An example of elevating a man-made rule over God's commands...

This week we are looking at an event from history that is recorded in a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Mark. Yesterday we looked on as the Pharisees and some of the scribes had made the trip from Jerusalem to northern Israel to check up on Jesus. And as they came to check up on Jesus, Mark tells us that these self-righteous religious leaders saw that some of Jesus disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed.

We talked about the reality that the issue was not that Jesus disciples were eating with dirty hands. Instead, we discovered that because the priests were entering into the very presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle, the priests were required to carefully wash their hands and feet so that they would be ceremonially clean as they served as a minister to the Lord. However, while this command was only given to the priests who would be entering into the tabernacle to serve and minister to the Lord in the presence of the Lord, in Jesus day, this command that had been given by the Lord to the priests had been extended to be required of every Jewish person according to the oral tradition what was taught by the Jewish religious leaders of the day.

Thus, the Jewish religious leaders had created a man-made law and elevated it as being as equal to the commands of God. And as these religious leaders observed Jesus disciples not following the traditions and laws that they had made for the Jewish people to observe, they responded by questioning and challenging Jesus as to why He would allow His disciples to disobey their commands, which they viewed as being as equal to God’s commands.

Mark tells us that Jesus responded to the question by accusing the Pharisees and scribes of being hypocrites. The word hypocrite, when used in Jesus day, referred to one who was an actor or a pretender. In our culture today, we would refer to such a person as a poser. A hypocrite creates a public impression that is at odds with one’s real motivation or purpose. A hypocrite fails to follow the message and teachings that they impose on others. Jesus point behind His accusation was that the Pharisees were hypocrites because they were giving an appearance to the Jewish people about where they were at in their relationship with God that was at odds with where they were truly at in their relationship with God.

Jesus backed His accusation by quoting from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Isaiah. Jesus was exposing the reality that the Pharisees and scribes were focused on forcing others to be obedient to their man-made rules while being disobedient, and leading the Jewish people to be disobedient, to God’s rules. After quoting from Isaiah, Jesus hammered His accusation home by proclaiming that the Pharisees and scribes were neglecting, or abandoning, the commandment of God. Instead the Pharisees and scribes were focused on holding fast to the tradition of men that they had turned into commandments of men that held equal weight to God’s commands. After accusing the Pharisees and scribes of hypocrisy, we see Jesus provide an example of their hypocrisy in Mark 7:9-13:

 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. ¹⁰ "For Moses said, 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER'; and, 'HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH'; ¹¹ but you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),' ¹² you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; ¹³ thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that."

Jesus provided an example where the Pharisees and scribes demonstrated that they were experts at setting aside, or rejecting the commandment of God as being invalid, in order to validate their manmade religious rules and traditions, by quoting from another section of the book of Exodus. In Exodus 20:12, as the fifth of the ten commandments, God had commanded the Jewish people to honor their father and mother. In addition, in Exodus 21:17, God commanded the Jewish people that anyone who spoke evil of their father or mother was to be put to death.

However, the Jewish people of Jesus day had made a man-made religious rule that 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban. Now a natural question that could arise here is “What does that even mean? Now the word corban refers to an offering that was made to God. You see, what would happen is that a Jewish person would make a vow, by using this phrase, that would place a ban on an object so that it could not be used for anything except a sacred use for God. This vow would result in the object being vowed being viewed as an offering dedicated to God and forbidden to be used for anything other than God.

In Jesus day, when a man declared his property as being corban to his parents, he neither promised it to the temple or prohibited its use to himself. Instead he would be legally excluding his parents from any ability to have access or receive any benefit from it. However, if the son later regretted the vow that he made, under the tradition of the Elders he was not allowed to change the vow that he had made.

And because of that reality, the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus day had invalidated God’s clear commands by elevating their man-made rules to the status of being equal to God’s rules. Jesus provided this example to point to the reality that God did not give humanity the authority to increase and add to the commands and demands that He has given humanity. Jesus point is that God is the only one who has the right to make laws about following Him and demand that we obey those laws about following Him. Jesus point is that no human being has the right to make laws that they demand obedience to that is equal to the obedience the God demands when it comes to His laws.

Jesus then hammed His point by telling a parable. Now a parable is an earthy story that is designed to reveal a deeper spiritual truth. So let’s look at this parable together in verse 14-16:

 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, "Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵ there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. ¹⁶ "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

Now when Jesus used the word defile here, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to make common or impure. If Jesus was telling this parable in the language that we use in our culture today, this parable would have sounded something like this: “Hey listen up and pay attention because this is important. There is nothing outside of anyone that can cause someone to be impure spiritually. Instead, it is what comes out of you that reveals the reality that you are already impure spiritually.”

Now I want us to take a minute an imagine ourselves as one of Jesus followers listening to this confrontation. You have grown up your whole life learning not only the commandments of God, but also the traditions of the Elders. You have grown up your whole life with a list of rules that clearly came from God that you needed to follow, along with a list of rules that came from the religious leaders that you needed to follow in order to be right with God. You grew up your whole life with an understanding that the rules that came from the religious leaders needed to be followed because they helped make sure that you obeyed the rules that came from God.

