The Fruit of Forgiveness
Luke 7:36-50
June 10, 2018
When you study through Luke’s gospel, his theme is not hard to spot.
Luke bangs the same drum over and over.
He is constantly highlighting the necessity of humility
As opposed to self-righteousness.
• Luke loves to focus on the overlooked, the down and out, the broken, the failure, etc.
• He is blown away by the Lord’s compassion to be willing to save the worst and most undeserving among us.
• At the same time Luke has no problem revealing just how far the self-righteous are from salvation as well.
Even the most recent story Luke shared echoed that same theme.
• Luke recounted the sermon of Jesus regarding John the Baptist, and how he was in fact a prophet of God, and even more than that how John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Messiah.
• And that’s not strange, Matthew recorded that story too.
But unlike Matthew, Luke pointed out the response to that story.
We read:
Luke 7:29-30 “When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”
Luke wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to reveal that yet again
It was the humble who are receiving salvation
While the self-righteous are totally missing out.
It is an important theme to Luke,
And one we’ll continue to see over and over again.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
And certainly Luke has made no bones about revealing
Who is and who is not a candidate for salvation.
We’ve seen that.
THIS MORNING HOWEVER, Luke shares a story
That reveals a slightly different point.
This story is not about who is being saved, this story is about the evidence of what salvation looks like in one who has been saved.
We know by now that the Lord will save the humble.
That has been a clear theme.
The question for this morning is:
How do you spot someone who has been forgiven?
What we gain from this story
Is not only a doctrinal understanding of the fruit of salvation,
But also we see a story meant to condemn those
Who think they are saved and are not.
We’ve said it many times, before a person will be saved, they must first be convinced that they need saving.
• With many people, especially among those who are moral or religious, we must first crush their false assurance before they are willing to see their need for salvation.
Luke is all about that too.
SO THIS MORNING Luke shares a story with us
Where Jesus not only reveals the true fruit of forgiveness,
But also manages to deliver a crushing blow
To those who are living in a false sense of security.
4 points.
#1 THE SCENE
Luke 7:36-38
Luke begins by revealing that there had apparently been an ongoing request by a Pharisee to have Jesus into his home.
“Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him”
While it is tempting to read this story as one of good will,
That would be a mistake.
Luke has made no qualms up to this point that
Jesus and the Pharisees are not on the same side.
Luke first introduced them back in chapter 5 when they all showed up to sort of check up on Jesus.
• That was the incident in which the 4 men tore the hole in the roof and lowered their paralytic friend down.
• And after Jesus forgave that man we get the first picture of what will be a longstanding battle.
Luke 5:21 “The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
Immediately following that Jesus will save Matthew and when Jesus attends a banquet at Matthew’s house, the Pharisees will strike again.
Luke 5:30 “The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
From there we read:
Luke 6:1-2 “Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
And then again:
Luke 6:6-7 “On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.”
And even after Jesus silenced them, Luke records:
Luke 6:11 “But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”
And so you get the point.
We are long past trying to make friends.
If a Pharisee wants Jesus over it is only for the purpose of finding dirt. This is not a good will visit.
• This is a time for an interrogation.
That is further made evident later when we realize that when Jesus arrived this Pharisee would not even offer common courtesy protocols like the washing of Jesus’ feet or a kiss or an anointing with oil on the head.
This Pharisee had no love for Jesus, he is looking for dirt.
And according to Luke it didn’t take long for the dirt to arrive.
(37-38) “And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.”
First, I’ll just go ahead and tell you that,
“No, this is not the same incident recorded in Matthew 26, Mark 14, or John 12.”
This event occurred much earlier in Jesus’ ministry.
• Really the only link between the 2 that might possibly be made is to say that it is possible that this event inspired that one.
But here, as Jesus is reclining at the Pharisee’s house.
(you reclined with your feet away from the table)
We find that in the city there is a woman “who was a sinner”
Most likely she is a prostitute.
And when she heard that Jesus was in town,
She went to the house where He was.
It is important to note the distinction here.
• There is no physical ailment reported for the woman…
• There is no demonic presence reported for this woman…
• She isn’t coming for healing or deliverance from a demon or food or anything like that.
• She is coming because she recognizes that she is sinful.
It’s also important to note that getting to Jesus would not have been easy.
• It’s highly doubtful that the Pharisee would have welcomed her into his home.
• Odds are good that she had to sneak in.
Apparently happened is that when she heard Jesus was here,
She snuck in and made her way over close to where He was.
