Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
Tom Shrader walks through Luke 7:36-50, where a sinful woman anoints Jesus at the home of Simon the Pharisee, and unpacks the parable of the two debtors to show that her extravagant love was the fruit of forgiveness, not its cause. He contrasts the woman's humble gratitude with Simon's self-righteous blindness, arguing that a true grasp of one's own sinfulness and Christ's saving grace produces deep love and thanksgiving. Shrader closes by calling the congregation to identify with each character in the story and to pursue the mind of Christ — living not as religious insiders, but as ministers and missionaries among lost people.
“She was not forgiven because she had great love. She had great love for Him because she understood how much she'd been forgiven.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: A Study Of The Life Of Jesus Christ (2005)
Recorded: 2005 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 1 hr 8 min
Themes: forgiveness, grace, humility, gratitude, love, self-righteousness, repentance, worship, struggling with pride, feeling unworthy, new believer, doubting god's forgiveness, religious but lost, young adult, seeking authenticity, recovering from past sin
Scripture: Luke 7:36-50, Luke 5:17-26, Luke 9:18, Matthew 23, Matthew 6, Matthew 11:28, John 2:24, 1 Corinthians 6, 2 Corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians 7:10, Philippians 2:3-5, Ephesians 2:8-9, Psalm 51
Theological Themes: justification, soteriology, sanctification, fruit of salvation, pharisaism, imputed righteousness, law and grace, atonement
Full Transcript
Introduction to the Passage
Open your Bibles, if you would, please, to Luke chapter 7, verse 36. We're going to look at verses 36 through 50 today. It's a story recorded from the life of Christ, recorded only by the gospel writer Luke. There are four main characters in this story. What I want to do is read this passage to you, then come back and unpack it. As we read through, I want you to identify those four characters — I think you can do it fairly easily.
Luke chapter 7, verse 36: "One of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with Him. And He went into the Pharisee's house and took His place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city who was a sinner, when she had learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment. 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."
Verse 39: "And 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. And Jesus answered, said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, Say it, teacher."
Then Jesus tells a story, verses 41 and 42: "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Jesus answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt." And He said to him, "You have judged rightly."
"Then turning to the woman, he said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered your house, and 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, but from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You do not anoint my head with oil, 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 given little loves little." And He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
The Four Characters
That is the story we are going to look at today. There are four characters. You see them? Jesus — we have that one. Simon the Pharisee. The woman. And the fourth? Everyone else at the table — the others who were there, mentioned in verse 49.
As we unpack this, I want you to try to interject yourself into the story. I want you to identify which of these four characters best represents you, your way of thinking, or your approach. We will come back to that same question at the close.
Simon the Pharisee
Verse 36 introduces one of the Pharisees. Although he is not named there, verse 40 identifies him — his name is Simon. He is not to be confused with Simon Peter, or Simon the leper, or Simon who is the father of Judas Iscariot, or Simon the Zealot, or Simon the tanner, or Simon of Cyrene. This is Simon the Pharisee. He has invited Jesus to come to his house and dine with him, and Jesus has accepted.
Now, we know that from the beginning there is a real animosity between Jesus and the religious leaders of the day — the Pharisees and the scribes. These Pharisees were very proud of who they were and what they were. They were swept away and enthralled with their own version of religion, and they thought they were something special. Jesus had chastised them repeatedly. No clearer illustration of that exists than Matthew chapter 23, where Jesus simply unloads on these men.
The Pharisees and Their Religion of Appearances
The scribes and Pharisees — Jesus exposes them. His primary charge against them is this: you look good in all your religion. In fact, that is what your religion is all about — looking good. In the Beatitudes, Matthew chapter 6, Jesus says, "When you give, don't give like these guys, for they give so that everyone will see them. When you fast, don't fast like these guys, because they let their appearance go to draw attention to themselves. When you pray, don't pray like these guys, because they stand in the middle of the street and pray so they may be seen."
