Tuesday 14 June 2016

Can't make it to church - Sunday, 12 June 2016

Today's Gospel is one of those great passages on the subject of forgiveness. We have a woman with a bit of history behind her such that the 'nice' Pharisee (Simon) whose house Jesus was in was more than a bit appalled when she poured perfume over Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair (not without reason for this was dodgy behaviour indeed). But Jesus, challenges the Pharisee's response against the woman by asking a simple question:

“Two people owed money to a certain lender. One owed him five hundred silver coins. The other owed him fifty silver coins. Neither of them had the money to pay him back. So he let them go without paying. Which of them will love him more?”

Now the Pharisee got the answer right: “I suppose the one who owed the most money.”

Of course we shouldn't be surprised at the Phatisees response (after all, it's not rocket science is it?) but we should be shocked, amazed and blessed at what comes next as Jesus tells Simon, and the assembled people, that He'd come into the house and hadn't been given water to clean His feet whilst the woman had washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair! Moving on, Jesus points out that Simon had omitted to put olive oil on the head of his guest whilst the woman had anointed Jesus' feet with perfume.


Jesus is pointing out the fact that Simon has acted quite poorly towards Jesus, his guest, and that everything he has failed to do has instead been done by the woman he so despises and he is 'loving little' whilst she is 'loving large' - Simon, in his religious pride considers himself to have but a small debt and is responding accordingly, and is the woman with her massive debt of sin.

This 'sinful' woman understands that her sins are forgiven and is merely exhibiting the love that comes from the realisation of that fact. So Jesus says to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Uproar, can you imaging these self-proclaimed righteous types as they asked each other: "Who does He think He is?"

But the lesson here is that we, who are indeed sinful, have been forgiven and in the knowledge of this should indeed 'love much'

Love God for His love and for the forgiveness that came into the world through the action of Jesus, the Christ, who died to set us free from the penalty and power of sin; thank Him for the daily outworking of that love made real for us through the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit.

What a great illustration of the power of love and forgiveness - can't go wrong with it, can we?

So, are we all thanking God for everything He has done?
Are we working out how we can show that love to others as we read these words?

But as we prepare to rush out we need also to heed Paul's words in the Galatians passage as he reminds us that, "We are not made right by obeying the law. That’s because no one can be made right with God by obeying the law. In fact reliance on laws and merely keeping them in our own strength (which is pretty low) actually denies the person and role of Jesus.

Karl Marx got this when he said that, "Religion is man's ultimate rebellion against God," because as Paul tells us, "We are seeking to be made right with God through Christ."

Laws just act to show us where we are wrong - we break them and are found guilty and in error , but relationship with Jesus tells us where the dangers are and encourages us to avoid those things that would cause us act wrongly for Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship between us and God as made real through being made one with God through Jesus.

So let's get out there and, keeping our eyes fixed on the Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, make real the love God has shown us today, and every day.

The Collect
God our saviour, look on this wounded world in pity and in power; hold us fast to your promises of peace won for us by your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.


Galatians 2.15-21
We are Jews by birth. We are not sinful Gentiles. Here is what we know. No one is made right with God by obeying the law. It is by believing in Jesus Christ. So we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus. This is so we can be made right with God by believing in Christ. We are not made right by obeying the law. That’s because no one can be made right with God by obeying the law.

We are seeking to be made right with God through Christ. As we do, what if we find that we who are Jews are also sinners? Does that mean that Christ causes us to sin? Certainly not! Suppose I build again what I had destroyed. Then I would really be breaking the law.

By the law, I died as far as the law is concerned. I died so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. I don’t live any longer, but Christ lives in me. Now I live my life in my body by faith in the Son of God. He loved me and gave himself for me. I do not get rid of the grace of God. What if a person could become right with God by obeying the law? Then Christ died for nothing!

Luke 7:36-8:3.
One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So he went to the Pharisee’s house. He took his place at the table. There was a woman in that town who had lived a sinful life. She learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she came there with a special jar of perfume. She stood behind Jesus and cried at his feet. And she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair. She kissed them and poured perfume on them.

The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this. He said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him. He would know what kind of woman she is. She is a sinner!”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people owed money to a certain lender. One owed him five hundred silver coins. The other owed him fifty silver coins. Neither of them had the money to pay him back. So he let them go without paying. Which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who owed the most money.”

“You are right,” Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman. He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water to wash my feet. But she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss. But this woman has not stopped kissing my feet since I came in. You did not put any olive oil on my head. But she has poured this perfume on my feet. So I tell you this. Her many sins have been forgiven. She has shown that she understands this by her great acts of love. But whoever has been forgiven only a little loves only a little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The other guests began to talk about this among themselves. They said, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

After this, Jesus travelled around from one town and village to another and He announced the good news of God’s kingdom.

His twelve disciples were with him. So were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses. One was Mary Magdalene. Seven demons had come out of her. Another was Joanna, the wife of Chuza. He was the manager of Herod’s household. Susanna and many others were there also. These women were helping to support Jesus and the twelve disciples with their own money.    



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