The Holy Gospel According to St. Luke, the 7th Chapter
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him--that she is a sinner." Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak." "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus 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 bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing 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 were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." But those who were at the 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."
Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.
We all love the kinds of movies where the good guy is good and the bad guy is bad. We like it clear cut. Calming green light saber - good. Angry red light saber - bad. We like it that way in our movies, in our politics, in the Bible and in our churches… 100% good or 100% bad… THAT’S what we like.
Because we like it, it’s tempting to do it here too. The Pharisee is rude, arrogant, inhospitable and frankly… he’s kind of a jerk… 100% bad guy. The woman is humble, thankful and respectful… 100% good, right? Too bad life isn’t a movie, isn’t that perfect and doesn’t really fit so neatly into those boxes. The Pharisee, in spite of his flaws, is actually a deeply, deeply faithful man. He’s incredibly committed to God. He does what he does, not because he wants to be a jerk but because he believes that a seriously strict following of a faithful discipline is THE best way to draw closer to God. You have to admit, if a person has a deep desire to draw closer to God it makes it hard for them to be 100% evil.
The woman too, it turns out, isn’t exactly 100% good. No matter the details of her sin, being a sinner leads to pain for the person and others around her. The reality of this Gospel story is that neither the Pharisee nor the woman is 100% anything… well… other than 100% human. The other truth… an even harder truth, is that if we can come out of our all-or-nothing trenches for a minute, we can see that each of them had a unique insight on God that the other sorely needs... the hard truth is that they NEED each other.
The Pharisee desperately needed to learn about the depth and breath of God’s forgiving grace and love. He had the LAW part down. He seriously needed some Gospel! In other words, he knew the rules but needed to learn that no one is ever, EVER beyond God’s infinite and unconditional love nor can anyone ever be good enough not to need it! He needed to learn how, out of God’s infinite love, we are empowered to be hospitable, compassionate, humble and caring. She had that part DOWN! She KNEW God’s love and forgiveness! She KNEW how to respond out of God’s love and grace with hospitality, thankfulness and care of her neighbor. Whether he recognized it or not, he NEEDED the amazing treasure of God’s Grace and Love. Unlike the clean-cut Pharisee, her brokenness was easy to see. She couldn’t fool anyone. Not even herself. She knew God’s undeserved love was all she had to lean on. NOW, while that Pharisee didn’t have the easy-to-see sorts of flaws like she did, he’s still just as human… just as broken. He too needed God’s undeserved love just as much as she did and her perspective could help him see how God’s love flows into cracks of our lives and through that love we are transformed in ways we never thought possible.
But it wasn’t just him that needed her... she needed him just as much! He had real gifts! Passion, commitment and an understanding of the transformative power of following a holy discipline. He knew that the rules of the law weren’t given to trick humanity but to help us have a way to live with healthy boundaries and live a less anxious life. He knew the rituals and the practices could help her become more aware of God at work in her life and bring her peace. Could the woman trust a member of a religious group that had judged her and hurt her before? Would the leader of that religious institution become humble enough to be willing to learn from a “sinner”?
The lesson Jesus was trying to teach at that dinner is a lesson the world needs now as much as it needed it back then. We are all connected. All saints and sinners. All pharisees and sinners. We’re all beloved children of God and imperfect creatures of the earth. So whether we’re church folk or outside-the-church folk, we need one another!
Us church folk need the people out there.. and I’m not talking about for their numbers or dollars! The people who are not here have a way of understanding God’s love and grace and a perspective on faith that we need to hear, honor and embrace and we have something powerful to share as well. But an attitude of superiority in either direction won’t build that bridge because it simply isn’t true! The Apostle Paul uses the analogy of clay pots to talk about us humans… and no matter if we have a glossy paint job or are just plain clay, we’re all a bunch of crack pots if we’re honest… no different from one another... 100% human… perfectly made and wonderfully flawed.
The truth is we NEED each other and to receive what the others have to give we’ll need to let down our guard and become vulnerable. We’ll need to be honest with the world about our own cracks for the same reasons the Pharisee needed that woman and that woman needed the Pharisee: Because the breath and depth of God’s love and grace at work in our lives comes at us and is in us and runs through us in just too many ways for us to see from our own perspective alone. We need to be part of a mutual, vulnerable and caring community to more fully take in the wideness of God’s love, forgiveness and grace at work in our lives. The question for us is will we be moved? Will we be vulnerable? Will we truly commit fully to our faith community? Are we willing to see ourselves and this world through new eyes? Are we ready to really follow Jesus? Amen.
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