In Matthew chapter 23, when Jesus is really exposing them, He says, "You are like whitewashed tombs." A tomb after a period of time will look worn, and they will come and paint it and make it look good. Jesus says that is what you are like — a whitewashed tomb that looks very good on the outside, but on the inside is filled with dead men's bones.
As you read through the New Testament, specifically the Gospels, you see Jesus have all sorts of encounters, and you see Him to be a man of great patience and grace. Then all of a sudden, in come the Pharisees, and it sets Him off like a rocket almost every time. That is the charge.
Simon the Pharisee's True Attitude
You may be tempted to look at this and say Simon must be the exception — at least he is reaching out to Jesus. On the surface it may look that way, but that does not appear to be his true intent. When you get down to verse 44, Jesus exposes this man for what he really was — not necessarily his intentions, but certainly his attitude. Jesus said, "You didn't wash my feet, and you didn't give me that kiss of greeting, and you didn't anoint my head" — all things that were good hospitality and religious customs of that day. Simon ignored all of them.
Why did he invite Jesus to his house? It is difficult to say. It may be because Jesus was a rabbi traveling and had spoken in the synagogue, and there was some merit attached to having Him to dinner. It may be that Simon was curious, or that he loved to tell people who had been at his house for dinner. There were times when small study groups would meet around a meal, and perhaps he simply thought it would be interesting to have another point of view.
Whatever the reason, Jesus is there. What is significant, as recorded two other times in the Gospel of Luke, is that Jesus was invited into the homes of Pharisees — and He went. In Luke, Mark, and Matthew's Gospel, we also see Jesus dining with tax collectors. Later in Luke's Gospel, He goes to eat with Zacchaeus, a tax gatherer.
Look at chapter 7, verse 34, where they are speaking of Jesus: "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax gatherers and sinners.'" Garth Brooks had a song, "Friends in Low Places," and apparently Jesus had friends in low places too. Jesus was willing to go, willing to dine with them and be seen with them, and willing to take all the criticism that would be attached to that.
A Woman Enters the Pharisee's House
So Jesus is invited to the house of Simon, and He goes. Then something happens that is significant — verse 37. Luke uses the phrase "and behold," which some translations render "and look." A change is taking place. Something shocking is about to occur, and Luke in his authorship is drawing our attention to it. There is a woman of the city — she is a sinner. She learns Jesus is reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, and she comes to visit Him. She has a specific task in mind.
In that day and age, it would not be uncommon for a dinner or banquet to be held in a home. Houses typically had a courtyard at the center where these events would take place, and the doors to the street were left open. This seems very odd to us, but it was commonplace for people who were not invited to come in during these banquets. They would not necessarily sit and eat, but they would come and listen, especially when rabbis were gathered together in deep theological and philosophical conversation. The hope was that in coming, a person might see or hear something that would have an extraordinary impact on their life.
Now consider the scene. This woman comes, and we understand very quickly that she is a sinner. The language would indicate that in all likelihood she was a prostitute — not someone who would typically be invited into a Pharisee's house. She has heard that Jesus is there, and she comes to find Him.
How They Reclined at Table
This detail is really important to grasp. In the courtyard there would be a table — not a table and chairs as we think of them. The guests would recline at the table, leaning typically on their left arm and freeing up the right hand to eat and pass food. Critically, because of how they reclined, their feet would be extended outward away from the table.
So Jesus is reclining at this table, in the middle of discussion, dialogue, and eating — and word spreads that this woman has come in.
The Woman's Conversion and What Led Her There
This woman has already heard Jesus preach. My belief is that either, at the moment of hearing Him, she was converted but could not get close to Him because of the crowd, or she got away, began to think about what was said, and the Spirit began to work in her heart and she was converted. Something like that happened to me in my own life. I went to Phoenix Country Club where a man named Larry Wright was teaching. Larry unpacked the Scriptures, my heart was touched, and I literally left the place shaking. Six days later God saved me, and the next day I told Larry, and he just started to cry and hugged me — and I thought, my word, what have I gotten myself into here?
