The Text Follows:
Luke 7:36-8:3
7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.
7:37 And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.
7:38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.
7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him--that she is a sinner."
7:40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak."
7:41 "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
7:42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?"
7:43 Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly."
7:44 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 bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.
7:45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet.
7:46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
7:47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
7:48 Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
7:49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
7:50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
8:1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,
8:2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
8:3 and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
7:36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.
7:37 And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.
7:38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.
7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him--that she is a sinner."
7:40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak."
7:41 "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
7:42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?"
7:43 Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly."
7:44 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 bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.
7:45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet.
7:46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
7:47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
7:48 Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
7:49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
7:50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
8:1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him,
8:2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
8:3 and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
Forgive us, God, when we fail to walk with you; guide us back
to you, and fill us with your love and grace that we might better serve you.
Amen.
“We are living in strange times. WASHINGTON — A Republican senator told conservatives Friday they should
pray for President Barack Obama and suggested a biblical passage that says,
"Let his days be few."
Georgia Sen. David Perdue told a gathering of religious
conservatives that "we need to be very specific about how we pray."
He suggested using Psalms 109:8, which reads: "Let his days be few, and
let another have his office."
As the audience at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's
"Road to Majority" conference laughed and applauded, Perdue said,
"In all seriousness, I believe that America is at a moment of
crisis."
The next lines of the Psalm read: "Let his children
be fatherless and his wife a widow."
Kristen Orthman, a spokeswoman for Senate Democratic
Leader Harry Reid, said Perdue's comments "left the impression he was
praying for the death of President Obama."”
May his
days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor seize all he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,
their names blotted out from the next generation.
may another take his place of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor seize all he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,
their names blotted out from the next generation.
While this
was not the words of a Preacher, but the words of a Christian, I had to have a
serious debate – internally - about
forgiveness. This internal dialogue was
already going on as I kept reading the Gospel lesson for today. The bottom line of the lesson is one of
forgiveness.
Remember
the story… Jesus was invited to supper at the home of a Pharisee. Jesus ate
with a lot of different people. He even ate with the “tax collectors and sinners,” but also the
Pharisees! It may be that by the time of Luke was beginning to record his story
of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, the believers may have begun to
look at the Pharisees as the “outcasts,” as the Pharisees had done to the “tax
collectors and sinners” during Jesus’ day.
As Jesus was in the home of this Pharisee, this woman entered and began
anointing Jesus with the ointment from the alabaster jar she brought with
her. She is not anointing his body prior
to burial as in the other accounts nor is her ointment described as being
costly. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry
them with her hair.
The Pharisee who had invited Jesus, was just
a little unsettled to have this uninvited woman paying so much attention to his
guest. Jesus’ host
thought to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who
and what kind of woman this is who is touching him--that she is a sinner." Little did he know that Jesus could read
minds. Jesus spoke up and said to him,
"Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he
replied, "Speak."
Jesus went into story telling mode, "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" Jesus’ host Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly."
Jesus went into story telling mode, "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" Jesus’ host Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly."
It is at
this point that Jesus moves into action and teaching. He turns toward the
woman, then he speaks to Simon, "Do you see this woman? 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. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven;
hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves
little."
Jesus may have stunned his host, knowing that he is a guest in the house of the Pharisee. Jesus was very aware that the other guests gathered were watching every move he made and listened to every word he said. After the stunned silence Jesus speaks directly to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven." "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Can you imagine the murmuring that was going on among those other guests? The primary question around the table began was, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
Jesus may have stunned his host, knowing that he is a guest in the house of the Pharisee. Jesus was very aware that the other guests gathered were watching every move he made and listened to every word he said. After the stunned silence Jesus speaks directly to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven." "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Can you imagine the murmuring that was going on among those other guests? The primary question around the table began was, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
Sometimes I’m
just as clueless about the broad parameters of what it means to Forgive. In reading about the news reports, Senator
Purdue is reported to be laughing and smiling, as he alluded to the unscheduled
demise of the President of the United States.
I’m having a difficult time – understanding how it is in a gathering of
Christians, people can laughingly applaud the application of a Psalm of death on
the current President. Now I must admit,
the Senator did not read the following verses, but since 2009 the Psalm [even
on bumper stickers] has been around the conservative community. Forgiveness
comes with great difficulty, for the ministry of Jesus calls for all of us to
recognize the face of faith in everyone we meet. I started this sermon with this prayer, ‘Forgive us, God, when we fail to walk with you;
guide us back to you, and fill us with your love and grace that we might better
serve you.’ We are
called upon to see the God child in everyone we meet.
Perhaps that
is a lesson we can all learn from one who left us this week. A signature phrase that we heard on Friday at
the Memorial service of Muhammad Ali, ‘Service to Others is the Rent you Pay
for your Room here on Earth.’
Even
though there were a few folks who have never forgiven him for his stance on the
war in Vietnam, or his conversion to Islam, they are the ones who have lost the
meaning of forgiveness. Character and
Care are elements of a man who was capable of building bridges and friendships
across racial, religious and political challenges. He truly was one to break down walls of
difference. This citizen of the world
knew what it meant to be forgiven and more specifically what it means to
forgive. May we all strive to like Ali,
another one of the Greatest, and more importantly a child of the God – Allah and
Father of us all. AMEN.
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