Luke 7. 36-50 Forgiveness & Rest

1. The word Pharisee was derived from a Hebrew word which means separation . Their history is a fine history

2. The order arose during that time between the Old & New testament - during the time of the Maccabean revolt .

1. They were committed to holiness & to holding the people from getting mixed up in idolatry & or idolatrous people .

3. But in the process of time however they became much more satisfied & interested in external forms of holiness / than internal

1. They were completely caught up in external rituals & standards of righteousness / thru which they would judge everyone by them.

3. They didn’t like Jesus /- Luke mentions them 28 times in this gospel &

every time they are seen as being Hostile toward Jesus !

4. Now even though we don’t have a Pharisaical sect today - I believe we still have a very strong Pharisaical spirit w/ in the church

1. Those who set up their external rules & standards to follow & live by don’t smoke /don’t play cards/ café / don’t drink coffee - etc.

4. And by setting up all these standards they become critical of everyone who isn’t living up to these standards !

e) if you practice what they preach you are right on/ but if you don’t

you are wrong & in sin according to their standards

5. But that attitude & mindset forsakes & forgets the very heart of Jesus who is more interested in the condition of the heart

1. Than the outward condition of the appearance & what not!

F) We need to be oh so careful that we don’t walk in a pharisaical attitude / because the truth is NONE OF US HAVE ARRIVED

What would you do today if Jesus were coming to your house for dinner?

What would you serve ?

1. I would venture to say that most of us probably wouldn’t be here - be at home scouring the house from top to bottom. Perfectly clean

1. Every nook & cranny

2. Ever been around those people who notice everything - little speck on the carpet they see it !

1. I am not that way accept when purposely looking / My wife can - rearrange our furniture - I might not notice for hrs.

3. But imagine Jesus - I bet He saw everything - So you would thoroughly clean - manicure the yard

1)You would cook the biggest steaks / make your best desert - because

THIS IS JESUS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT

4. And I’m going to guess that anything that was in any way questionable - Magazines / Movies / pictures on the wall - stuff in the Frig. - get rid of

1) We would want everything to be just right

1. If You were to go to someone’s home in that culture - the common thing

you would do to a guest - which acknowledged - friends - welcome

1. 1^st - hand on shoulders - Kiss

2. Next servant wash their feet / or if you didn’t have a servant - you would do it yourself

1) Then you would take a little bit of incense & sprinkle it on their head

3. All were signs that this guest was welcome in your home - and you considered them a friend -

1. We are told in v.44 that Simon didn’t do any of those things

4. So why did Simon want to have this meeting w/ Jesus ?

1. Some have suggested curiosity - but if that were the case - I think Simon would have done those things -

5. Real reason Hostility / I think Simon wanted to grill Jesus & play 100 questions !

3. SO NEXT QUEST. WE WOULD ASK IS / WHY DID JESUS GO? WHY DID HE ACCEPT THE INVITATION? WHY BOTHER ?

1. I think the reason is simple - Jesus loved Simon & was interested in ministering to him .

2. That is the reason why Jesus ate w/ tax collectors & sinners

1. recall With Zacheus he said: "Come down from the tree, I want to come over for dinner."

3. And we have noted earlier in our study of Luke: Sharing meals with

people in that day and in that culture was a very important experience

1) Because as you drank from the same cup and ate of the same bread

you became a part of each other.

4. That is why they found fault with Jesus when He was willing to share meals with "tax collectors" and "sinners"........... "

1) He was actually becoming a part of them -

5. But we must not forget That is what Jesus CAME to do - Identify with

sinful people!!

NOTE: Jesus is STILL interested in DINING with men/ Rev. 3:20

A) Jesus is saying: "Look!! I want to have fellowship with you..... I want to become one with you...... All you have to do is open the door of your heart to Me and we can have this CLOSE and INTIMATE fellowship together!!"

2. See Jesus only goes where He is invited - Simon invites Jesus to his home & Jesus went -

1. the person who ask Jesus to come into his heart He will

2. Eph.3: 17 Paul prayed Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

1) Word dwell = inhabit - Lit. make your heart His Home

But He wants to dwell in your heart - wants to bless you life - wants to make your heart his home !