That is not far from what is happening in this passage. This woman has been saved. She has experienced forgiveness. Jesus will say to her in verse 50, "Your faith has saved you, go in peace." She has experienced that peace, she has experienced that forgiveness, and as you would expect at the moment of genuine conversion, there is gratitude and thanksgiving. That is exactly what is happening here.
Reading the Scene Carefully
Look again at the text. Verse 36: one of the Pharisees asked Him to his house to eat, He went into the Pharisee's house, and He took His place at the table. Then, behold, a woman of the city — probably Capernaum, though we cannot know for certain — who was a sinner. Everybody knew it. She learned Jesus was reclining at the table, leaning on His left arm with feet extended. She came into the Pharisee's house and brought an alabaster flask of ointment, which she was going to break open so that the magnificent aroma of the perfume and oil would fill the air. Her intent was to anoint Jesus.
Look at verse 38: she is standing behind Him at His feet. There is really no indication in the text that Jesus has even turned around to see her, though certainly everyone in the room's attention is drawn to her. She is behind Him, standing at His feet, and she begins to weep. My sense — and I may be reading too much into the text, and if so I am sorry — is that she is standing there and all of a sudden she is overwhelmed by the moment. There is Jesus: her Lord, her Savior, her Master. She came for the specific task of expressing her gratitude, her thanksgiving, her love to Him, and she is overwhelmed and begins to weep.
The Radical Weight of Her Actions
Martin Luther called tears "heart water." Her tears cover His feet, and having no towel, she loosens her hair and wipes His feet with it. To us that may seem like an extraordinary act but perhaps not much beyond that. However, the Talmud taught that a woman could be divorced for letting any man other than her husband see her with her hair down. This is serious. While everyone in the room had already been surprised when she walked in, they are now dumbfounded at what has unfolded.
Her heart has been so touched, she is so aware of her sin and so clearly aware of the satisfaction of that sin, that perhaps in her mind words like those of Mary in the Magnificat ring true: "My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has regarded the humble state of His bondservant." She is repentant. I return to this passage often, but I want to mention it again: in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, Paul writes of the repentance and sorrow of the people in Corinth, and in verse 10 he says, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation. The sorrow of the world produces death." This woman is a sinner, just like you, just like me, just like Simon, just like the other people in that room. Her mind is filled with thanksgiving and gratitude because she has experienced the love of the Savior.
Simon's Internal Reaction
All of this is going on, and now look at verse 39. When Simon, who had invited Him, saw this — who is Simon talking to? Himself. 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." Simon is saying this woman is a sinner. The word used for "touching" is a word that in other places of Scripture speaks of sexual intimacy — not at all insinuating that anything sexual is happening here, but simply indicating just how improper Simon considers this entire scene to be.
Simon is saying to himself that if this man were a prophet, if He were as smart as people say, if He were all that they have heard, He would certainly know who this woman is and would want nothing to do with her. And implied in that thought, obviously, is that Simon himself would not. If Jesus were to do what Simon considers appropriate, He would chastise her and send her away. That is exactly what is in Simon's mind.
Simon's Silent Accusation
Simon is speaking to himself. Which makes verse 40 interesting, because Jesus answered. At this moment, Simon is saying to himself that if Jesus were truly a prophet, He would understand who this woman is and have nothing to do with her. Jesus is about to demonstrate that He knows all about the woman — past and present. He knows what Simon is thinking. He is able to discern the intents and thoughts of a man's heart. And Jesus is about to demonstrate in these next few verses, in a clear and undeniable way, that He is the Savior.
The Parable of the Two Debtors
Jesus answered, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And Simon replied, "Say it, teacher." Jesus then tells him a parable — a simple, easy-to-understand story. A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, and the other 50. A denarius is about a day's wages. When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both of them. Which one of them will love him more?
