeed the Son of God, the Messiah. Following Jesus’ response, Jesus is invited to eat with one of the Pharisees. 

Now we know there are a few characters in this story. First we have the Pharisee.  We discover the name of this Pharisee to be Simon. We see that Jesus has a peculiar insight into Simon’s heart and mind as he is in his home.  Second, we have a lowly woman. We will look at her character in just a moment. Lastly, we have Jesus’ follower. No doubt that Jesus’ followers were silent listeners to the conversations between Simon and Jesus. Could you imagine that scene. You have the religious elite and Jesus Christ sitting at opposite sides of the table. Simon grilling Jesus, asking Him all the hard questions, and Jesus calmly reclined, totally at peace and blowing Simon’s mind while teaching the disciples as they listened on. 

So, now that you have the context, let’s read today’s Scripture. 

Scripture

Luke 7:36-50 ESV

[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 (a two months wage), and the other fifty (a day’s wage). [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."

I. This Woman Was...

A. Neglected vs. 36-37

Luke 7:36-37 ESV

[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...

Illustration:

Do you remember when you were in grade school or elementary school? Those were fun years weren’t they? I see some of you rolling your eyes right now. Sadly, for most those were some brutally hard years. They were for me. Growing up I was a little awkward. I was not a great student. I was not a successful athlete. There were kids that had it more together, that were smarter, and far better at sports. So, elementary and junior high were tough. Perhaps the hardest place to live during that time was gym class. You remember those days right? I had a coach that would take all the athletes and put them on one team and everyone else was on the other. Those were fun days in gym. There were other days in class where kids were allowed to pick teams. I can remember vividly being picked last. 

When you are picked last it highlights every insecurity you have as a kid. When you are picked last it amplifies every flaw and shortcoming by putting it on display for an entire class to view. When you are picked last as a kid you remember it when you are 40 and talk about behind the pulpit. LOL! 

Point:

It does not feel good to be neglected. It does not feel good to be chosen last or not chosen at all. You have been there before haven’t you? Felt neglected. The last pick. Not picked at all. 

Point:

Let me share with you something about the human condition. If people go long enough in that setting, something in side of them breaks. Their spirit begins to crack and their entire world view begins to become tainted. 

Point:

When we meet this woman in the story, we know very little about her. That was the case with most women during the days of Christ. Women were second class citizens. They had no rights, no privileges, and if it weren’t for their husbands and sons, no one to take care of them. If you were a woman, you were in many ways invisible to society. 

Point:

The Scripture tells us that she was a “woman of the city”. That is a pretty nondescript term. We don’t know her name. We don’t know where in the city that she lived. We do know a bit about her background which we will discuss in a moment. Again, if you read the Greek translation of this passage you will see that the word “woman” is translated gü-nā' (goo nay). It actually means a woman of any age, a widow, a wife, a single female or a married female. Isn’t it interesting that this woman was so insignificant that Luke doesn’t give us a name, doesn’t give us her home, and doesn’t even give us her status. Nothing. This woman in many ways was a ghost. 

Point:

We also know one other thing about this woman. She was not invited. Scripture tells us that this Pharisee asked Jesus and His disciples to come eat with him. Jesus was enjoying the higher points of ministry. Jesus was interesting and His followers were captivating. Even the Pharisees were interested in him and wanted to know more about them. Jesus was popular, He was in the in crowd, Jesus was borderline famous. 

This women was nothing. Who knows who she really was or where she came from? She was a no body from no where with nothing to offer. She was the last pick or not even picked. 

Point:

Isn’t there something that we can immediately identify with with this woman? I can. I know how that feels not to be in the in crowd. I know what it feels like to feel invisible and like no one really cares. Don’t you? This woman didn’t probably just feel neglected, she was neglected. Neglected by her family, neglected by her people, neglected by her religion. That is a pretty difficult place to be.   

Point:

Here is the good news today. Instead of moving away from the neglected and downcast, we worship a Savior who moves towards them. This will not be the only time Jesus is in the presence of broken sinners. Hardly. He is constantly surrounded by them and offering them hope. Let talk about that now. Before we do that, let’s read Luke 15:1-2.

Luke 15:1-2 ESV

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

I. This Woman Was...

A. Neglected

B. Notorious vs. 37

Luke 7:36-37 ESV

[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…

Point:

The first time I really took notice of the word “notorious” it was attached to pop culture. Most of you are not familiar with the rap world, neither am I really. However, when I was a kid, there was a popular rapper by the named of Notorious B.I.G. He became even more notorious in death than in life. He was slain by supposed mobsters or gangsters who wanted him dead because he was a rival.

I learned early on that being notorious was not always a good things. Being notorious could put a target on your back and give people something to hate. 

Point:

Such is the case with this lady. She was also notorious. She was vilified and hated. No one liked her and everyone knew of her. Listen to Luke’s description of her, she was a woman from the city who was also a sinner. Ouch. For the record, everyone could be introduced in that manner but most are not. 

Point:

Again, to understand what Luke is really saying, we have to go to the Greek. The Greek word for sinner is translated hä-mär-tō-lo’s. It means more than she told a simple white lie.  The word actually means that she was filled with sin, pre-eminently sinful, especially wicked, a complete heathen. Imagine the most lost woman that you can think of. That’s her. She was so sinful that she is even defined by her sin by Luke. 

Point:

She was someone that no one wanted and everyone was familiar with her sinful behavior. Maybe she was a prostitute. Maybe she was a drug addict. Maybe she was an alcoholic. Maybe she was all three. Either way, she was not invited to eat with Jesus.