And now you have just heard Jesus accuse the religious leaders of your day of creating man-made religious rules that actually resulted in you breaking the rules of God, not obeying the rules of God. Now you are one of Jesus followers. What would you be thinking? How would you be feeling? How would you respond?

Friday, we will look at the disciple’s response...

Forcing others to follow man-made rules while disobeying God's rules...

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “Invite”. During this series we are looking at several events from history where Jesus engaged and invited those who were far from Him to follow Him and live in relationship with Him. During this series, we are going to discover what Jesus said to invite those who were far from Him to follow Him and live in relationship with Him. During this series, we are going to discover how Jesus said what He said to invite those who were far from Him to follow Him and live in relationship with Him. And as we go through this series, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands in a way that equips and empowers us to follow the example of Jesus when it comes to inviting those who are far from Jesus to follow Jesus and live in relationship with Jesus.  

This week, I would like for us to look at an event from history that is recorded in a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Mark. And it is in a section of the gospel of Mark that we see Mark give us a front row seat to a confrontation that Jesus had with a group of people who had their own perspective when it came to how people were to engage those who were far from God and were to live in relationship with God. So let’s take that front row seat together, beginning in Mark 7:1-5:

The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem, ² and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; ⁴ and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) ⁵ The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?"

Mark begins to give us a front row seat to this confrontation by providing the context by which this confrontation would take place. However, to fully understand what is happening here, we first need to understand who was involved in this confrontation and what the phrase “eating their bread with impute hands, that is unwashed” means. When Mark refers to the Pharisees and some of the scribes, the Pharisees and scribes were two different groups of Jewish people who were the self-righteous religious leaders of Jesus' day. Both the Pharisees and the scribes were aware that Jesus had grown in popularity in the eyes of the Jewish people. And as a result of His growing popularity, Jesus was viewed as a threat by the Pharisees and the scribes to their position and power that they loved.

And it was in this context that Mark tells us that the Pharisees and some of the scribes had made the trip from Jerusalem to northern Israel to check up on Jesus. And as they came to check up on Jesus, Mark tells us that these self-righteous religious leaders saw that some of Jesus disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed. Now when Mark uses this phrase, he is not saying that Jesus disciples were not washing their hands before eating a meal.

You see, this was not an issue of Jesus disciples eating with dirty hands. We see Mark reveal this reality with what he says in verse three: “For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders”. But what does that even mean? If the disciples were not eating with dirty hands, then what was the problem that they needed to wash their hands? And what is Mark referring to when he refers to the traditions of the Elders?

To answer these questions, we first need to understand something about the history of the Jewish people and how they worshipped the Lord. You see, in a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible, called the book of Exodus, we see the Lord give the Jewish people clear instructions when it came to how they were to approach the Lord in worship. As part of those clear instructions, the Lord had commanded those who served as priests of the Lord to wash their hands and their feet before entering into the Tabernacle.

Now the Tabernacle was the place where the presence of God dwelt among the Jewish people as the Lord led the Jewish people into the land that He had promised them.  Because the priests were entering into the very presence of the Lord in the Tabernacle, the priests were required to carefully wash their hands and feet so that they would be ceremonially clean as they served as a minister to the Lord. It is important to understand that this command was only given to the priests who would be entering into the tabernacle to serve and minister to the Lord in the presence of the Lord.

However, in Jesus day, this command that had been given by the Lord to the priests had been extended to be required of every Jewish person according to the oral tradition what was taught by the Jewish religious leaders of the day. Thus, the Jewish religious leaders had created a manmade law and elevated it as being as equal to the commands of God. And as these religious leaders observed Jesus disciples not following the traditions and laws that they had made for the Jewish people to observe, they responded by questioning and challenging Jesus as to why He would allow His disciples to disobey their commands, which they viewed as being as equal to God’s commands.

Now here is a question to consider: how often can we find ourselves in the place where we are making man made rules and elevating them to the place that they are viewed as being equal to God’s rules? You see, as followers of Jesus, we are to take the message and teachings of Jesus and the commands of Jesus and use wisdom and discernment to make sure that we apply the commands of Jesus in a way that is clear and obvious for our cultural setting.

However, in the process of striving to interpret and apply the message and teaching of Jesus and the commands of Jesus to our cultural setting in a way that makes those commands clear and obvious, we run the risk and the potential danger of creating rules for following Jesus that overstep and go beyond the rules that Jesus gave for following Him. And as Mark continues to give us a front row seat to this confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day, we see Jesus reveal the reality that the religious leaders of His day had done just that. Notice Jesus response to the religious leader’s question in verse 6-8:

 And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ⁷ 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' ⁸ "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men."

Mark tells us that Jesus responded to the question by accusing the Pharisees and scribes of being hypocrites. However, to fully understand Jesus response, we first need to understand what Jesus means when He uses the word hypocrites. The word hypocrite, when used in Jesus day, referred to one who was an actor or a pretender. In our culture today, we would refer to such a person as a poser. A hypocrite creates a public impression that is at odds with one’s real motivation or purpose.