It is a straightforward story. In that day and age, people spent every penny they had just to survive — on food, clothing, and shelter. A debt of 50 denarii was almost insurmountable, and 500 denarii, ten times higher, was beyond anything they could really get their arms around. There was no way they could pay the debt back, and the money lender understood that. Though he justly could have had them thrown in prison or inflicted some punishment on them, he decided to extend mercy.
Simon grasped the point. Jesus asked which one would love the lender more, and Simon answered, "I suppose the one whom he canceled the larger debt." Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly." Simon got it. But now Simon is about to receive a lesson.
Simon's Self-Righteousness Exposed
The lesson is this: Simon, you are an arrogant, self-righteous, sinful, lost man — and what makes this especially alarming is that you do not see it. We have already seen a glimpse of his heart. His thinking was that Jesus ought to understand who this woman is and have nothing to do with her.
In the day that George Whitefield was preaching, he had a great supporter known as the Countess of Huntington. She invited a friend of hers, a duchess, to come and hear Whitefield preach. She received in return this note: "It is monstrous to be told that you have a heart as sinful as the common wretch that crawls in the earth. This is highly offensive and insulting, and I cannot but wonder that your ladyship should relish any sentiment so much at variance with high ranking and good breeding." She was saying: why would I go with all the commoners, all the other sinners? I have been bred out of that. I am upper class.
That attitude reeks — and it is exactly who Simon is. When you really see him clearly, you see how hateful he really is. But as Jesus is about to expose, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Simon needs a Savior just as much as this woman does.
The Currency of Self-Justification
St. Hughes writes these words: "What we all must understand is that the condition for being forgiven is to realize that we are broken, whether we are accomplished moralists or accomplished sinners." He then uses this language: the problem is that people keep trying to persuade God to accept the currency of their own making.
Some submit the currency of integrity: "God, I work with compulsive liars. The only honest man I know is myself. Surely I must be acceptable." Others argue from domestic currency: "In this X-rated world, my life is wholesome. I am a faithful wife, a faithful husband, I love my kids. I suppose that is all I need." Others offer social currency: "I am truly colorblind. My money goes to the needy. I volunteer for good causes. I really do care. The world needs more people like me — and so does heaven." And others offer church currency: "I live at the church, and my goodness is surely accepted."
That is what man does. That is what religion is. And Simon is exposed by it. Simon is lost. He is dead in his sins and trespasses, and he has failed to understand that. He sees a distinction between himself and this woman. Jesus is giving him a lesson, and he gets it — or at least part of it.
"Do You See This Woman?"
Then comes verse 44. Jesus turns toward the woman — the first clear indication that He has physically turned and acknowledged her — and He says to Simon, "Do you see this woman?" That seems like a strange question, because clearly Simon has seen her. Simon has been making a point of it the whole time.
But Jesus is not asking whether Simon's eyes have registered her presence. He is asking whether Simon truly understands what he is looking at. Do you see this woman for who she really is — who she was, and what she is now? She is a new creature. And do you see yourself for who you really are? Take another look. Look closely.
And then what we read earlier: "I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet" — which she provided, wetting His feet with her tears. "You gave me no kiss" — a common extension of courtesy in that day — which she also provided. She has not stopped.
The Source of Her Love
Jesus is not saying that because she had great love, her sins were forgiven. The Jerusalem Bible translates the verse this way: "For this reason I tell you that her sins, her many sins, must have been forgiven or she would not have shown such great love." The forgiveness extended to her is unconditional. It is not based on her love. She was not forgiven because she had great love. She had great love for Him because she understood how much she had been forgiven.