3. And The application for all of us here who have received Him is : since

Jesus only goes where He is invited

1. Does He have full access & is He welcome in every part of the home of our heart !

c) DO we invite Jesus into all the places of our hearts or just certain rooms

1. Living room & the bathroom / whole house but not this closet

4. Lord I will give you 1 hr. & 15 minutes every Sunday - when I go to listen to Pastor Rob at CCV

1. The other 166&1/2 hrs of my week are for me / what I do w/ that time is my business - it is up to me !

5. In Col. 3:16 Paul also said Let the word of Christ dwell in your hearts

Let the Word of Christ be at home in you - access every part

1. Allow it to do it’s thing in our lives / When the Word comes in all the Bad leaves

3. So Jesus goes where He is invited & he accepts the invitation of Simon - and they are sitting there when all of a sudden the

1) INTRUDER ENTERS THE SCENE

IV. THE INTRUDER

A)Understand houses in those days were surrounded by a courtyard or they

had a nice courtyard - type of thing .

1. And because of the heat - they would often eat their meals in that court yard area

2. When someone important was coming over there would be a certain # of seats at the table for the guest / others could come to listen/ only men

3. Women were not allowed in that setting & if they were serving the food once they were finished they were to leave immediately .

4. Now Jesus at this point is kind of a celebrity - and many people are

following Him & interested in what He had to say

4. So there were probably quite of few men who had gathered to hear him /

when all of a sudden this woman comes in to the scene

5. She wasn’t just any woman she was a woman from the Red light district - she was a harlot - a Prostitute !!!!

37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner,( That is a way of saying - she was a Harlot ) when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

1. Guys Picture this - She comes into this courtyard - where she is not welcome & she makes her way thru this crowd of men

1. Who are all wondering what she is doing here

2. She comes to Jesus & is just weeping - tears falling down on His feet - and then she starts wiping them w/ her hair

1. Again important to note that women never let their hair down in public - considered loose or wild - / only do it w/ husband

3. This lady lets her hair down & starts using it to wipe Jesus’ feet - great display of affection going on here

1. Then she starts - Kissing - Lit. she mothered His feet w/ Kisses

Then she anointed His feet w/ oil!

QUESTION - WHAT IGNITED THIS REACTION WHAT MOTIVATED HER INVADING - THIS PLACE WHERE NOT WELCOME.

1. V.37 tells us that when she found out Jesus was there - but why was she so interested in seeing Jesus - what Happened - Matt. 11:20 answer / turn

2. In studying & doing a harmony of the gospels one thing that you discover is that - between v. 35 & 36 of Luke’s gospel

1. Jesus spoke the words recorded here in vs. 20 thru 30

3. We are not going to look at this whole section but we want to draw our attention to the last thing Jesus says Beg. In v. 28

30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.".

All investigations led to dead-ends. The only clue was a note he left for his wife and family. It said, "I am very, very tired. Love, Joe." That was it. That was the last anyone ever heard from him.

"I think many of us, have felt that way before or perhaps you "feel that way today.

But Jesus has something to say to the person who is exhausted, to the person who is worn out, chewed up and spit out by life. He offers rest to those who are frustrated, hurting, and tired."

Come here to Me all of you who are growing weary to the point of exhaustion & have been loaded down w/ burdens and are bending beneath their weight. I alone will cause you to cease from your labor & take away your burdens & refresh you w/ rest.

1. She says I am looking for Rest for my soul I am tired & weary - my soul is burdened by guilt & shame

1. Now often times they would take an older stronger animal & Yoke it w/ a younger animal.

1)The older stronger animal would know how to walk /where to go &

what to do / sturdy in its tracks / knowing the plan/ where to go.

2. So when the younger animal would try to get away or to go another way - they would be stuck -

1. Sometimes that would wiggling back & forth so much that the yoke would begin to make neck sore / even open wounds

3. But it was all part of the breaking process of getting that animal to finally give up & get w/ the program. That younger animal would realize

1. I can’t run I had better stay right here.

1. You have to make a choice - am I going to Yoke myself to the world or to Jesus. Do things the worlds way or my own way or His way?
2. When we Yoke ourselves to the pursuits of the world - or to fulfill the Lust of our own flesh - we are resisting the Yoke of God’s plan & purpose

1. Made for fellowship - Know Him & to walk w/ Him

3. The more you resist that the more weary tired frustrated you are going to become / if you do that long enough one of 2 things is going to happen.

1. It will Kill you - so weary / fatigued / just totally wasted

4. Or it is going to bring you to your senses / bring you to that place of saying I am so tired of fighting w/ the Lord

5. Swimming in a River - try & swim up stream - No way - soon - even the best of swimmers is just wiped .

1. Jump in and go down stream / it is a blast - enjoy the sights

Note that JESUS SAYS COME TO ME - He doesn’t say do this or that - follow this code live by these rules - COME TO ME

1. Your Burden I will lift & carry - My Yoke is well fitting - perfect fit !

You will find rest for your souls

2. This lady is in that crowd & hears Jesus say those words - and she is

WHY did she love so much? BECAUSE she was "FORGIVEN so much"!!