So, to be a follower of Jesus who strives to follow the message and teachings of Jesus, yet sometimes falls short is not being a hypocrite. A hypocrite is someone that says, “here is the message and teachings of Jesus, and you need to follow them, but I am not going to follow them”. A hypocrite fails to follow the message and teachings that they impose on others. Jesus point behind His accusation was that the Pharisees were hypocrites because they were giving an appearance to the Jewish people about where they were at in their relationship with God that was at odds with where they were truly at in their relationship with God.

Jesus backed His accusation by quoting from a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 29:13, the prophet Isaiah called out the Jewish people of his day as being hypocrites because they were focused on being obedient to their man made rules while being disobedient to God’s rules. And in the same way, Jesus was exposing the reality that the Pharisees and scribes were focused on forcing others to be obedient to their man made rules while being disobedient, and leading the Jewish people to be disobedient, to God’s rules.

After quoting from Isaiah, Jesus hammered His accusation home by proclaiming that the Pharisees and scribes were neglecting, or abandoning, the commandment of God. Instead the Pharisees and scribes were focused on holding fast to the tradition of men that they had turned into commandments of men that held equal weight to God’s commands. Now here is a question to consider: how often can we find ourselves in the place where we are doing the exact same thing?

How often can we find ourselves focused on external behavior while ignoring our heart motivations that lead to our behavior? How often do we focus on the “what” of behavior without focusing on the “why” of the behavior? You see, just like the Pharisees and scribes, man-made human religious rules tend to focus on the outside behavior, while God is focused on the heart and our inner motivations the produce the behavior.

After accusing the Pharisees and scribes of hypocrisy, we see Jesus provide an example of their hypocrisy. Tomorrow we will look at that example together…

Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we remember our need for forgiveness while recognizing whether or not a person sees their need for the forgiveness that Jesus offers...

This week we are looking at an event from history that is recorded in a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. In this event from history one of the Pharisees, who were the self-righteous religious leaders of the day, invited Jesus over to his house for dinner.  However, as Jesus was engaging in dinner and conversation with the Pharisees, word spread through town that Jesus was in town having dinner at Simon’s house. And as word spread through town about Jesus being in town, word reached the ears of a woman who Luke describes as being a sinner.

Luke explained that when this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider heard that Jesus was at Simon's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume with her and headed over to Simon's house. Once at Simon's house, Luke tells us that this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider proceeded to approach Jesus so that she could engage Jesus. This woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider then positioned herself behind Jesus, where she began to weep. And as she wept, this woman who was far from God and was viewed by an outsider by others washed Jesus feet with her tears and her hair, while kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume that she brought with her.

           

Luke tells us that Jesus responded to this woman and her act of devotion by gladly receiving her act of love and devotion. However, Simon the Pharisee, as a self-righteous religious person, unlovingly judged this woman because he believed that he was better than her. From Simon’s perspective, as a self-righteous person, those who know God and pursue a right relationship with God will know sin when they see it and, even more importantly, will separate themselves from such sinners by staying away from them.

However, whether it was something about the body language that Simon displayed to this woman that was far from God and was viewed as an outsider; or whether it was Jesus knowing what was running through Simon’s mind, Simon’s conversation with himself was clear to Jesus. And as a result, Jesus began to engage Simon the Pharisee with a parable that was in the form of a question.

Jesus parable to Simon, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Simon, I have a question for you. A credit card company had two clients: one client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of 1 ¾ years salary, while the other client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of two months’ salary. However neither client was able to pay their bill. When the owner of the credit card company heard about their situation, he decided to cancel the debts that they owed so that they would not have to pay the bill. So which one of the credit cards clients will love the credit card company more?”

Luke tells us that Simon the Pharisee answered Jesus by basically saying “Well I suppose the client who had the greater debt cancelled.” Jesus then explained to Simon the Pharisee that he had provided the right answer to his question. However, Simon the Pharisees right answer to Jesus question revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee. We see Jesus expose what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee in verse 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.

Here we see Jesus expose three specific things that Simon the Pharisee did not do for Jesus that revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee. However, to fully understand why what Simon the Pharisee did not do was wrong, we also need to understand some things about the culture of Jesus day. First, in the culture of Jesus day, as we talked about earlier, a person’s feet would be covered in dirt, sweat, and whatever else they stepped in as they traveled. And because of that reality, upon arriving at a destination, it was customary for a host to have a servant available and a place available for people to have their feet washed in order to remove any dirt, sweat, urine, or feces that they had stepped in on their journey. Oil would often also be placed on the feet to provide a soothing smell. This was a way that the host would welcome and demonstrate honor to their guests.

Simon the Pharisee, however, did not show the courtesy to wash Jesus feet. Instead, it was the sinful woman who showed the courtesy to wash His feet with water and oil in a way that welcomed and honored Jesus. In addition, in the culture of the day, it was customary to greet a guest with a kiss on the cheek that served as a sign of welcome and respect. And in many cultures today, this is still a common custom. Simon the Pharisee, however, did not show any respect or friendship to Jesus by giving Him a kiss on the cheek. Instead, it was the sinful woman who was the one who showed nothing but respect for Jesus by kissing His feet.