When I understand who I really am, and I understand who Jesus really is, when I understand how unworthy I am, what a wretch I am, what a sinful person I am — when I quit giving myself the benefit of the doubt and I call myself what Scripture calls me: a sinner, a wretch, helpless, hopeless, lost, incapable of doing anything spiritually good — when I get my arms around that and understand it, something shifts. When I understand that I am dead in my sins and trespasses and there is nothing I can do to save myself, there is no act I can perform, no decision I can conjure up and make, no church I can attend, no money I can give, nothing I can do. When I truly grasp how helpless and hopeless I am, and then see that Jesus comes along and saves me in spite of me, not because of me, then what should ooze out of every pore of my body is love for Him, thanksgiving to Him, and gratitude to Him. That is exactly what you see in this woman. You see someone who has been saved and delivered.
Who Can Forgive Sins?
Jesus says in verse 48, "Your sins are forgiven." Everyone present is watching this whole scene unfold — amazed at the woman, amazed at Simon, amazed at Jesus' response. Then they hear those words, and verse 49 records their reaction: "Those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, 'Who is this, who even forgives sins?'"
We see situations similar to this throughout Scripture. One clear example is in Luke chapter 5, verse 17. The Pharisees are there teaching, Jesus is present, and the power is with Him. There is a paralytic, a paralyzed man, whose friends want to get him in front of Jesus hoping he will be healed. Verse 19 tells us that finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they go up on the roof and let him down through the tiles on his bed, right into the midst before Jesus. And when He saw their faith, He said, "Man, your sins are forgiven."
The scribes and Pharisees immediately began to question, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" By the way, that is exactly accurate. Nobody can forgive sin but God. That is the whole point of this dialogue.
The Proof of His Authority
Very similar to what we saw with Simon, Jesus perceived what they were questioning in their hearts — consistent with what John records in John chapter 2, verse 24, that Jesus knows the hearts of men. He says, "Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?" He is setting up a test, a kind of experiment. Here is this paralytic man. What would be easier to say — "Your sins are forgiven," or "Get up and walk"? The obvious answer is that the easier thing to say is "Your sins are forgiven," because this man is paralyzed and cannot get up and walk.
But then Jesus says, "But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" — and He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home." And immediately the man rose up before them, picked up the bed he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. Amazement seized them all and they glorified God, filled with awe, saying, "Today we have seen extraordinary things."
The entire point of that miracle is for everyone present to say, He must be God. They had already made the point clearly: only God can forgive sins, only God can do something like this. Jesus says, in effect, I am going to do this miracle — not to build a bigger crowd, not to take up a large collection, not to build a constituency — but so that you understand that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sin.
Your Faith Has Saved You
The same dynamic is at work back in the passage before us in chapter 7. Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven," and the people respond, "Who is this?" Jesus is clearly giving testimony to the fact that He is God. That is what this is all about. He does not perform a miracle here, but we, two thousand years later, can take all of this together and see the claim being made. They said nobody can forgive sin but God Himself, and Jesus is demonstrating in an indisputable way that He is God.
And then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." She is not saved by her love. She is saved just as you and I are saved — by grace through faith. We are saved by grace, and the fruit of that grace and God's work in our lives is faith. It is not a work of ours, nothing that we do. It is a gift of God, as Paul writes in Ephesians 2, verses 8 and 9.
Which Character Are You?
There are four characters in this story: Simon, a woman, Jesus, and the crowd. The application, I think, is clear, though we could have all sorts of points and sub-points. At least on the surface, we are all sinners, we are all in need of a Savior, and Jesus is God come in the flesh who can forgive sins — He and He alone. If you are here today and you hear those words, will you repent? I want to take each of these four characters one by one and ask: which one best represents you?
The Simon in the Room
You may be that religious person. There was someone here this morning who had relatives from out of town, and they said before they came, "My relatives are Simon." They are religious people. They are in church all the time. They think they are saved, but their faith is in their religion. They are not opposed at all to going to church, and they would certainly look down on blatantly open sinful people and say, "We would never do that." They feel basically okay relying on their tradition, relying on their own works, and would say, "God and I are on pretty good terms. I am an okay guy." You might be at that point today.