The story makes it obvious that
In Jesus she had found the forgiveness that she longed for
And as the reality of that overtook here she began to weep.
And because she could not get to His head (due to the position in which He was reclining) she started anointing His feet.
And really, the scene and the affection here are absolutely startling.
• I’m not sure that any one in here would do what she is doing even to their
spouse, and I’m fairly certain that at least half of you bathed before you came.
But trust me, Jesus’ feet would not have been in a desirable condition.
• Dirty roads…walking everywhere…open sandals
• You get the idea
And yet this woman is sobbing so intensely that she can actually wet his feet with her tears, wipe them with her hands, and dry them with her hair.
That as well would have been scandalous since Jewish women
Would not have let their hair down like that, unless they were a prostitute.
And then she takes an alabaster vile of perfume and anoints his feet.
It is a remarkable demonstration of love and gratitude.
That is the scene
#2 THE SCORN
Luke 7:39
First I want you to recognize that the Pharisee
IS NOT SHAKEN at all at this woman’s demonstration of love.
Perhaps he viewed her as a filthy woman and thought nothing of the humiliating display
What he did pick up on was the dirt he was looking for on Jesus.
Now some might have used this incident as a means of accusing Jesus of immorality, I think we can see how that might have happened.
But the reputation of Jesus was so impeccable,
That the Pharisee likely knew that an accusation like that wouldn’t fly.
Instead of accusing Jesus of immorality,
The Pharisee inwardly accuses Him of ignorance.
“If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”
If you’ll remember, the common view on Jesus at the moment
Is that He is most definitely a prophet sent from God.
Remember after Jesus raised the widow’s son?
Luke 7:16 “Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”
Now certainly we know Him to be more than a prophet,
But even recognizing Jesus as a prophet is problematic for the Pharisees.
After all, if Jesus does in fact speak from God, then they are in trouble
Because Jesus has openly condemned them on numerous occasions.
Most recently:
Luke 7:31-35 “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? “They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ “Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
Just last week we listened as Jesus condemned the Pharisees as stubborn and selfish children who prove their lack of wisdom by the way they act.
• They ignored John…
• They ignored their sin…
• They ignored Jesus…
So obviously one of the MAIN OBJECTIVES of the Pharisee is
To prove that Jesus is no prophet.
AND THIS PHARISEE THINKS HE HAS THE DIRT HE NEEDS.
HE INWARDLY ACCUSES JESUS OF IGNORANCE.
He thinks he has Jesus because Jesus can’t even recognize
What a sinful woman this is who is washing His feet.
And I promise you, that accusation is just about to come out of the Pharisee’s mouth except Jesus beats him to the punch.
The Scene, The Scorn
#3 THE SERMON
Luke 7:40-47
In a certain twist of irony, the Pharisee is about to accuse Jesus of being ignorant and thus not a prophet,
But before he can say anything Jesus answers the question that he was thinking, thus proving ignorance is not His problem.
And Jesus begins His sermon with a parable.
(40-43) “And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.”
While it is true that some of Jesus’ parables can be difficult to discern,
This is not one of them.
Even an angry and judgmental Pharisee could not miss this point.
There was a “moneylender” and he had “two debtors”.
• “one owed five hundred denarii” (about 2 years wages)
• “one owed fifty denarii” (about 2 months wages)
And the moneylender “graciously forgave them both”
The debts were totally absolved and no reasoning was given but grace.
It was a benefit which was not deserved, could not be earned, and was not paid back.
This man just wiped the slate clean because he was gracious.
And the question was:
“which of them will love him more?”
And of course the Pharisee picks up on the obvious point, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And Jesus says, “You have judged correctly”
And we have no problem understanding the symbols here.
• The “moneylender” is Jesus.
• The “debtor” who owed the most is the woman
• The “debtor” who owed the least is the Pharisee
We should also point out here that
• The concept of owing a little or a lot is not an accurate representation of what each actually owed,
• But was rather a matter of self-evaluation of what they each thought they owed.
If you want to get honest:
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
• We are familiar that “there is none righteous, not even one.”
• We know that “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.”
James even reminded us that:
James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.”
So Jesus is NOT INSINUATING that while the woman was a big sinner
That the Pharisee was only a little one.
The difference is that the woman was aware of her sin,
Whereas the Pharisee was not.
But both of them had been offered forgiveness at the hands of Jesus.
And what was the woman’s response?
• She jumped on it!
• She was grateful for!
• And she loved Him enormously because of it!
What was the Pharisee’s response?
• He rejected it.
• Didn’t think he needed it.