You see, Simon the Pharisee arrogantly treated Jesus without love and without honor as though Jesus was an outsider. By contrast, the sinful woman humbled herself and treated Jesus with love and honor as though He was an insider. Simon the Pharisee arrogantly believed that he was better than this woman because he had less sin than this woman. By contrast, the sinful woman humbly recognized that she was in desperate need of Jesus because of her sin.

However, just because Simon the Pharisee had less sin, that did not mean that he had no sin. Just because Simon the Pharisee had less sin, that does not mean that he did not need to be forgiven of sin. And because of that reality, we see Jesus, after setting the trap for Simon the Pharisee, spring the trap with a statement that reveals for us a timeless truth for us today in verse 47-50:

 "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." Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Now notice what Jesus does not do here. Notice that Jesus does not ignore this woman’s selfishness and rebellion. Notice that Jesus does not minimize this woman’s selfishness and rebellion. Instead Jesus does the opposite: “her sins, which are many”. You see, the issue for Jesus was not the extent of her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her response to her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her recognizing her need for forgiveness of her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her love for Jesus that flowed from her recognition that Jesus could provide her the forgiveness and the relationship with God that she was created for.

While Simon the Pharisee viewed himself as an insider who was right with God because of his performance for God, this sinful woman recognized that she was an outsider who desperately needed Jesus because of her performance. While Simon the Pharisee placed his confident trust in the fact that he was better than this sinful women because of his performance for God, this sinful woman placed her confident trust in Jesus, because of her performance.

And as a result, Simon the Pharisee was unloving toward Jesus because he thought that he was better than Jesus and others, while this sinful woman was loving toward Jesus because she recognized the extent that she needed to be forgiven by Jesus. And because this woman recognized the extent that she needed to be forgiven by Jesus, because she placed her confident trust in Jesus to be forgiven, her love for Jesus was such that it drove her to demonstrate her love despite the risk and despite the cost.

And it is here that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to following the example of Jesus by inviting those who are far from Jesus to follow Jesus and live in relationship with Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we remember our need for forgiveness while recognizing whether or not a person sees their need for the forgiveness that Jesus offers.

Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we reject the temptation toward comparison with others that leads us to view ourselves as morally and spiritually better than others. Instead, the only object of comparison is with the Lord and His perfection that leads us to view ourselves as equally in need of Jesus as others.  Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we demonstrate compassion towards those who are struggling with selfishness and rebellion, remembering that we too have areas of selfishness and rebellion that we struggle with.          

Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we reject the temptation to look down upon and separate ourselves from those who are far from Jesus to instead warmly welcome and receive those who are far from Jesus. You see, here’s the thing: selfishness, rebellion, and sin is not some disease that you catch from being exposed to someone who is far from Jesus. Instead, selfishness, rebellion, and sin is something that is already within us that is exposed by our behavior. Being around people who are far from Jesus will not pollute us, because we are already polluted. And when Jesus was told that living a holy and obedient life required that He stay away from people who were far from Him, Jesus responded by explaining the He came in to the world to save those who were far from Him.

You see, the reason why the Simon the Pharisee was unloving toward Jesus was due to the fact that he did not recognize the extent that he needed to be forgiven by Jesus. The reason why this sinful woman was loving toward Jesus was due to the fact that she did recognize the extent that she had been forgiven by Jesus. And just as it was with Simon and the sinful woman, inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we respond to those who recognize their desperate need for forgiveness by extending the good news of Jesus love and forgiveness, while responding to self-righteous people who don’t recognize their desperate need for Jesus by exposing their rebellion so that they can also see their desperate need for Jesus.

For self-righteous people who do not see their need for forgiveness and who view themselves as being right with God because they keep a list of manmade rules, the commands of Jesus in the Bible serve to expose their need for forgiveness. However, for those who already recognize their need for forgiveness, they do not need to be beaten upside the head with the Bible; Instead, they are ready to hear the good news of the forgiveness that Jesus offers.

So here is a question for us to consider: If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be? Or better yet, if those who knew you best were to put you into this event from history, who would they so you would be? Would you find yourself in this event from history as Simon the Pharisee? Would you find yourself in this event from history as this sinful woman?

If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be? Because inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we remember our need for forgiveness while recognizing whether or not a person sees their need for the forgiveness that Jesus offers...

An unloving response from the self-righteous...

This week we are looking at an event from history that is recorded in a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. And it is in a section of the gospel of Luke that we see Luke give us a front row seat to how Jesus engaged and invited someone who was far from Him to follow Him.

In this event from history, one evening one of the Pharisees, who were the self-righteous religious leaders of the day, invited Jesus over to his house for dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation to have dinner with this Pharisee, named Simon, and his other Pharisee friends. You see, the Pharisees wanted to have dinner with Jesus because they were trying to figure out Jesus. However, as Jesus was engaging in dinner and conversation with the Pharisees, word spread through town that Jesus was in town having dinner at Simon’s house.