The Curious Crowd
Or maybe you are like this curious crowd. Maybe you have been around and you are saying, "I sense something is wrong. I do not sense that everything is okay." Maybe you have never heard the gospel before. When I walked into Phoenix Country Club that morning, I had been in church all my life, and I am telling you, I had never heard the gospel. I had heard that I need to do this or do that, don't do this, come over here, give some money, be good — that is what I heard. I heard a lot of religion. I never heard a gospel.
It may be that you are here today — and I think we have somebody here every week who is saying, "I never heard anything like this." If that is you, if you are like this crowd and you think, "Whoa, something special is going on," you have to deal with one question. Look at Luke chapter 9, verse 18. Jesus has just fed the five thousand: "And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?' They answered and said, 'John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.'" And then Jesus said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
If you answer only one question in your entire life, this is the most important question you will ever answer: Who do you say Jesus is? Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one." Now who do you say He is? The correct response is to acknowledge your sin. You may look at yourself the way Simon did and say, "Well, I am not like that woman." But that is not the issue. If you have broken a law, you have broken the law. If you have committed a sin, you are a sinner, and you need a Savior.
The moment you sin, you are separated from God, and there is nothing you can do to bring yourself into union with Him again. You may feel distant from God right now, sitting there — isolated, lonely, in a room with four or five hundred people and feeling all alone. How can that be? Because that relationship you need more than any other relationship in your life — that vibrant relationship with the one true God — is broken, and you broke it when you sinned. There is nothing you can do to make it right. But come in repentance and faith. Believe Jesus is who He said He was, and plan your life and death accordingly. Acknowledge Him, and Him alone, for who He really is.
Identifying with the Woman
Now maybe you identify with the woman. My suspicion is that if we unpacked all this, most of us would fall here. We would say that we were sinners, but as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6, we were washed, we were justified, we were sanctified — we have been forgiven. Your heart might be like that of the psalmist in Psalm 51, who writes — and I acknowledge I have edited these words a bit — "Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness, according to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness. Blot out my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart. Restore the joy of my salvation."
You may be like that woman — in love with the Savior, some days more than others, a sinner who has been saved by grace. If someone asked who you say Jesus is, you would have that answer. You are conscious of your own weakness, believing that Satan is a roaring lion, a subtle serpent, an angel of light — an adversary seeking to destroy you — and your own flesh is prone to sin, so you fight that struggle and that battle. But your heart really is filled with gratitude, thanksgiving, and love for Jesus.
You understood the words we looked at last week in Matthew chapter 11, verse 28: "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." That is what you have done. You have given up trying to satisfy God on your own, and you have accepted the provision that He has made for you.
The Fourth Character
Now at this point I have asked you to identify with these characters. We have looked at three of them. The fourth one is Jesus.
Thinking Like Jesus
My suspicion is that there probably isn't anybody holding out for Him. I want to present this to you. It is not well thought through. It is not totally clear in my mind, and yet — this may sound like hype to you, but it isn't — I can't contain this thought any longer. If you say you are like the woman, then you should be identifying with Jesus as well.
I think we read through this and we go, "I'm not the Pharisee, I'm not the crowd, I'm the woman," and nobody's Jesus. But didn't Paul say to you and to me and the church at Corinth that we are to follow Paul as he follows Christ?
Turn to Philippians chapter 2. I say again, I'm not trying to undersell here — I just haven't got this all thoroughly thought through, but it is so heavy in my heart and mind. In fact, it takes me back to why we're even studying the life of Christ. We've been working through the epistles, the letters of Paul, and some of the other New Testament books, and it just felt like we were studying a lot of doctrine but needed to get to the person of Jesus. You may not realize this, but when we come back in the fall, we will have spent two years studying this already. That's amazing.
Look at Philippians chapter 2, verse 5. Paul is encouraging us to be humble. He says in verse 3, "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you not only look out of his own interest, but the interest of others." And then he says, "Have the mind in you that was in Christ Jesus." Some of your translations will say "the attitude." It means literally to think the same way.