D)And Having been forgiven, she just wanted to be NEAR HIM!!

1. Her heart welled up within her because of all that Jesus had done for

A) She knew that He was eating at the table of Simon, who was a Pharisee.

a member of a group that CONDEMNED and PUNISHED.

B) But Her love for Jesus was GREATER than her fear of man & she would

not be kept from "coming to Jesus" and showing her love and gratitude.

C) She was so touched by the DEPTH of His love for her That she wept and

her tears fell upon His feet

1) She wiped them off with her hair She smothered His feet with kisses

She anointed His feet with fragrant oil!!

NOTE SIMONS REACT.

1. Simon is appalled & offended - this man is a fraud - if he was a real prophet - he would know …………. She was - would let her touch him.

2. What is interesting is that Simon spoke these words to Himself - in other words this is what He was thinking in his head.

1. REMINDER - JESUS KNOWS YOUR THOUGHTS

3. David declared in Psa. 139: 139:1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.

4. That last phrase is an interesting one - it means you know my thoughts in their origin . Before I even think them you know them.

1. That can be encouraging - or it can be utterly terrifying depending on where your heart is w/ the Lord. He sees your Heart

Jesus saw Simon’s heart - that is where the problem lied - you see Simon’s problem was blindness/ His hard pharisaical heart made him blind

1. Simon didn’t see Jesus correctly & He didn’t see this woman correctly

43 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." RIGHT ON SIMON

44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, SO HE IS LOOKING AT THE WOMAN BUT STILL TALKING TO SIMON

When Simon looked at her, he saw a prostitute. But when Jesus, looked at her, He saw her as one who's past was forgiven

1. Someone who was now a TRANSFORMED child of God who was

expressing her love and gratitude for that forgiveness and that new life

1. Note there are a lot of people running around - who think they are saved by their good deeds / their church attendance / affiliation

2. Many people who are resting in the fact that they are a good person / honest etc.

3. But it is only faith in JESUS that saves a person.

Eph. 28 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

4. Faith in JESUS & HIS FINISHED WORK AT CALVARY

A)Which tells us that we actually find ourselves dwelling in Peace when we

know that our sins have been forgiven.

2. There is great peace & Rest in being Yoked to Jesus !

A) Having been forgiven, she just wanted to be NEAR HIM!!

That speaks of FELLOWSHIP

B) She was so touched by the DEPTH of His love for her

1. That she wept and her tears fell upon His feet She wiped them off

3. She poured out perfume upon Him THAT speaks of WORSHIP

1. Are you more like Simon ? or are you more like this woman

a) With Simon there was no display of affection / no love given

2. Simon judged & condemned because he didn’t see himself rightly - he didn’t see himself as a sinner in need of grace & forgiveness

3. But whether you have sinned once, or whether you've sinned a thousand

times...... YOU HAVE A DEBT WHICH YOU CAN NOT PAY!!

And Jesus loves YOU so much that HE PAYED IT!!

"Once a very poor girl from a small town went to the big city to earn some money to support her old mother. Soon after her arrival, she realized that an attractive girl can earn more money w/ working than by honest work.

She became a Prostitute - she was a successful one because she was very beautiful.

She pleased many men and soon she had money, many jewels,

It didn’t take her long to forget about Her mother.

The Years passed by & her beauty began to fade & so did her popularity / One day she was stricken with remorse and asked herself, `I wonder how my mother is. I have neglected her completely.'

"She took the first train to her village, arriving late at night. To her amazement, she found the gate of her house wide open. She knew her mother was always careful to lock it at night.

Then she saw a light burning in the window of her mother's bedroom. A lamp burning so late? Mother usually went to bed early. Was she be sick?

"When she crossed the threshold, she heard her mother's voice: `Joan, is that you?'

"`Yes, Mother,' she replied. `But why is the gate wide open so late at night?'

"`Since you left, the gate has not been closed.'"

"`But why is the light burning so late? Why aren't you asleep?'

"`Since you left, it has never been extinguished. A loving mother's heart

has waited for you.'

"And you can be sure today that if you desire to repent from your sin & COME TO CHRIST -/ You will receive forgiveness & the gate of heaven, will be open wide to receive you."