Point:

Sin is a funny thing isn’t it. It seems great at the time but when it has its way with us it leaves us broken, high and dry. Have you ever heard that statement about sin. I believe it is a quote by Ravi Zaccharias. 

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” 

Point:

That is the truth. Well this woman has found herself over her head in sin and on one there to help her. She has probably asked for help before but nothing happened. 

Point:

Nothing may have happened before but that was all about to change. She was about to have a Jesus encounter. 

John 8:34 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

I. This Woman Was...

A. Neglected

B. Notorious vs. 37

C. Needy vs. 37-38

Luke 7:36-38 ESV

[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. 

Point:

So enters this proclaimed sinner to the celebration that Jesus was invited to. Again, Jesus would have been there with His followers. Chances are there were other Pharisees there as well. Most scholars believe that the reason that this Pharisee invited Jesus to his home was to celebrate one of the Jewish festivals. During those periods of time, it was not unusual for homes to leave their doors open so that outsiders could participate or even the poor and needy to wait at the tables hoping to find scraps of food or crumbs. 

Point:

While that may have been true of others, it was not true of this woman. She did not come for scraps, she came for Jesus. She came to honor Him and worship him. 

Point:

So, what did she bring with her? According to Luke, all she had. She brings with her perfume incased in an alabaster flask. This would have been the most expensive thing that this woman would have owned. It would have cost nearly a year’s wage. The flask would have been sealed and the only way to expend the perfume was to shatter it. She met Jesus the way we should all meet Jesus. 

How Did She Come To Jesus?

1. Sincerely 

2. Humbly 

3. Sacrificially 

Point:

This was one needy woman. She came to Jesus aware of her sin. She came unashamed, ready to create a scene which she did. She came repentant. She was ready for a change in her life and that change came in the form of Jesus Christ Himself. 

Psalm 91:1-16 ESV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ...

II. Jesus’ Response Was…

A. Teachable vs. 40 

Luke 7:40 ESV

[40] And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." 

Point:

Luke does something interesting. He exposes the Pharisee’s thoughts and then allows Jesus to turn the conversation away from the sinful city woman to the self righteous Pharisee Simon. Why?

Clearly Jesus wanted to use this moment to teach Simon something. If it is one thing that Jesus knew is that Simon had the capacity to be a bit judgmental about sinners and Gentiles. The Pharisees were a wicked and judgmental bunch. They always felt that they were the most pious, most righteous, most deserving, and even perfect. So, it was not unusual that Jesus would point out this flaw in such a teachable way to Simon. 

Simon, who loves the most? The one whose huge debt is forgiven or the one whose small debt is forgiven? That’s and easy answer Jesus. The one who has a massive debt is more grateful for the forgiveness of that debt. 

Simon knew immediately what Jesus was talking about. This woman had a massive sin debt. In reviewing her debt, Simon would have realized if he was being honest with himself that sin was even pervasive in his own life. 

Notice that neither Jesus nor Simon disputed the condition of the woman. She was a sinner. Yet Jesus remarks what the woman, a sinner, did for Him that Simon, a righteous man,  did not do for Jesus. 

Simon Did Not Welcome Jesus (Feet)

Simon Did Not Love Jesus (Kiss)

Simon Did Not Respect Jesus (Anoint) 

Point:

It is my belief that Simon invited Jesus to his home not out of friendship. He invited Jesus to his home to do one thing, try to embarrass Him before His disciples. Simon wanted to be the one that unmasked Jesus as a sham and a fraud. Sadly, Jesus knew Simon’s heart and it was he who was exposed as the fraud. A sinner in righteous man’s clothing. 

Point:

Jesus may have know the Simon’s thoughts but He also knew Simon’s heart. He knew that Simon needed this object lesson on forgiveness and acceptance. 

Point:

That’s what Jesus does for all of us. He uses moments in our lives to teach us about His grace and mercy. 

What lessons are you learning from Christ about forgiveness? What grace has been given to you that you remember?

Romans 6:14

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

II. Jesus’ Response Was…

A. Teachable vs. 40 

B. Transformational vs. 49-50

[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."

Point:

So Jesus encounters this woman of the city. A sinner. She comes with great notoriety, and not the good kind. After her honoring and her worshipping, Jesus sets her free. He forgives her of her sins. Then he tells her to go in peace. 

Point:

Again the Greek is so telling. Peace in the Greek is ā-rā'-nā. It means a state of tranquility. It means to be exempt from rage or the havoc of war. It means security, safety, prosperity, and peacefulness.

When is the last time you felt that way? Completely at peace. Completely at rest?

Point:

Jesus wants to offer that to us today. He wants to offer that to you today. 

Closing Illustration

Let me tell you this morning about another woman. Her name was Julia Johnston and she was born in Ohio in 1849. She was raised as a strict Presbyterian to a minster. It was the time of the Women’s Suffrage movement that Johnston grew up. She wanted to share the Gospel with people but she was told that women had no place in teaching, preaching, or church leadership.

So, Julia did what she could. She began to write. One of the tunes that she wrote was “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”. 

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

These words remind the sinner that despite what has happened in the person’s life, God’s grace has wiped away all sin through the death of Jesus.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide. 

What can avail to wash it away?

Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,

Brighter than snow you may be today.

Despite what humans may think can be done, sin cannot be hidden.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,

Freely bestowed on all who believe!

You that are longing to see his face,

Will you this moment his grace receive?

It does not matter what has happened or what the sinner has done; God’s love is greater and is graciously given to those who believe.

Finally, as is the case with Gospel hymnody, the refrain follows after each stanza and is the most important part of the hymn. 

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin!

Friends, its all about grace. Julia Johnston understood it. This sinful women received it and it is offered to you today.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Will You Accept The Grace of Christ?