Here is my point. When we are saying what characters in this story best represent us, Jesus ought to be on our list somewhere, because the call to you and to me is to be like Christ, to think like Jesus.
We Are Not God, But We Have the Spirit
Now obviously, we aren't God. I was watching someone on television who was saying we're all made in the image of God, so we all have God in us, and we're all little gods in some way. That's simply wrong. You aren't God. But as Christians, we now have the Holy Spirit living in us, and the call is to begin to think, see, understand, and live in the world like God would.
I'm not going to have you turn back there, but just prior to the story we looked at in Luke 7, Jesus has an encounter with a woman, and it says He felt compassion for her. I looked it up this morning — something like forty different times that idea is expressed, that Jesus has compassion. So I would ask you: do you have compassion? Do you have compassion for the hurting around you?
Here is something I am learning. There are a few people who are naturally compassionate, but most of us have to learn it as we experience the hardship, the difficulty, the pain, and the agony of life. It is like 2 Corinthians chapter 1 — we begin to see the people around us with compassion.
Living Among the Lost
Consider this: right before the passage we looked at, Jesus was spending time with lost people. I want to make this distinction, and I think it is really significant. Jesus was having dinner with the tax gatherers, with the Pharisees, with the prostitutes, with sinful people. Some seemed to be embarrassed by it, and He was saying, "Bring on the criticism." We read that in our context and say, "Oh, look at Him — He's engaged in outreach." No, He isn't. That is the whole point I want you to see. This wasn't outreach. This was the way He lived.
You and I are supposed to be spending time with sinners. We are supposed to have a circle of people around us who are lost. My desire is that every person who calls East Valley Bible Church home would be a minister and a missionary. Minister means to serve — that each one of us is serving like Jesus. We didn't come to be served; we came to serve. And being a missionary doesn't mean I need a passport and a visa. It means I am out there with someone who doesn't know Christ, with the great privilege of spending time with them and living among them.
We are not to retreat into a Christian ghetto — just Christian friends, Christian music, Christian books, Christian magazines, Christian everything. How can I be an evangelist? How can I be a missionary if all I do is spend time with saved people? That's what heaven is for, it seems to me.
Proclaiming Truth With a Broken Heart
Then He proclaims the truth. I am not at all advocating that we roll over and bury the truth — you know that. But Jesus proclaims the truth in a way that is in no way compromised, yet with a broken heart.
There is an old story about a church that lost its pastor. A man runs into an acquaintance at a coffee shop — someone who had left the church — and the acquaintance says, "Hey, I heard you got a new pastor. What's he like?" The man replies, "Every Sunday he tells us we're lost, we're sinners, we're going to hell." The acquaintance says, "Well, that's just like the other guy." And the man says, "Yeah, but the other guy seemed happy about it."
That is the idea. Proclaiming the truth in a way that says, "I really do hurt for you. You are lost — and it's not a matter of arrogance for me, it's a matter of being broken." And He encourages this woman, in the story we looked at. We are here to equip, to encourage, to put courage into people.
People Liked Being Around Jesus
There is one more thing I want to touch on before time gets away from us. I can't get away from the fact that people seemed to like Jesus. Now, I understand He had His conflicts with the scribes and the Pharisees, but the children came to Him, and sinners seemed to be comfortable around Him. People liked being with Him. He was enjoyable. He was likable. I picked up a book this week and came home with it — it's called *The Likability Factor* — and Susan said, "You're in real—"
Being Like Christ in the World
I was talking to a guy a couple of weeks ago about a book on being liked. His point was that if you are likable, life goes better — you tend to get better jobs, promotions, and relationships that go well. It seems to me that if there should ever be a group of likable people, it ought to be Christians. We are supposed to have this whole love, joy, peace, patience, kindness thing figured out.
Disneyland bills itself as the happiest place on earth. But the church ought to be the friendliest place on earth — filled with friendly people who are genuinely watching, genuinely seeing. Something as simple as noticing the person who cannot find their way to a classroom or is confused about where things are. There should be that likability.
