If you have a copy of Scripture, I want to invite you to open up to Luke 7, and we're going to be reading verses 36 through 50. We are in the second message of the Meals with Jesus series, and last week we saw Jesus have a meal with a tax collector, and a couple of Pharisees somewhat intrude on the meal and ask some questions. And tonight we're going to see Jesus have a meal with a Pharisee and have somebody else intrude on this meal. And we'll get to see the significance of that. So turn to Luke 7, verses 36 through 50. One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, She began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who was touching him, for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, say it, teacher. A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii and the other 50. And when they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more? And Simon answered, the one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt. And he said to him, you have judged rightly. Then 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 from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who has forgiven little loves little. And he said to her, your sins are forgiven. And those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, who is this who even forgives sins? And he said to the woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Will you pray with me? Dear Lord, we ask You to speak through Your Word this evening, that in this passage we would see Jesus clearly, that we would see the truth of the gospel and the ways in which it bears upon our lives. And Lord, that we would be transformed this evening as we see Christ, as we behold Him, as we adore Him, as we worship Him. And Lord, we pray that this word will cut to the very marrow of who we are, Lord, to see ourselves clearly in order to see Jesus clearly and therefore to worship him all the more. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Tiffany and I recently watched a film that was based on the real-life mystery of the Little Hampton letters. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this story, in 1920, a quiet, devoutly religious woman named Edith started receiving very nasty and vulgar letters in the mail. And being from a small town, word spread quickly. The whole town was very scandalized by the content of these letters. And as they were scrambling, trying to figure out who wrote these letters, more and more letters started to go out, and they would go to further and further addresses, until the entire country of England had one question on their mind. Who was writing these letters? See, it was a national mystery, but back in Littlehampton, it wasn't a mystery at all. Everybody already knew who the culprit was. It was Edith's neighbor, Rose. You see, Rose had a bit of a reputation. She was known for being rowdy, indecent, and even a tad criminal from time to time. And she and Edith used to be friends. They were neighbors, they shared a garden, they'd be seen around town often. Until one day, Edith called Child Protective Services on Rose. And not too long after, these letters started appearing. Case closed, right? Well, not quite. It turns out that Rose was innocent of this crime, but that didn't stop the townsfolk from treating her according to her reputation. You see, their perception of Rose dictated her reality. She was tried and found guilty in the court of public opinion. And unfortunately, that wasn't the only court that found her guilty. It turns out that having this reputation and probable cause will land you 12 months in prison, which Rose did, and she had to serve hard labor. Well, it was eventually discovered that Edith was the one who was writing the letters all along. And Rose was declared innocent, but even so, the damage was done. Despite the reality of her innocence, she was already condemned according to the perception of the townsfolk in Little Hampton. And why do I share this with you? Well, in tonight's passage, we see Jesus encounter a woman very much like Rose, a woman with a reputation condemned by the religious elite. And just like Rose, she is trying to live out the reality of her innocence, or more specifically, the reality of forgiveness in Christ. But it's hard. She's trying to live out something that others can't see in her. Or even something that others refuse to see in her. Because her reality isn't the accepted reality. And perhaps you can relate. Have you ever struggled with the feeling that no matter what you do, forgiveness doesn't feel real, or even all that possible at times? Maybe you believe that Christ forgives, but it's harder to believe that He forgives you. Or even if you know that Christ forgives you, maybe it's hard to shake the memories of who you used to be. Or maybe you're afraid that others are holding on to the sins of your past and holding them over your head, behind your back. You try to live as one who is forgiven, but these different perceptions are affecting your reality. Instead of living out of grace, you live out of guilt and shame. But what if we could live a different way? Well, in tonight's passage, we see that we can freely and really live as those forgiven because Christ assures sinners of the reality of His forgiveness. We can truly and freely live as those forgiven because Christ assures us of the reality of His forgiveness. So as we look at our passage, we see in verse 36, it opens with an invitation. One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with them, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And we don't know the nature of this invitation or even the nature of this Pharisee. We don't know what he thinks about Jesus. Is he friendly? Is he hostile? Well, we don't even have time to start to answer that question before another character is immediately introduced, and we are introduced to this uninvited guest, which is our first point, an uninvited guest in verses 37 and 38. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment. And standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with ointment. Not much is known about this woman, but what we do know about her is that her reputation precedes her. Some commentators believed that she was maybe a woman of the night, but the text isn't that clear. All that's said is that there is a woman who is known by the city to be a sinner. Just like Rose, everybody in town knew what sort of woman this was. and now we see her intruding on this dinner party. And by any measure, it's a surprising situation, but to really understand how shocking it would have been, we need to think about how meals would have looked like in Jesus' time, because Jesus didn't eat the way that we tend to eat. You see, this Pharisee hosting Jesus would have been a semi-public event. This Pharisee likely had a large courtyard, and people from the public could come in, They could sit down in the courtyard, they could hear the conversation happening over dinner, and if they were lucky, if the Pharisees were feeling generous, they'd maybe get some leftovers. This Pharisee hosting Jesus would have been the talk of the town, which is exactly why this woman likely heard that Jesus was going to be here. Now, that said, the meal itself would have been very private. It would have been a room full of men lying on their left sides on chaise lounges, arranged around a table of food. Their heads would be leaning towards the food, and their feet would be extended towards the outer edges of the room. And so they'd be laying on their left side, they'd reach over, grab some food, talk, and everybody else would be blessed to hear their conversation. And we need to remember that it's not just a room full of these men lounging and talking, but it would have been a room full of men that a Pharisee would have deemed worthy of fellowship, if you remember our sermon from last week. And now enter this woman. crying, she approaches Jesus' feet, the first thing that would have been available to her since they were stretched on the outside of the room. And she's crying so much that her feet start to wet Jesus' feet, her tears start to wet Jesus' feet. And maybe she looks around for a rag, but she can't find one. And so she lets down her hair. And everybody's jaws would have dropped in that moment, because no self-respecting Jewish woman would have let down her hair in front of all of these men. But then she goes a step further. She starts kissing Jesus' feet repeatedly. She takes this alabaster flask of ointment and starts anointing Jesus' feet with it. I mean, it's crazy. Imagine with me for a moment that a well-known, well-respected preacher was coming into town, and your friend invited you to a dinner with him. You're all seated around the table, you're just getting settled in, and then out of nowhere, a scantily clad woman walks in the room out of nowhere. And we see that she has tear-soaked mascara running down her face, and she makes a beeline to the guest of honor, and she starts clinging to him. And she's so desperate to show him affection that she removes his shoes, she removes his socks, and she starts kissing his feet. And then out of nowhere, a bottle of Chanel No. 5 appears, and she starts spritzing his feet, and he does nothing. I mean, what is going on? That's the thought that would be running through all of our minds in that moment. What is happening? And we see that this is the Pharisee's response, too, in verse 39. He sees Jesus's reaction to this woman, and the ambiguity about what he thinks about Jesus is cleared up. He knows what he thinks of Jesus. Now, when the Pharisee who invited him saw this, he said to himself, if this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner. Imagine our hypothetical dinner scene again. Imagine the tension in that room in that moment as you're sitting in the tension between this woman's actions and this pastor's response. I mean, we would at least question his discernment, if not his credentials all together, just like this Pharisee. This Pharisee knew how prophets should act and the type of people that prophets should associate with, and it looks like neither Jesus nor this woman fit the bill. In his mind, there is no way that Jesus can be a prophet. His mind is made up, but notice that he only speaks inwardly. He only says these words to himself. Like most of us, when we want to be judgmental, we like to keep it to ourselves. We don't like to speak up all that