Abundant Grace
Posted on Jun 12, 2016 by David Whetter
Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who abides in each of us.
There is an old saying that that is often attributed to Joseph Kennedy, the father of John F. Kennedy, that goes, “Don’t get mad, get even!” Are you familiar with that saying? Now, no one really knows where that statement came from, but we are well aware of what it means. If someone wrongs you, don’t let it get to you, get them back. In other words, make sure you get your revenge, or make sure they get what they deserve.
I thought of that phrase a lot while I prepared for today. Jesus had been invited to the home of Simon, the Pharisee. We are not sure why Simon wanted to meet with Jesus, but based on what we know so far in the story, we can safely assume this Pharisee wanted to “get the scoop” on Jesus. Was Jesus really a prophet, as some had proclaimed? Was the message he had been teaching true, and how did his message compare with what the Pharisees taught? Was Jesus going to be a threat to the religious establishment? Although not stated, my guess is these were just a few of the questions Simon sought to answer that night.
So let’s take a look at what happened. First of all, we have to remember that this took place in the first century. “Private” homes were not as private as one might think. Simon most likely had a fairly large home, at least for his day, and there probably would have been a courtyard that one entered when one first came into his home. Although this would have been what we might call “private” property, this would have been an area where strangers, beggars, and others would have felt they could come to seek help. And so before the dinner began, “a woman in the city, who was a sinner” (7:37) appeared, knelt before Jesus, and began to wash his feet with her tears, and Jesus let all this happen.
Simon had been seeking to find out who Jesus really was, and now he knew Jesus was not a prophet, for if he was he would have known what kind of woman this was. He would not have let this sinner touch him, he would not have let this woman stay in his presence, and he certainly would not have spoken to her. But as Simon soon learned, God’s ways and God’s very nature were at the heart of what Jesus was about to teach him. God’s nature is one of love and acceptance, not revenge and anger. Simon rejected the woman and thought she was unworthy of God’s forgiveness, but God didn’t get mad and God didn’t get even. God loves and forgives. God accepts us as we are, sinful but redeemed.
To help Simon understand this, Jesus shared the story of two debtors. The story was a simple one. A man loaned money to two different people, neither of which were able to repay their loan. Since the one who lent the money was a forgiving person, he forgave both of them their loans, even the loan that was ten times larger than the other. After telling this story, Jesus asked Simon a simple question, “Which of the two would love the money-lender more?” Simon offered a cautious answer, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” “Exactly,” proclaimed Jesus.
Jesus went on to point out the similarities in his story to the situation that played out in Simon’s home. “Do you see this woman?” Jesus asked Simon. “I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.” (7:44-46). Custom would have dictated that Simon greet Jesus with a kiss on the cheek and provide a servant to wash his feet and anoint him, but Simon did none of that; this woman did, though. The act of washing a guest's feet and anointing a guest with oil was not unusual; what was unusual was that Simon, the host, did not provide this service, and that a woman did it for a man.
Simon and this unnamed woman were both in debt. Neither of them would ever be able to repay God for all the sin they had done, but God didn’t, and still doesn’t, expect them, or us, to “make good” on sin. No, they were forgiven, and Jesus pointed out the difference: Those who are forgiven much realize how blessed they are and, like this woman, respond with great joy. The problem for Simon, though, was that he had not yet admitted that he had sin. He was still of the mind that, even if he had sin, it was not as great as this woman’s sin, but that is not how God works. Our sin, all of our sin, is greater than we could ever hope to make amends, and instead of getting mad or even, our God offers forgiveness and love. The enormity of our sin is surpassed only by God’s great mercy.
As hard as it is for us to believe, Jesus, our Lord, welcomes all kinds of people to be part of God’s amazing work in this world. He welcomes us, and he welcomes people who are greatly different from us, because all of us, as sinful as we are, are made perfectly in the image of God and each of us is invited to be part of God’s redeeming work, and it all starts with God’s forgiveness.
Our challenge today is, instead of rejecting those who we think are different or not “the right kind,” we need to offer our love to all in this world. We are called first and foremost to recognize our own sin, as King David did, and then accept the love and forgiveness of God so that we might go forth giving thanks and praise to God and offering that same gift of mercy to the world.
One of my favorite lines in this story is when Jesus says to Simon, “Do you see this woman?” He didn’t say, do you see this sinner? Jesus knew who and what she was. He knew she was a “sinner,” but first and foremost he saw her as a woman, a child of God. That is how God sees each of us. God puts no labels on us, as we put on each other. Oftentimes, we might look in the mirror and not like who or what we see, but God sees us, in our brokenness, and loves us. God doesn’t see us as male or female, black or white, straight or gay; no, when God looks at us, God sees a child that has been created to be in relationship with God.
As the apostle Paul proclaimed, all are called, all men and all women, all are saints and all are sinners. No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, you are welcome in Jesus’ presence as you are and you are invited to follow Jesus, to show great love, to take part in God’s redeeming work in this world. Amen