And as word spread through town about Jesus being in town, word reached the ears of a woman who Luke describes as being a sinner. Now when Luke refers to this woman as a sinner, he is revealing for us the reality that this woman did not measure up to moral standards in a way that resulted in her being viewed as an outsider. This was a woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider by others.

Luke explained that when this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider heard that Jesus was at Simon's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume with her and headed over to Simon's house. Once at Simon's house, Luke tells us that this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider then positioned herself behind Jesus, where she began to weep.

And as she wept, this woman who was far from God and was viewed by an outsider by others washed Jesus feet with her tears and her hair, while kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume that she brought with her. When this woman is washing Jesus feet with her tears and her hair, she is removing any dirt, sweat, urine, or feces that Jesus had stepped in on his journey to Simon’s house.

We talked about the reality that it is not as though this woman did not know that she was far from God and was viewed as an outsider when it came to having a relationship with God. It is not as though this woman did not know how the men in the room viewed her. However, all this woman knew was that she was fallen, flawed and broken. All this woman knew is that she needed to be with Jesus, whatever the risk and whatever the cost.

Luke tells us that Jesus responded to this woman and her act of devotion by gladly receiving her act of love and devotion. We see Luke record how the owner of the house responded to Jesus gladly receiving this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider who was crashing his dinner party in Luke 7:39:

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "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."

Now Simon the Pharisee’s response, if it was communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Can you believe that Jesus is even letting this woman near him? After all, if this man was really was a spokesperson for God who is inspired by God to proclaim the word of God to us; if this man was really an important insider like us, he would know that this woman is an outsider who is far from God.”

 You see, Simon the Pharisee, as a self-righteous religious person, unlovingly judged this woman because he believed that he was better than her. Because that is what self-righteous religious people do. Self righteous religious people unlovingly judge others as being outsiders, while considering themselves to be insiders who are better than anyone else. From Simon’s perspective, as a self-righteous person, those who know God and pursue a right relationship with God will know sin when they see it and, even more importantly, will separate themselves from such sinners by staying away from them.

But did you notice that Luke tells us that Simon the Pharisee said this to himself? In other words, this was a conversation that Simon was having with himself that was unknown to anyone else. At least that was what Simon thought. However, whether it was something about the body language that Simon displayed to this woman that was far from God and was viewed as an outsider; or whether it was Jesus knowing what was running through Simon’s mind, Simon’s conversation with himself was clear to Jesus. And as a result, we see Jesus begin to engage Simon in verse 40-42:

 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?"

Luke tells us that Jesus began to engage Simon the Pharisee with a parable that was in the form of a question. Now a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. Jesus parable to Simon, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Simon, I have a question for you. A credit card company had two clients: one client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of 1 ¾ years salary, while the other client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of two months’ salary. However neither client was able to pay their bill. When the owner of the credit card company heard about their situation, he decided to cancel the debts that they owed so that they would not have to pay the bill. So which one of the credit cards clients will love the credit card company more?” Luke records for us how Simon answered Jesus in verse 43:

 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."

Luke tells us that Simon the Pharisee answered Jesus by basically saying “Well I suppose the client who had the greater debt cancelled.” Jesus then explained to Simon the Pharisee that he had provided the right answer to his question. However, Simon the Pharisees right answer to Jesus question revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee.

Friday, we will see Jesus expose what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee...

An outsider crashing the party of an insider...

At the church where I serve we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled “Invite”. During this series we are going to look at several events from history where Jesus engaged and invited those who were far from Him to follow Him and live in relationship with Him. During this series, we are going to discover what Jesus said to invite those who were far from Him to follow Him and live in relationship with Him. During this series, we are going to discover how Jesus said what He said to invite those who were far from Him to follow Him and live in relationship with Him. And as we go through this series, our hope and prayer is that God would move by the power of the Holy Spirit in our heads, hearts, and hands in a way that equips and empowers us to follow the example of Jesus when it comes to inviting those who are far from Jesus to follow Jesus and live in relationship with Jesus.  

Now maybe you are reading this and you do not buy the whole Jesus, Bible, church thing. Maybe you are not sure about whether or not there is a God, let alone whether you should follow Him or live for Him. If I have just described you, I am so glad that you are reading this, because here’s the thing. What you will discover is that there is a reason why followers of Jesus are commanded by Jesus to invite you to follow Jesus. And there is a way that followers of Jesus are supposed to invite you to follow Jesus. And my hope for you is that you would see what Jesus calls His followers to do when it comes to inviting you to follow Jesus so that you can see how Jesus feels about you and what He calls His followers to do, and what Jesus calls His followers not to do, when it comes to engaging you and inviting you to follow Jesus.

This week I would like for us to look at an event from history that is recorded in a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. And it is in a section of the gospel of Luke that we see Luke give us a front row seat to how Jesus engaged and invited someone who was far from Him to follow Him. So let’s take that front row seat together, beginning in Luke 7:36-38:

Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 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.