I was talking to someone about a fellow who is a Christian, no question about it — knows the Scripture, clearly saved. I said I know he is a Christian, and the response was, "He is, but he needs to tell his face." The point is that nobody is attracted to that. You are never going to be a significant player in the body of Christ if your attitude projects that.
You can gather ten or fifteen people who already understand everything, parse verbs, break passages apart, and sit around talking about how awful things are and how the world is going to hell. But sitting together with fifteen people who already understand it is not helping anybody. I know that is a bit tangential, but do you see the point I am trying to make?
The Mind of Christ
Every day this conviction grows bigger and bigger for me: I am supposed to be like Christ. That does not mean healing the paralytic, because I cannot do that. It means I am to have the mind of Christ, and that is going to exhibit itself in being a person who sees others as more important than himself — a person who understands he is here to be a minister and a missionary. That is a great calling.
My intention this week, as we work through the life of Christ, was to look at certain incidents and note them for later. That was my first intent when I read Luke chapter 7, verses 36 to 50. But the more time I spent in it and the more I unpacked it, the more I saw my own sin in it. Perhaps this whole passage is more directed at me than at you, but I am inviting you to come on that journey with me.
If you are Simon in this story, you are a self-righteous person who needs to come along and confess your sin. If you are the crowd, you need to understand that you have legitimate questions and Jesus is the legitimate answer. If you are the woman — if your heart is broken and you are filled with thanksgiving, love, and gratitude — that is absolutely where God would have you. And the more you love Him, the more grateful you are, and the more you know Him, the deeper that will be.
A Ministry of Reconciliation
I am to have the mind of Christ, and I am to begin to think and act like Christ. That means hanging with believers, encouraging believers, and loving believers. But it also means being a missionary and a minister.
If there is anything that woman in this passage understood, she understood God and sinner reconciled. And as Paul says, now your ministry is a ministry of reconciliation — you take that ministry into the world. That is an incredible thought, and we will continue to unpack it over the next few weeks.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for this marvelous, wonderful truth. I pray that I would be more caring, more compassionate, more loving, more kind — broken first over my own sin and over the sin I see around us and the effects it has. May my life be one that produces honor and glory to You.
I pray that this would be the prayer all of us would utter, so that collectively we could say: God, make us a caring, loving, compassionate people, broken over our sin — a place where hurting, sinful people are welcomed and we have the privilege of moving them along that journey. God, thank You for that. In Jesus' name, Amen.
lift me. When I am surrounded, Your love carries me. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. And hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. Your love is a prize. I can feel it rising, all the joy that's growing deep inside of me. Every time I see you, all your goodness shines through. I can feel this God song rising up in me. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging. Your love is a mountain beneath my feet. Your love is a mystery. You gently lift me when I am surrounded. Your love carries me. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. Yes, you make me sing. How you make me sing, sing, sing. Lord, you make me sing. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. And hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. And hallelujah, hey, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging. Your love is a mountain firm beneath my feet. Your love is a mystery, how you gently lift me. When I am surrounded, your love carries me. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. And hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Your love makes me sing. And hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, your love makes me sing. And hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. One, two, three. When days like a river attendeth my way, And sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, Oh, it is well, it is well with my soul. For Satan should buffet, and though trials should come, But this blessed assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And he has shed his own blood for my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, with my soul. When all else but you's control, It is well, it is well, with my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought, That my sin not in part, but the whole, Was nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Oh, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh, my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, with my soul. When all else but you's control, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Shout it now! Shout it now! One more time! That day, oh, that day, when my faith shall be sight, And the clouds be rolled back like a scroll, The trumpets shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Oh, praise the Lord, it is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, with my soul. When all else but you's control, It is well, it is well, with my soul. My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest phrase But wholly lean on Jesus' name On Christ the solid, Christ the solid Rock I stand, rock I stand All other ground, all other ground Is sinking sand, sinking sand All other ground