“More Than a Prophet”
Luke 7:36-50
February 23, 2003
If you remember way back at the beginning of Advent, I explained to you that Advent was in fact only the beginning of a much larger story, a much larger story about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our text for today returns us that larger story and to the persistent theme that has been at the forefront of the story of Jesus so far.
This persistent theme, which began with Jesus birth
at Christmas, and continued through Epiphany and Jesus baptism, can be summed
up in one word: identification. This
ongoing theme of the identification of who Jesus is, not only unites the three
events of Christmas, Epiphany, and Baptism together, and carries their messages
on into the rest of the church year, but it also moves us forward toward two
very important parts of the larger story that we will be celebrating soon, Lent
and Easter. In our story for today, it
is the identification of who Jesus is that comes under question.
Jesus has been preaching in Galilee for nearly a
year now. The common people have
received him gladly. Already he has
healed a leper, a paralytic and dozens of people. He has cast out demons and raised a widow’s only son from the
dead. News about Jesus has begun to
spread throughout the country. People
would gather in their homes, at the local restaurants, and around the town
watering holes saying to one another, “Hey did you hear about that guy named
Jesus? I hear he has done some amazing
things. He made the deaf hear, the
blind see, and the lame walk.” “Oh
yeah”, another would say, “I hear he is a prophet.” Crowds of people would seek him out in order to catch just a
glimpse of him as he walked by or, if they were lucky enough, to see him
perform a miracle. The country was abuzz
with news about Jesus, not only about what he did, but also about who he
was.
Many people had their own idea about who Jesus was,
but one of the most common identification of Jesus was that he was a
prophet. Even John the Baptist wondered
if this was really so, because there had been many people who had been prophets
and many who claimed to be. People
began to wonder whether this Jesus was just one of many who had come to tow the
religious party line, whether or not he was a prophet of old, or if this Jesus
was different, if this Jesus was more than just a prophet.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, had
already made up their mind about who Jesus was and they had begun to grow cold
toward Jesus. He didn’t pander to their
crowd, and occasionally he said things that ruffled their feathers and
challenged their rules. They didn’t
like him and they were not sure how to handle him. In their close knit circles they probably began to wonder whether
or not they should just quietly ignore him, or publicly oppose him, or attempt
to discredit him? Well, Simon the
Pharisee had an idea.
It is remarkable in a way that a Pharisee would
invite Jesus to his house for dinner.
After all Jesus was no friend of the Pharisees, the ones who Luke says
rejected God’s purpose for themselves.
Simon’s true motives aren’t clear in the text, but it would be safe to
say that whatever his motives were, they weren’t friendly.
You see, hospitality, the generous and
cordial welcome of strangers, was considered to be one of the most important
parts of a person’s faith. Nothing was
more important than showing hospitality toward people you don’t know, welcoming
them into your home, providing a safe environment for them, and even having a
meal with them. This was more than just
being nice, it was a central part of their core belief that one day God would
show them the same hospitality and welcome them to the marriage feast of the
Lamb of God.
A part of showing hospitality to strangers was
washing the guests feet. It was good
manners in that day for the host to have his servant wash the feet of a guest
who entered the host’s home. The
guest’s feet would be sore and dirty from walking in sandals on dusty, dirt
roads. It was also polite to kiss the
guest on the check to let the visitor know that he or she was welcome. And it was customary to anoint the guest’s
head with oil. But, Simon didn’t do any
of these things.
Imagine being invited over to someone’s house for
dinner after a hard day’s work and upon entering no one comes to you to greet
you. You go in and find the host and
extend your hand only to have the host refuse to shake hands. No one offers you something to drink; no one
offers you a seat to rest your tired body.
This is the way Simon the Pharisee treated Jesus. But why?
Why go to all the trouble to invite this person to your home and put on
a lavish meal only to insult him?
Obviously, Simon had something else in mind for this dinner with Jesus.