much. And yet, though he keeps it to himself, Jesus draws him out. He questions that Jesus is a prophet, and yet, like a true prophet, Jesus responds to these unspoken struggles of his heart. He speaks to him directly. He calls him by name, Simon, and he answers these unspoken struggles with a parable in verses 41 through 43. A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii and the other 50. And when they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now, which of them will love him more? Simon answered, the one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt. And he said to him, you have judged rightly. See, what I love about this interaction is that he's making Simon connect the dots himself. And as he's making Simon connect these dots, he's both justifying his reaction to this woman and challenging Simon's perception of this woman. He's showing Simon that he can accept this woman's behavior because it's an expression of love flowing out of a heart that's been forgiven. This woman's actions, they seem completely outer limits, but Jesus is saying that they are perfectly proportionate to the mercy that she has received. It's as if he's saying to Simon, you say that this woman is such a great sinner, Simon, but let me ask you, what would such a great sinner like her act like if she was forgiven? Because I tell you, that's what you're witnessing. Her actions are displaying a heart of love that can only come from somebody who's been forgiven. And that's why her actions are worthy of acceptance. You see, Simon understands Jesus' parable correctly, but he can't understand the reality of forgiveness happening before his very own eyes. And Jesus not only accepts this woman's actions, but he actually holds them up as an example for Simon. He commends this woman's actions. And by doing so, we see that this uninvited guest turns out to be an unexpected host. Our second point, an unexpected host. If you read verses 44 through 46, then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, do you see this woman? I entered your house, and 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 from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. See, Jesus is exposing just what a terrible host Simon has been. I mean, it would have been common courtesy for him to at least offer Jesus water after such a long and dusty journey. If he welcomed him in with a hug and with a kiss, it would have communicated acceptance, fellowship, honor, mutual respect. And since Jesus was a well-known teacher, it would have been common practice for Simon to anoint his head with oil as he entered his doorway. And yet Simon doesn't do any of that. And we see then that Jesus actually isn't an honored guest, but a stranger. He's not been invited to a meal, but to a testing ground. See, Simon's supposed to be this great host, but instead he's become this cold, distant observer of this stranger that he's let into his house. And the difference between Simon and the woman couldn't be more stark. And we see that she is the one who is truly hosting Jesus, even as she barges in to this dinner party. She comes to Jesus with tears enough to wash his feet. And these tears, they communicate both her sorrow for sin and her joy at forgiveness received. She is humble before her Lord. And she takes that humility a step further by taking her head, sorry, her hair, one of the most honored parts of her body, and using it to wipe Jesus' feet, one of the most dishonored parts of his body. And she kisses his feet with deep affection, and she continues to honor Christ even more by anointing not his head with oil, but his feet with this ointment. You see, this alabaster flask of ointment would have been one of the most expensive things she likely owned, and she uses it to anoint Jesus' feet. And all of these things together, her humility, her affection, her honor, they communicate that she is somebody who truly knows that she owes Christ everything. I mean, think about it. His feet were going to get dirty again as soon as he left the Pharisee's house. He would have put on his sandals, gone on that dusty trail, and what would the point have been? Well, the point for the woman is the same point of Romans 10, 15. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. I love how Jesus is talking to Simon, and yet the entire time he's looking at this woman. You see, he wants Simon to get the message, but he wants this woman to hear the words of her Savior. See, she couldn't have known how she would have been received when she entered that room, and yet Jesus accepts and affirms these actions. He affirms her as a true host, and he explains that the key difference then between her and Simon is forgiveness, in verse 47. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who has forgiven little, loves little. for she loved much. It's important to clarify what Jesus means here, because he is not saying that because she loved much, therefore she is forgiven, as if it's her love that has saved her, as if it's her actions that have saved her. No, he is saying that these great displays of love, affection, and honor display the reality of someone who has already been forgiven. She has been forgiven much, therefore she loves much. And no other part of her, not her reputation, not her past sins, not her status, speak to who she truly is. But instead, these loving actions reflect who she truly is. She is one who has been forgiven. We see it by what she is doing. And yet Simon's actions portray a different reality. They portray an incomplete and a false reality. You see, he truly believes that he is the lesser debtor and that he can maybe even pay his own tab. See, he has no idea how great his need truly is. I mean, think about that parable. Whether it was 500 or 50, neither of them could pay their debt. And yet, he's doing everything in his power to hide that reality, to minimize his sin. And for that reason, he lacks love. He who is forgiven little, loves little. Well, if he loves little, then it means that he's living out of this perception that he doesn't have all that much to be forgiven. He's fooled himself into thinking that. And I ask you, how much forgiveness do you think you need? I mean, think on the past week. How many times have you lied this week? How many times have you been bitter, short-tempered, lustful, greedy, selfish, judgmental? Probably a lot. I mean, I know I have. We know that we have need. But even so, let me ask you another question. How many times have you looked at another sinner, another debtor just like yourself, and thought, well, at least I'm doing better than him? You see, we all know that we have some degree of need, but it's a lot more difficult for us to truly confront the depth of our need. And therefore, we try to hide our sin or minimize it. We try to do more or do better or find ways to make ourselves feel better by putting others beneath us or trying to judge yourself according to some imaginary standard that doesn't comport with Scripture. We do everything we can besides accept the fact that we are debtors, unable to pay our great debt. And when we live this way, we sabotage the freedom that's available to us in the gospel. We sabotage the joy that can come to us through true forgiveness. We sabotage the ability to truly live a life marked by love. You see, this woman's example challenges us to accept just how great our need is. Do you want to live a life that's marked by the kind of love that makes a scene just like this woman? Well, then the answer is to stop pretending to be better than you are, and to accept just how great your need is. Because when we truly do that, then we can experience the reality of forgiveness and live out these realities of love. Forgiveness requires us to be honest with ourselves. This woman was honest with herself, and she courageously lived out that reality. As I mentioned earlier, she likely didn't know how she was going to be received when she entered that room. And therefore, we see that her coming to Jesus, it's not just an expression of love, but it's an expression of faith. Living in this way, it can be so scary. It can be hard to live out a reality that others don't accept of you or that you even don't accept of yourself at times. In the movie I mentioned in the introduction, there's a heartbreaking scene where Rosa's boyfriend walks into their home and he sees her vigorously scrubbing the floor on her hands and knees. And concerned, he walks up to her and he asks, what's wrong? And she says to him, well, I'm just trying to make the house nice, like nice mothers do. Because if I could just convince those people that I don't have some kind of demon residing in my abdomen, then maybe, and her words get cut off. See, those are the words of somebody unable to live out the reality of forgiveness. And it's where so many of us live day to day. How many times does this thought run through your head? If I can just blank, then maybe blank. If I can just read my Bible more, if I can just seem better amongst my peers or my friends or my family, or get that job or get that house, then I'll be secure. Then I'll be enough. Then I'll know that God truly forgives me. I know that I can truly be justified. And we know that this never satisfies. We know that it never brings about rest. And yet we still play into it. It's the way our world is wired. If I can just do this, then maybe, then maybe. But it doesn't work. And so what are we to do? Well, we see it in the end of our story. We are to listen to Jesus. Just as he does for this woman, Jesus personally assures us of the reality of his forgiveness by the authority of his power. He looks at this unexpected host and assures her of an undoubtable forgiveness, which is our final point. Verses 48 through 50. And he said to her, your sins are forgiven. Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, who is this who even forgives sins? And he said to the woman, your faith has saved you, go in peace. This whole time Jesus has been looking at this woman, he has been commending this woman, but ultimately talking to Simon. And now the time has come for him to speak to her directly. And where he had so many words for Simon, What are the words that he thought necessary for her to hear? Your sins have been forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. You see, to truly love Christ and to love others, we need to first hear from our Savior that He has first loved us. You see, with Jesus, there is no, if I can just, then maybe. But instead with Jesus, He says, because I have, you can. Because Christ lived a perfect life for us, because he died on the cross for our sins, then sinners like us can be forgiven. And because Jesus did so by the power of his own authority, we can be assured that that forgiveness is certain. You see, the assurance of the reality of His forgiveness doesn't rest on our works or on our reputation. It rests wholly upon the authority, person, and work of Jesus Christ alone. Christ crucified for sinners. And Jesus makes it so clear that this is what he's about. You see, the crowd hears Jesus' words to the woman, and they ask, who is this who even forgives sins? Well, we see that he's not just some teacher invited over for dinner. He's not just a prophet, maybe, according to Simon's standards, but he is the Messiah. God in the flesh come to save sinners and he alone can declare them righteous. And Jesus makes it so abundantly clear that he has declared this woman righteous and that she is forgiven. He says three times that she has been forgiven, and each time the Greek uses the perfect tense. And what this perfect tense can communicate is a past action that brings about an ongoing state of affairs. And what does that mean? Well, it means that her sins have been forgiven, but also that she is and remains forgiven. There's no doubt that this forgiveness extends throughout the entirety of her life. She has been forgiven. Therefore, she is and remains forgiven. Case closed. And how can we hear these words from Jesus? How can we receive these very same promises of assurance? Well, the very same way this woman did, by faith. Your faith has saved you. You see, faith is nothing more than looking at Jesus, seeing what he has done for sinners, and trusting that he has done the same for you. You see, it's not faith itself that saves you, but the person to whom faith looks, the person upon whom faith rests, Christ alone. And the moment you believe in Christ alone for salvation, he declares all of these promises to you personally. See, these words weren't just said to this woman, but they were kept in scripture for you. Your faith has saved you. Your sins are forgiven. Go in peace. And that's the beautiful effect of Christ's assurance. Peace. No more scrubbing floors. No more if-thens. No more living out of a reality dictated by fear, reputation, or the illusion of your own righteousness. But instead, Christ looks at you and personally assures you of his forgiveness. Do you want a conscience that can finally rest? Do you want freedom from the constant weight of guilt and shame? Do you want to know for certain that Christ forgives you, that God forgives you in Christ? well then put your trust in Christ alone. Whether it's for the first time or afresh once more, whether you are a Christian or whether you're hearing this message for the very first time, this is what we all need to hear continually. Trust in Christ alone and he will give you rest. Jesus' encounter with this woman, it reminds us of the reality He has created for those who believe. He secures and assures us of the reality of His forgiveness. And when we are assured of His forgiveness, then we are free to go out into the world with hearts that are full of love and consciences that can finally be at peace. You see, your past no longer matters because it's simply that, in the past. You see, Jesus isn't like the world. The world wants to look at your past or what you have done and try to say that that is who you truly are. But instead, Christ comes to us and he declares who we are despite our past. And therefore, when we do look back at our past in light of that reality, in light of what he has declared to be true of us, when we look back at who we were and we see just how much we've been forgiven, Well then the only response is love, and the only result is peace. And may it be for us, Harvest. Let's pray. Dear gracious Heavenly Father, Lord over all creation, who created all things good, and yet we through our rebellion sinned against you, rebelled against you, Lord, we thank you that you were not content to leave us in our sin and in our misery, but instead you sent your Son who willingly came to earth, who took on flesh, who lived a perfect life, who suffered and died for us, who was buried for us, who was raised on the third day, who ascended into heaven and is seated at your right hand now. And that because he has done all of that for us, we can be assured that we are forgiven, and we can live out a new reality dictated by love and by peace, Lord. We thank you so much for your mercy. We deserve none of it, and yet you have lavished it upon us. And Lord, we pray that as we go out into this week, As we struggle with feeling that our past dictates our reality, or the perception of others, or anything else, Lord, we pray that the voice that may ring loudest in our ears is your own. The one that declares that it's not what we've done, but wholly what Christ has done for us. And that because of that, we can be at peace. We can love you and love others freely. Because of this reality you have created. And we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.