Westside Church of Christ

Jesus never seemed to have anything but trouble with the Pharisees. They butted heads over everything, but there He was in one of their homes for a real guess-who’s-coming-to-dinner moment (Luke 7:36-50). How was the atmosphere? Was there tension? He reclined at the table of a man who would ultimately become one of His fiercest enemies. Maybe, he already was. It

would not take very long for them to want Him dead, but this day they would break bread together.

It was an already odd combination when that woman showed up. She was one with a reputation, and she heard Jesus was there. So, she came. It provides an interesting contrast. A “righteous” man, a sinful woman, and the Savior of the world were all gathered together. One of them would criticize the Lord, and the other would love and honor Him. We might guess which would do what, but it is likely that we would be wrong.

The shady lady’s show of adoration for the Lord bordered on embarrassing. It certainly annoyed the religious host. She was at the feet of Jesus weeping, pouring perfume on Him, drying His feet with her hair, and kissing them. It was a dramatic demonstration, and Simon the Pharisee did not like it one bit. He grumbled to himself that a real prophet would never sit still for something like this from a woman like that.

What kind of expression was on his face? Maybe, none. We don’t know, but Jesus saw right through him and called his hand with a question about two debtors, one’s hole was much deeper than the other’s. Their money lender forgave them both. Who would love him most? The answer was obvious. Jesus then compares the “sinful” lady and His host. The one who had been forgiven the most showed enormous love, and the other displayed none at all.

Jesus never downplayed the kind of woman she was. He described her sins as “many,” but He forgave them which raised another issue with the other dinner guests, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” They had not figured it out. This is what Jesus was all about (And still is!). He moved more easily among the sinful populace than He did among the self-righteous. That should be an obvious message for all of us. He came for the spiritually ill in all of their ugliness. He was, and is, the great physician.

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who are sinners and know it, and those who are sinners and don’t know it or won’t face it. The lady with perfume knew it, and her faith saved her. She humbly came to Jesus and found forgiveness in her act of love. It is available for all of us if we will admit that we need it. There is no other place to go.

Call to Praise: Acts 4:23-31

His word on it: Ephesians 6:18

Sermon: “When the Going Gets Tough””