Luke brings us into this section of his account of Jesus life by explaining that one evening one of the Pharisees, who were the self-righteous religious leaders of the day, invited Jesus over to his house for dinner. Jesus accepted the invitation to have dinner with this Pharisee, named Simon, and his other Pharisee friends. You see, the Pharisees wanted to have dinner with Jesus because they were trying to figure out Jesus.

However, as Jesus was engaging in dinner and conversation with the Pharisees, word spread through town that Jesus was in town having dinner at Simon’s house. And as word spread through town about Jesus being in town, word reached the ears of a woman who Luke describes as being a sinner. Now when Luke refers to this woman as a sinner, he is revealing for us the reality that this woman did not measure up to moral standards in a way that resulted in her being viewed as an outsider. This was a woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider by others.

Luke explained that when this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider heard that Jesus was at Simon's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume with her and headed over to Simon's house. Once at Simon's house, Luke tells us that this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider proceeded to approach Jesus so that she could engage Jesus. This woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider then positioned herself behind Jesus, where she began to weep. And as she wept, this woman who was far from God and was viewed by an outsider by others washed Jesus feet with her tears and her hair, while kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume that she brought with her.

However, to fully understand what is happening here, we first need to understand a few things. The first thing that we need to understand is that, in Jesus day, as is often the case today, people wore open toed shoes or went barefoot as they traveled. However, unlike today, people in Jesus day either walked or rode a donkey or camel everywhere they went. In addition, everyone traveled on the same path, which was not paved. 

So, imagine walking on a dirt covered road in the desert on the same road that animals also walked on. Not only would your feet be covered in dirt and sweat; your feet would also be covered in whatever you stepped in as you traveled. So when this woman is washing Jesus feet with her tears and her hair, she is removing any dirt, sweat, urine, or feces that Jesus had stepped in on his journey to Simon’s house.

Now a question that might come to your mind at this point is “Well Dave, how could this woman be standing behind Jesus and washing His feet? How could she even get at Jesus feet if she was standing behind Him?” If that question is running through your mind, I want to let you know that is a great question to be asking.

And that question leads us to the second thing that we need to understand, which is how people ate in first century Jewish culture. During the first century, people did not sit around tables and chairs to eat a meal like we do today. Instead, in the first century, a room would have a table that sat only a short distance up from the floor. Individuals who were eating at the table would recline, or lay on their side, on the floor with their head by the table and with their feet out away from the table. So that is how this woman could be standing behind Jesus and washing His feet.

Now I want us to take a minute and imagine ourselves in this event from history as this woman. I want us to place ourselves in her shoes. Imagine being this woman who is far from God and who is viewed as being an outsider by others. You have a story; you have a reputation. And you see the glares of others. You hear the whispers as you walk by. You watch as people cross the street so to not be too close to you. You are that woman.

Can you imagine the scene as you walk into a room filled with self-righteous religious men who clearly viewed you as an outsider? Can you imagine the scene as the conversations stopped and every stare was directed at you? Can you imagine the murmurs, the grumbling? You are that woman.

Here is a question to consider: how much courage would you have to have to go to Simon the Pharisees house? How much courage would you have to have to walk into a room full of men with your story and your reputation?  How much courage would you have to have to walk into a room where you are viewed as an unwelcome outsider? How much courage would you have to have to risk what could happen to you by entering into that room?  What would drive someone to kneel behind Jesus and begin to wash His dirty feet with your tears and your hair? What would drive someone to break open a bottle of perfume to anoint Jesus feet?

You see, it is not as though this woman did not know that she was far from God and was viewed as an outsider when it came to having a relationship with God. It is not as though this woman did not know how the men in the room viewed her. However, all this woman knew was that she was fallen, flawed and broken. All this woman knew is that she needed to be with Jesus, whatever the risk and whatever the cost.

Maybe you can relate to this woman. Maybe you are far from God and feel like you are an outsider when it comes to a relationship with God or others. Maybe it would take everything within you to take the risk to come to church. Maybe you are wondering how Jesus could even consider connecting with an outsider like you? Maybe you are here wondering how others would respond to you being in church?

Luke tells us that Jesus responded to this woman and her act of devotion by gladly receiving her act of love and devotion. We see Luke record how the owner of the house responded to Jesus gladly receiving this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider who was crashing his dinner party in verse 39.

We will look at the Pharisee’s response tomorrow…

Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires leaving stereotypes behind by inviting everyone and anyone to trust and follow Jesus...

This week we have been looking at an event from history that is recorded in a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew. As Jesus finished traveling from the place where He had preached His famous sermon to arrive at the city of Capernaum, that Matthew gives us a front row seat to this event from history by explaining that a Roman Centurion came to Jesus. Matthew explained that this Roman Centurion came to Jesus imploring Him and saying "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented."

As the Centurion watched his closest assistant suffering at the hands of a terrifying and debilitating disease, the centurion recognized that, for all his authority; for all the might and resources that he had at his disposal, there was nothing that he was able to do to help his servant. Helpless to help his servant, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy who was very different from Jesus ethnically, came to Jesus and strongly pleaded with Jesus to do something for him that no one else was able to do.

