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…
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