• Was offended that Jesus would even insinuate such a need.
And that is what Jesus points out.
(44-46) “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 wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.”
Jesus just revealed which of the two values forgiveness the most.
The Pharisee thought so little of Jesus that
• He didn’t offer to wash his feet (even to allow a slave to wash His feet);
• He didn’t greet Jesus with a kiss;
• He didn’t provide any oil to anoint his head.
And incidentally, all of those were mere hospitalities.
They were the equivalent today of “taking someone’s coat” or “giving a handshake or a hug” or offering a cool drink of water.
The Pharisee refrained from any and all pleasantries with Jesus.
But the woman…
Not only did she do the obvious hospitalities, but she did them in an unbelievable way.
• She didn’t just have a slave wash Jesus’ feet, she washed them herself, and she used here tears and her hair to do it.
• She didn’t just give Jesus a kiss of greeting on the cheek, she kissed His feet.
• She didn’t just anointed His head with oil, she anointed His feet with expensive perfume.
You get the obvious contrast there.
The question Jesus is asking (and the one the Pharisee has already answered) is “Why?”
Why did you refrain from standard hospitality?
Why did she go way over the top?
And the answer:
(47) “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
What is the answer?
“she loved much”
Even more than that,
• She was more aware of her sin than the Pharisee was.
• She valued forgiveness more than the Pharisee did.
• She was more grateful for it than the Pharisee was.
“have been forgiven” there is a verb in the perfect tense
Which indicates an action in the past with effects into the present.
That means that this woman was forgiven in the past,
But still enjoys that forgiveness in the present.
That is important to understand so that your doctrinal wires don’t get crossed.
• This woman did not earn forgiveness because of her love.
• This woman loved because of her forgiveness.
Jesus didn’t forgive her because she put on such a display.
She put on such a display because Jesus forgave her.
She loved Him because He forgave her of here enormous sins.
And that is the point that Jesus just made to the Pharisee.
Obviously implied in the sermon is this:
• Simon, you obviously aren’t in touch with your sin.
• Simon, you obviously don’t understand the value of forgiveness.
• Simon, that is obvious because you have no love for the One who forgives.
Don’t miss that Jesus just condemned Simon.
#4 THE STATEMENT
Luke 7:48-50
This is beautiful and tragic all at once.
Jesus looks at this woman and says, “Your sins have been forgiven.”
Again in the perfect tense, indicating an action in the past.
Jesus didn’t just forgive this woman, she was already forgiven
(we aren’t given that story)
Jesus states it here to reveal to the crowd what a gracious Savior He is.
He is that gracious moneylender.
He will forgive sinners, even vile sinners, even prostitutes
Certainly NOT LOST IN THAT EQUATION is that
All forgiveness assumes responsibility for the loss.
If someone borrows $100 from you and doesn’t pay you back and you forgive the debt, then you pay the debt. You’re the one out the $100.
For Jesus to forgive this woman is a contractual agreement that
He will assume all her debt and pay her tab.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
That means that on the cross Jesus suffered as a prostitute before God.
He did not become a prostitute, but He was treated as one.
Jesus made that agreement at some point in the past,
This woman so rejoiced in it that she came and anointed Him,
And Jesus again announced those details to the crowd.
What should have happened is
One by one people in the crowd should have jumped at the opportunity to have their debts forgiven as well.
• They should have said, “Me too!”
Instead, they opted to continue in their scorn.
(49) “Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”
But Jesus doesn’t flinch.
He looks at the woman and assures her, (50) “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Again the distinction, she was justified by faith, not love.
Faith brought forgiveness.
Forgiveness brought the love.
And so you have the story.
• A vile sinner forgiven and rejoicing in it.
• Another vile sinner rejecting and scorning the Savior because he doesn’t think
he needs it.
That actually not the only story like that.
Luke 18:9-14 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
That’s a very similar story isn’t it?
What’s the difference?
In that story the focus is on the humility that leads to salvation.
But that ISN’T what our story today is about.
Our story is about the love that is produced by salvation.
Jesus doesn’t here tell the Pharisee how to be saved.
Jesus tells the Pharisee how He can tell that He is not saved.
How do we know the Pharisee isn’t forgiven?
How do we know the Pharisee isn’t saved?
He has no love for Christ.
Consequently, that’s exactly how we know that the woman is saved.
Luke uses this story not to reveal how to be saved, those are coming.
Luke uses this story as a litmus test to allow us to see if we are saved.
How do you know if you’ve been saved?
How do you know if you’ve been forgiven?
