Pentecost 3

Pentecost 3 Your sins are forgiven

The Bible frequently reveals truth through the observation of contrast.

In the gospel reading this morning we see such a contrast. Luke records an incident at dinner party that reveals fundamental truth about the human condition.
The contrast is many layered.

Primarily, there is the contrast between a religious man and a sinful woman. The religious man, a Pharisee named Simon, is considered righteous by the cultural standards of the day. He gives every evidence that he has studied the commentaries on the Law and obeys the law. He wears the right clothes, washes his hands in the right way, eats the right food, says the right prayers and stays away from the wrong sort of people. He does what is right and so he has earned the right to be called personally by name: Simon.

The woman in the story is not named. She has been defined by the people as a sinner. There is no further description or information given about her or her sin. Whatever the sin may be she has become so identified with it that she is no longer identified by her personal name but by the impersonal description: sinner.

The contrast between righteous Simon and the unrighteous woman takes a sudden and unexpected turn. For, it is the sinner who offers Jesus the basic courtesies of sacred hospitality. All people in the Middle East at that time understood the sacred responsibilities of showing hospitality to a visitor. All people understood that at times the Divine realm tested humanity to see if people practiced the fundamental principles of compassion.

It is at this point, the point of compassion, that Simon fails the test. Simon had invited Jesus to dinner and made no effort to treat him according to the fundamental principles of respect.

The custom called for a servant to wash the feet of a guest as a sign of welcome. Simon made no such provision for Jesus. The custom called for the host to honor the guest with a ritual kiss of peace. Simon made no such offer. The custom called for the host to anoint the guest with oil as a sign of respect. Simon showed no respect to Jesus.

Simon invited Jesus to dinner but he very noticeably failed to welcome Jesus, honor Jesus, and show respect to Jesus. Everyone present would understand this to be an insult. Everyone present would understand that this was a gross violation of the principles of hospitality. Everyone would know that Simon’s failure bordered on blasphemy. For God had given a command through Moses to show honor to a visitor and to a stranger.

So why did Simon invite Jesus to dinner only to insult him? The key is in the encounter with the sinner. She could not have entered the house if Simon had not permitted it. This was a test. Throughout his three years of public ministry Jesus encountered many such tests from the religious leaders of the day.

Simon did not welcome, honor or respect Jesus because Simon wanted to test and to trap Jesus. He wanted to discredit Jesus. So, Simon insulted Jesus to provoke a reaction. When Jesus did not react to the insult, Simon allowed the sinner access to Jesus to test him.

By Simon’ standards, Jesus failed the test. First, he allowed a woman to touch him. A righteous man would not touch a woman who was not his wife or a close relative. Second, despite the fact people acclaimed Jesus as a great prophet, Jesus failed to discern the woman was a sinner. He should have perceived her sin and condemned her.
It was one of those no win scenarios that the Pharisees set up to embarrass and discredit Jesus. It worked. But it worked against the Pharisees.

No one could dispute Jesus’ assessment of the situation. Simon had violated a basic religious and social principle when he failed to provide the basics of sacred hospitality. The woman, for all of her reputation as sinner, had been the one to show welcome, honor and respect.

There is one more element in the story that is easy to miss. The woman just didn’t provide the minimum requirements of sacred hospitality. She offered Jesus an extravagance beyond imagination. She not only treated Jesus as an honored guest, she treated him as though he was royalty.

Jesus turned the tables on Simon as he told the parable of the debtors. He used Simon’s own words to reveal to Simon where Simon was not righteous. And, he transformed the entire concept of sin and righteousness.

Jesus constantly and consistently taught what Moses and the prophets taught. Jesus taught that the essence of righteousness is right relationship. It is the right relationship that produces right action.

This is the next contrast in the story. The religious leaders of the day taught that right action produces right relationship. For all of his right actions, Simon lacked right relationship. And so, when God came to Simon’s house, Simon not only failed to recognize him, he failed to show even the basic welcome, honor and respect. He was not present to Jesus. He asked no questions. He shut himself away from his moment of grace. He received no blessing. His one overwhelming and deadly sin was pride.

The woman understood she was a sinner. She, too, might have reacted with pride. She made a different choice. She chose humility. She chose to show welcome, honor and respect to Jesus. As she did this, she entered into a new relationship with God.
Jesus describes the final contrast when he looks at the woman and says: your faith has saved you. The contrast is between the woman’s faith in Jesus as the personal Presence of God and Simon’s rejection of Jesus and pride in his sense of his own right actions. The contrast is between faith and works.

The point of the story is the principle revealed by Moses and the prophets. The basic problem confronting humanity is our choice to separate from God. That choice proceeds from pride and is lost in pride. The pride of the lost is the refusal to be found by the personal presence of the living God.

The only solution to this problem is the solution God himself offers. It is the solution of making a real choice to be found by the one whom God has sent into the world to save us from separation.

At that dinner party so many centuries ago, Simon chose to remain in separation. The woman chose to be found by God in Jesus Christ. The key element is faith.
Simon had no room in his religious system of command and control for faith. The woman entered into the realm of faith when she welcomed, honored and showed respect to Jesus.

St. Paul would later summarize Jesus’ teaching about sin and salvation from sin by writing: we are saved by grace through faith and not by works. Simon thought he had the works and had no need for the gift God offered in Jesus Christ. The woman knew she lacked the works and recognized the gift of God in Christ.

Salvation is the gift God offers all people in Jesus Christ. It is a salvation from a life of pride, self will and fear. It is salvation into a new relationship of faith in God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus had offered himself to Simon but Simon through pride rejected the offer. Jesus had come to seek and to find Simon but Simon did not want to be found. As he had offered himself to Simon so Jesus offered himself to the sinner. As he offered himself to her so he offers himself to all people everywhere. His words to the woman at the dinner party are his words to us and to all people today.

Jesus continues to proclaim: your sins are forgiven. I accomplished that for you on the cross. Your faith will save you. Your trust in the one whom God has sent into the world to find you will reunite you to God. You can’t find God but God will find you. As you allow yourself to be found by God in Christ you will go into the world in peace.

The peace is the Personal Presence of God in your mind and heart and will. The Peace is Jesus Christ.