I think Simon knew exactly what he was doing. He knew what people had been saying about
Jesus. He knew that Jesus had been
called a prophet. Simon knew that if he
could get under Jesus’ skin, make him mad, and goad him into speaking out or doing
something, then Simon could embarrass and discredit Jesus in front of all the
people who were there. Jesus had
already been accused of eating and drinking with tax collectors and
sinners. Who in their right mind would
listen to or even follow a discredited prophet?
It is amazing to me how graciously Jesus acted. How he showed us by his behavior how we are
to respond when someone treats us rudely.
Jesus just ignored Simon’s petty, childish behavior. He refused to give Simon the satisfaction of
even commenting about this treatment.
But, then something happens. A woman enters the room. She’s not the kind of woman you’d ordinarily invite to nice party. She was a woman of the city, a scandalous woman, a sinner. And here she was at Simon’s home – unescorted, uninvited, unwanted. Some people say that she had learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house and she came just to see Jesus, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, hoping to catch his attention and give him the jar of ointment she had as a gift.
But I don’t think this is the case. I believe she came to Jesus because they had
met before. She came to Jesus already
weeping, she came in loving gratitude for what Jesus had already done for her
in forgiving her sins.
Whatever the case may be, she approaches Jesus from
behind as he is reclined at the table, tears rolling down her face, they
literally fall on Jesus’ unwashed feet and leave streaks in the dirt and grime
Simon had refused to wash away. In her
embarrassment she falls to her knees and begins to wipe his feet with her
hair. Then she begins kissing his feet
and pours the jar of ointment onto his feet.
Now Simon has been watching this little drama
unfold. He doesn’t say anything to the
woman. He is watching to see what Jesus
is going to do. But Jesus does nothing,
and the corner of Simon’s mouth begins to curl up in a little, sly smile, as he
says to himself, “Gotcha… I’ve gotcha Jesus!
Wait till the others hear about this.
This Jesus claims to be a prophet, well if this man were a prophet, then
he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him –
that she is a sinner.”
Our text says that Jesus literally turns his back on
Simon and faces the woman. He turns
away from the judgmental, self-righteousness of the Pharisee to the simple
repentance of this woman, and he asks Simon, “Do you see this woman?” This is not just a casual question, but a
profound question, a question, which strikes at the very core of our attitude
toward others. The woman was exactly
what Simon did not see.
In the end, it is the Pharisee who does not
know. It is he who is really ignorant
about who Jesus is and about this woman.
It is Simon who does not know that every human being is one of God’s
creatures and the object of God’s care; that even the most shameless sinner can
be forgiven; that all are in need of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness; that
our love for Jesus and our love for others is not to gain forgiveness but is
what we do because we have already been forgiven.
Simon had people arranged in classes; this woman
wasn’t even a woman, she was only a sinner.
But Jesus saw only a woman. He
did not classify people; he did not concern himself with what sort they were;
he was always interested in who they were, in the person themselves.
Jesus didn’t let social or economic or racial or
sexual or any other societal arrangement be a barrier between himself and
another, to limit his contacts with others, or to determine his relationships
with others.
In the closing verses of this story,
the focus is on the reaction of those who were eating at the table with
him. They marveled that Jesus dared to
pronounce that the woman’s sins had been forgiven. Only God could forgive sins.
No priest, prophet, or rabbi would dare to claim this prerogative.
The irony of Luke’s story and of Luke’s gospel is
that Jesus’ readiness to forgive the humble and the sinful was one of the
clearest evidences that Jesus was more than a prophet. More than any of his miracles or mighty
works, Jesus’ ability to forgive revealed that he was not only much more than a
prophet, but that he had the true heart and character of God.
My friends, not only does this text
make a claim about who Jesus is, but it also makes a claim about who we
are. In our daily lives, our actions
and words define for others what we believe about who Jesus is. When we show hospitality to others, when we
welcome them, when we see them for who they are, and not for what they are, and
when we treat them with love, kindness, and respect, we not only demonstrate to
others our faith, but we also show others that Jesus is more than just a
prophet to us, that who he is and what he did defines how we live our
lives. By living a Christ-like faith,
we not only witness to others who Jesus is, but like Jesus, we too reveal the
true heart and character of God.
In
the powerful name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.