The answer is easy: BY YOUR LOVE FOR CHRIST
Let me give you THE DOCTRINAL STATEMENT from Jesus again:
“he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
And this is so important.
We are not legalists, not by a long stretch.
We will never tell you that you can earn God’s favor
• Through attendance of worship,
• Or through committed praise,
• Or through fervent prayer,
• Or through faithful study of His word,
• Or through generous giving,
• Or through sacrificial evangelism.
We will never tell you that if you do those things then God will accept you.
That’s not true.
However we most definitely believe the doctrine of regeneration.
We wholeheartedly believe that if you have been saved then it will be evident in
• Your attendance of worship,
• Your committed praise,
• Your fervent prayer,
• Your faithful study of His word,
• Your generous giving,
• And your sacrificial evangelism.
And I’ll be honest, I am so glad Luke included this story.
If there is one thing that plagues the American church more than any other it is this: A LACK OF LOVE FOR CHRIST
That’s a bigger issue than our complacency
That’s a bigger issue than our immorality
That’s a bigger issue than our ignorance
That’s a bigger issue than our comfort
In fact, all of those things are byproducts of the main thing.
The American church (by my estimation) is losing her love for Christ.
And can I remind you of what a problem this is?
Revelation 2:1-7 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent. ‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’”
We’ve preached that passage enough in recent years
That I won’t go all through it again here this morning.
But the simple point is that for all the things Ephesus had going for them:
• Doctrinal accuracy
• Commitment to truth
• Ability to expose heresy
• Hatred of distortion and immorality
For all the things going for them,
They were missing one very important thing.
“you have left your first love”
They didn’t love Christ.
And if you’ll remember, the Lord was about to remove their lampstand.
That is to say, they were about to no longer be a church.
Friend, there is no greater evidence of salvation
Than an all-encompassing love for Christ.
WHAT DOES THAT LOVE LOOK LIKE?
Well, look at this woman.
She had an EAGER LOVE
• Did Jesus have to invite her to the Pharisees house?
• Did someone have to make her come?
When she got word, she went to where He was.
She had a HUMBLE LOVE
• Nothing she did there was about her feelings or enjoyment.
• Everything she did there was to benefit Christ.
It was not about her feeling loved by Him,
It was about Him feeling loved by her.
She had a SACRIFICIAL LOVE
And I’m not just talking about the sacrifice of washing His feet.
Think about what it took for her
To muster the courage to enter that house at all.
Do you have any idea the scorn she faced just for entering?
In case you haven’t realized it,
The Pharisees are pretty big on stoning women caught in adultery.
And yet she risked it all, not to earn forgiveness,
But to show gratitude for the forgiveness he had already received.
She had a SINCERE LOVE
• She didn’t just run in, wet His feet and run out.
• She didn’t just run in, give Him some perfume, and run out.
• The key word in verse 38 is “kept”
This wasn’t about her schedule, or about her convenience,
This was about loving Him.
She had an EFFECTIVE LOVE
Isn’t it phenomenal that while the Pharisee
Didn’t seem impressed at all by her acts, Jesus was?
He got her message.
She was there to make Him feel loved even through a humiliating process.
And it is obvious He felt loved by her.
And then we bounce her actions off the church today
Who claims to appreciate the forgiveness of Christ.
And yet to us everything is a burden and secondary priority.
• Worship is too inconvenient, or too long, or too boring.
• Private Prayer is too tiring
• Corporate Prayer is too intimidating
• Corporate Singing is too embarrassing
• Bible study is too exhausting
• Evangelism is too difficult
• Giving is too expensive
Based upon our attitude one has to wonder is there any love for Christ at all?
I think that’s the very question that the American church must answer.
I think that’s the very question that we must answer.
Do we love Christ at all?
Is there any affection for Christ?
And the next question is the really painful one.
If we have no love for Christ then how can we claim to have been forgiven?
If I could ask for one thing this morning
It would be that our church, that my life,
Would be marked by a definite and evident love for Christ.
And I would tell you one more truth based upon this reality.
Since it is true that great forgiveness produces great love
Then we also know the means to growing our love for Christ.
Get in God’s word, two things will happen.
1) God will reveal your sin, and how you fall short
2) God will reveal the gospel and the forgiveness of that sin through Christ
And the end result will be love for Christ.
Do you know what we call that? REVIVAL
Revival begins when the church catches a renewed understanding
Of the gravity of her sin and the enormity of Christ’s forgiveness.
That is when love for Christ begins to grow.
And this is what I pray for.