Jesus response, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “You want me, as a Jew, to come under your roof, since you are a Gentile? You want me as a Jew to come touch and heal your servant, who is a Gentile? If you are asking me to do that, I will do that, but are you sure you want to ask me to do that?” You see, under the Jewish Law and customs of the day, for Jewish person to enter the home of a Gentile would have been a cultural taboo. Jewish people believed that they would defile, or corrupt themselves, if they had such contact with a person who was not Jewish.

But now a military leader who was in a position of authority was strongly requesting Jesus to violate a cultural taboo of the day and come to heal his servant. Or so it seemed. Matthew explained that instead of having Jesus come to his house, which would violate the cultural morays of the Jewish culture of the day, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy stated “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof”.

The issue for the centurion was not about the social status of Jew vs. Gentile. The centurion recognized that under Jewish Law and customs, a Jew was not allowed to enter the house of a Gentile. So, instead of arguing and leveraging his social status, the centurion demonstrated a deep personal humility. The centurion recognized Jesus authority and that he was not worthy as a man, not just as a Gentile, to have Jesus enter into his home. And because of that reality, the centurion engaged Jesus and stated, “but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

The centurion believed and trusted that Jesus had the authority to teach, heal, cast out evil spirits, and therefore reasoned that Jesus could heal from a distance. And because of that reality, the centurion trusted that Jesus needed only to say the word, and his servant would be healed.

Jesus responded to the statement of the Centurion by marveling at the Centurion. And as a result of being so amazed and impressed, Jesus proclaimed to the crowds that were following Him, which were almost entirely Jewish ethnically and culturally, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.” Jesus proclaimed that this gentile, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy, had more faith than any of the Jewish people that He had encountered. Jesus proclaimed that this gentile, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy, understood who Jesus was and what Jesus was offering far better than any of the Jewish people that He had encountered. And because of humility and trust that Jesus witnessed in this commanding officer of the conquering enemy who was not Jewish ethnically, Jesus responded by challenging the crowds that were following Him in Matthew 8:11-12:

 "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; ¹² but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Jesus proclaimed to the predominantly Jewish crowd that was following Him that many who were far from the Jewish people in terms of their nationality, ethnicity, or exposure to God would experience community with those who were Jewish ethnically and who demonstrated the faith to trust in Jesus for all eternity as part of the kingdom of Heaven. However, for those who were Jewish and who trusted and relied on their exposure to God that came as a result of their ethnic or national background would end up separated from God and experience eternal justice and judgment as a result of their wrongdoing and injustice that flowed from their selfish rebellion and rejection of God. 

Jesus painted a picture of the kingdom of Heaven as a place where individuals from every ethnic and national background would be present and welcomed as part of the kingdom. Now, it is hard to underestimate how shocking this statement would have been to a Jewish person in Jesus day. After all, those who were ethnically a Gentile were viewed as subhuman and were referred to as dogs. Especially despised were men such as this Roman Centurion, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy who no Jewish person would even consider entering into their home.

For even someone who was as respected as the Roman Centurion was by the Jewish people, Jesus statement would have left the mouths of the Jewish crowds hitting the floor in stunned disagreement and disbelief. After all, for someone to make such a shocking and stunning statement, that person would have to provide evidence of their authority to even make such a statement.  We see Jesus back His statement with the evidence of His authority to make such a statement in verse 13:

And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very moment.

Jesus responded to the centurion by commanding the centurion to "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." You see, for the centurion to demonstrate his belief and trust in Jesus and the authority that Jesus possessed would require him to act on that trust by returning home without Jesus. The centurion would have to place His trust in the word of Jesus and return home without the presence of Jesus, which is exactly what he did. Matthew tells us that upon returning home, the Centurion found his servant fully healed and restored to health.

And it is here that we discover a timeless truth when it comes to following the example of Jesus by inviting those who are far from Jesus to follow Jesus and live in relationship with Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires leaving stereotypes behind by inviting everyone and anyone to trust and follow Jesus. In order to invite people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus, we must leave any stereotypes behind by inviting everyone and anyone to trust and follow Jesus.

Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we leave any stereotypes behind because every human being bears the image of God regardless of ethnicity or nationality. Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we leave any stereotypes behind because every human being deserves to be treated with dignity, regardless of ethnic, national, or religious background.  Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we leave any stereotypes behind because Jesus challenges our tendency to stereotype people who are different from us ethically, culturally, and nationally.

Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we leave any stereotypes behind because the message of Jesus is a message for all people, regardless of ethnicity or nationality. Inviting people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus requires that we leave any stereotypes behind because the message of Jesus is the only way that provides rescue from our selfish rebellion and God’s right and just response to our selfish rebellion.

So here is a question to consider. Are you willing to invite people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus by leaving any stereotypes behind so that we can invite everyone and anyone to trust and follow Jesus.? Are you willing to take the time to recognize the good qualities of those who do not know Jesus but who are being drawn by Jesus to Him regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, or religious views? Are you willing to invite people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus by leaving any stereotypes behind in order to treat everyone and anyone with dignity, regardless of ethnic, national, or religious background?

