THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT - MARCH 18 & 19, 2000

St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church - Watertown, Wisconsin

FORGIVEN MUCH. WE LOVE MUCH. LUKE 7:36-50

Do you ever compare yourself with someone else? Probably we have been compared to others by our parents, our family and our teachers. When you compare, you either come out on top or you come out on the bottom. We like to come out on top. We like to be better than others and we like to think of ourselves as better than others. But there are great dangers when we play the comparison game. Either we come off as arrogant and holier than thou or we go into a depression and think we are nothing. In God's Word before us today we have an incident in Jesus' ministry where we are able to observe what happens when we play the comparison game and we also are able to hear our Savior speak the truth. Focusing our thoughts on God's Word we see this truth illustrated, FORGIVEN MUCH. WE LOVE MUCH. As we observe the actions and words of a man named Simon we see I) The dangers of comparing ourselves with others. As we listen to the words of Jesus we are given II) The true picture.

THE DANGERS OF COMPARING OURSELVES WITH OTHERS

Throughout life most of us have probably been compared to someone else. We may have heard remarks, "You're certainly not like your brother or sister." or "Why can't you be like John?" And we may have done the same thing to ourselves thinking, "Why can't I look like her?" "Why can't I play basketball the way he does?" "Why don't I get the same grades as Elizabeth?" God does not ask us to compare ourselves to the looks, abilities and actions of other people. There is a great danger when we attempt to do that. We see that in a man named Simon.

Simon was a Pharisee. Pharisees were a religious/political party in Israel at the time of Jesus. These were people who controlled the local synagogues. They considered themselves rather religious people. In fact, they thought they were pretty good people. They thought they were good Jews and that God should be pleased with them because they were so good and holy.

One day Simon invited Jesus to his home for a dinner party. During the dinner while Jesus was reclining at the table eating, a woman who was a sinner had come into the banquet hall. She was well known in her town for the evil and immoral life that she was living. She stood behind Jesus at his feet. While standing she began to weep and her tears fell and wet Jesus' feet. She got on her knees and wiped the tears from Jesus' feet with her hair. Then she kissed Jesus' feet and poured perfume all over them. Simon was watching all this and he was playing the comparison game. Simon considered himself much better than this woman.

Listen to the conclusions that Simon drew as he compared himself to the woman and to Jesus. Simon thinks to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who was touching him and what kind of woman she is . . .." (v. 39) The first conclusion that Simon draws is that this Jesus person is not such a hot character as everyone is claiming him to be. He thinks, "well, if Jesus is this great prophet that the people say he is, then he would know that this is crud that is touching him. He'd put a stop to this." He rejects Jesus as the promised Messiah of Israel. He sees Jesus as a fraud and certainly not someone that he needs to concern himself with.

You also hear Simon's conclusion about that woman, "she is a sinner." (v. 39c) Simon considers this woman evil and corrupt and certainly not worthy of anything. And when he compares himself to her, he considers himself much better and certainly more upstanding and worthy than she is.

Doesn't the same thing happen when you and I play the comparison game? We usually will compare ourselves to someone who has made a mess of their lives and think, "Well, I haven't been so stupid to do that." or "God should certainly be pleased with me because I haven't fallen into that sin." When we compare ourselves with others, we downplay the seriousness of our sinfulness and our own personal sins. And we usually put ourselves on top. We come off as someone who thinks that we are better than others. We become a Pharisee just as Simon was.

Another tragic thing that happens is that Jesus is no longer important to us. When you can come out on top of a comparison with someone else, then why do you need Jesus Christ? Why do you need God's forgiveness? You consider yourself a pretty decent and upstanding person. We fall into the same trap that Simon fell into. We reject Jesus and what he offers because we don't think we need him. We also have put our confidence in ourselves and in our own personal actions.

THE TRUE PICTURE

Thankfully, our Savior loves Simon and us too much to allow this comparison game to go on any longer. Since Jesus is God, he knows exactly what Simon is thinking. So our Lord reveals to Simon and us the true picture. Notice how Luke begins this section. He writes, "Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." (v. 40) Jesus answered him? Simon hadn't said a word. No he hadn't. But he had thought certain things. And since Jesus is the almighty God who knows all things, he knew exactly what Simon was thinking and he answers Simon's thoughts.