Because that is what it means to invite people to follow Jesus in a way that follows the example of Jesus…

What would cause Jesus to marvel?

This week we are looking at an event from history that is recorded in a section of an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Matthew. As Jesus finished traveling from the place where He had preached His famous sermon to arrive at the city of Capernaum, that Matthew gives us a front row seat to this event from history by explaining that a Roman Centurion came to Jesus. This Roman Centurion was a military leader of a conquering army, of a different ethnicity, who had the responsibility for leading the 100 men in his unit.

As the Centurion watched his servant, his closest assistant suffering at the hands of a terrifying and debilitating disease, the centurion recognized that, for all his authority; for all the might and resources that he had at his disposal, there was nothing that he was able to do to help his servant. Helpless to help his servant, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy who was very different from Jesus ethnically, came to Jesus and strongly pleaded with Jesus to do something for him that no one else was able to do.

In Luke 7, we see Luke gives us some additional details about this event from history. And in those details, we discover that this Roman Centurion was not the stereotypical Roman Centurion. Unlike most military leaders of the conquering Roman Army, this centurion cared for those under his leadership and he cared deeply for his servant who was suffering terribly. In addition, this centurion also cared for the people who he was occupying as a conquering military leader.

This centurion was viewed by the Jewish people of Capernaum as a God-fearing Gentile. In other words, even though the centurion was not ethnically Jewish, Jewish people viewed him as a person who worshipped the One True God of the Jews. The centurion’s faith and worship of God was demonstrated by the reality that he gave of his own money to help build the synagogue that was located in the city of Capernaum.

However, under the Jewish Law and customs of the day, for Jewish person to enter the home of a Gentile would have been a cultural taboo. Jewish people believed that they would defile, or corrupt themselves, if they had such contact with a person who was not Jewish. Up to this point in the life of Jesus, Jesus had never entered into the home of a Gentile.

But now a military leader who was in a position of authority was strongly requesting Jesus to violate a cultural taboo of the day and come to heal his servant. Or so it seemed. Because as Matthew continues to give us a front row seat to this event from history, as Jesus demonstrated His willingness to meet the request by the centurion and violate a cultural taboo of the day, we see the centurion’s response in verse 8:

But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Matthew explained that instead of having Jesus come to his house, which would violate the cultural morays of the Jewish culture of the day, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy stated “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof”. Now a natural question that could arise at this point is “Why would the Centurion make such a statement? Why would the Centurion state that he was not worthy to have Jesus come into his house?”

You see, the centurion did not view himself as not being worthy because of his social status. After all, he was the conquering commander of 100 well trained military men that represented the most powerful empire in the world. The centurion had the social status. The issue for the centurion was not about the social status of Jew vs. Gentile.

The centurion recognized that under Jewish Law and customs, a Jew was not allowed to enter the house of a Gentile. So, instead of arguing and leveraging his social status, the centurion demonstrated a deep personal humility. The centurion recognized Jesus authority and that he was not worthy as a man, not just as a Gentile, to have Jesus enter into his home. And because of that reality, the centurion engaged Jesus and stated, “but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

In other words, the centurion basically said to Jesus “Jesus just give the order, as being the one who is large and in charge, and my servant will be healed.” The centurion believed and trusted that Jesus had the authority to teach, heal, cast out evil spirits, and therefore reasoned that Jesus could heal from a distance. And because of that reality, the centurion trusted that Jesus needed only to say the word, and his servant would be healed. We see the centurion provide the evidence of this reality in verse 9:

 "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it."

The centurion compared the authority that he possessed as the commanding officer of a conquering army with the authority that He believed and trusted that Jesus possessed. Just as those under his authority had to obey his orders, the centurion believed and trusted that the disease that left his servant paralyzed and in terrible suffering would have to obey Jesus orders. Matthew then recorded for us how Jesus responded to the statement by the centurion in verse 10:

Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.

Matthew explained that Jesus responded to the statement of the Centurion by marveling at the Centurion. Now this word marvel literally means to be extraordinarily impressed by someone or something. You see, Jesus was amazed and impressed by the centurion’s recognition of Jesus authority that resulted in his faith and trust in Him. Jesus was amazed and impressed in this conquering officer’s confident trust in the authority of Jesus to do what only God could do.

And as a result of being so amazed and impressed, Jesus proclaimed to the crowds that were following Him, which were almost entirely Jewish ethnically and culturally, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.” Jesus proclaimed that this gentile, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy, had more faith than any of the Jewish people that He had encountered. Jesus proclaimed that this gentile, this commanding officer of the conquering enemy, understood who Jesus was and what Jesus was offering far better than any of the Jewish people that He had encountered.

And because of humility and trust that Jesus witnessed in this commanding officer of the conquering enemy who was not Jewish ethnically, Jesus responded by challenging the Jewish crowds that were following Him. Friday we will look at that challenge together...