Jesus tells Simon a story. There were once two men who owed a moneylender a certain amount of money. One man owed about 17 months wages and another man owed almost two months wages. Neither of the men had money to pay off their debt. So the moneylender forgave the debts of both men. They did not have to pay back what they had owed him. Now Jesus asks Simon, "Now which of them will love him more?" (v. 42c) Simon responds, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." Jesus is quick to agree, "You have judged correctly." (v. 43)

Jesus then brings it home to Simon. He says to him, "When I arrived at your house, you did not give me water for my feet." Now this was customary in Palestine. Because people walked bare footed or with sandals, when they came to someone's home their feet were dirty. For the streets were not just dusty but also there was garbage and manure that you might walk through. So it was customary for the host always to see to it that his guests' feet were washed when they entered his home. Simon had not done that for Jesus. But Jesus remarks that this woman has wet his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. It was also customary for a host to welcome his guests with a kiss just as we often greet someone with a handshake or a hug. Jesus says to Simon, "You did not give me a kiss, but this woman since the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet." (v. 45) Then Jesus tells Simon you did not give me any oil for my head. Because Israel is often dry and arid, people would offer oil to their guests for their skin. It was also a way of honoring their guests. But this woman poured perfume on Jesus' feet. She loved much because she had been forgiven much.

What was Simon's problem? He did not recognize his sinfulness, his sins nor his need for Jesus Christ, his Savior. As Jesus said, "But he who has been forgiven little, loves little." (v. 47c) Jesus then assures this woman, "Your sins are forgiven." (v. 48) Why were they forgiven? Because she had done all these things for Jesus? No! Because Jesus loved her as he loves everyone of us, even Simon. And Jesus won for her the canceling of her debt. He did that by paying the great debt that she could not pay and she knew that she could never pay God for all she had done wrong. But Jesus paid off that woman's debt just as he has paid off your debt and mine. How did he do that? He lived in this sin infested world for 33 years. He encountered temptations, trials and troubles from the devil and he overcame them for us. He died a death that you and I never have to experience. He went through the tortures and agonizing pains of hell, our punishment for sin. He rose victorious, body and soul alive and whole, on Easter morning, conquering our last enemy death. That's what Jesus did for that sinful woman, for Simon, for you and me and for the entire human race. That woman trusted Jesus for her pardon. She believed that he had canceled her debt. As Jesus tells her, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."(v. 50)

That amazing love and forgiveness of God had changed this woman's life. She loved. God's forgiveness has an impact on us too. We love. Why did we come here today? Because we love to hear the story of Jesus and his love for us. Why do we bring generous and cheerful gifts of our hard earned money to the Lord? Because we love him who first loved us and gave his life as a ransom for all of our sins. Why do we want to tell others about Jesus? Why do we carry out our outreach to the Hispanic in Watertown with our time, prayers and money? Because we love all the people of this world for whom Jesus lived, died and rose from the grave. Why have we been taking time out of our busy schedules to come to God's house on Wednesdays for another worship service? Because we love our God whose love for us is without limit and end.

For you and I are like the man who owed 17 months of wages to a banker and there was absolutely no way we could ever pay that debt off. No matter how hard we worked; no matter how much we scrimped and saved; we could never have retired our debt. But God did it for us.

If you watch some of the basketball games during March madness have you seen the emotion and energy that comes out when a team wins a close game. It's almost electric. People are jumping and hollering, tears are freely flowing and hugs are given. These winning teams and their fans are filled with joy and happiness and they express it openly and unashamedly. They are thrilled. And so are we when it comes to what the Lord Jesus has done for us. We know how great our sinfulness is. We know what we deserve for our sins, eternal suffering, pain and shame. And by the grace of God we never will have to experience that. For we have been forgiven. Forgiven much. We love even more. People of God, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

Amen.