“AND CAN IT BE?”: THE UNCHAINED GOSPEL OF THE FORGIVEN
Luke 7:36-50: LIFEWAY WINTER QUARTERLY 2020/21 SESSION 12
This week has been something “else” hasn’t it? As I write this, we still haven’t had power or water in 36+ hours at home, but mercifully the Church office got power and water today- Wednesday and I can concentrate a bit better in a “warmer environment!” I pray all of you are safe and secure and your needs are being met. I praise God that “power on the grid” isn’t as necessary for our lives as “Power in the Blood!” but I am concerned for all of you and pray that God will meet our needs and restore us as we continue to trust in Him. Not too long ago I think it was much “easier” for us to say “In God we Trust”. But now, as many of you have already experienced in other seasons of life, we have turned to a different season; a season where there must be verifiable evidence of that “Trust” where we must make a choice of trusting Jesus or not, of following Him, of taking Him not just AT His Word but FROM His Word if we are ever to proclaim to and on behalf of a desperate world that we are OF HIS WORD! Hard seasons do not disprove God’s love for us, but enable us to seek His face, His hand, and His heart for our greatest welfare, forgiveness, redemption and future hope! And we have been given the blessed privilege to share that hope (The Good News of the Gospel) with others that are as far from Him as we were, are as desperate for His love as we are, and CAN have the same expectant hope filled future in Christ that we now possess by His Amazing Love- when they believe (see 2 Corinthians 4:6-15)…
(Our illustration this week: Look at the old hymn: And Can It Be? By Charles Wesley.) Charles spent years writing music, and leading worship for his evangelist brother John but he never felt at peace and struggled with depression, despair and dread of God because how could God ever love such an inept sinner as himself? He knew God’s Word, He believed God’s Word, but he had no “freedom” in that knowing- that is till the Holy Spirit flooded His soul with assurance and Charles heart was set free and at peace to match his mind, and his hands! His lyrics in the 3rd and 4th verse not only capture his transformative experience in joyous song but show the captivating POWER of the Holy Spirit at work in so many hearts during the World Wide Revival of The Great Awakening… BRING it again LORD!! May your Holy Spirit awaken us! “Long my imprisoned spirit lay. Fast bound in sin and nature’s night: Thine eye diffused a quickening ray- I AWOKE, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free. I rose, went forth and followed Thee. No condemnation now I dread. Jesus and all in Him is mine. Alive in Him my Living Head (see Colossians 1:16-23) and clothed in righteousness divine. Bold I approach the eternal throne. And claim the crown through Christ my own! Amazing love, how can it be? That thou my God wouldst die for me!”
Because of the Love of God shown in Christ Jesus, and the hopeful assurance offered by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit Charles lived an “unshackled” life- a life freed to claim the crowns… (Don’t get me wrong I love the music group Casting Crowns but you have to be made confident in Faith to CLAIM your Crowns before you can cast them!) Charles was unchained- forgiven- to do his Master’s work with great joy and peace… Are we?
Our interpretive format for The Gospel of Luke: Jesus and His Gospel as the Gift of God from Heaven, Jesus and the Gospel as a gift received, and Jesus and the Gospel as a gift proclaimed; will emphasize the costs and the difference Jesus and His forgiveness makes and does not make in the lives of sinners in our lesson this week (hint: the difference is reception). I’ve broken our lesson into three parts each with a “descriptive” title to tell the story of Christ’s forgiveness that He offers at Luke’s account of the banquet- a banquet that Luke makes sure his listeners know is an ironic “RECEPTION” in disguise… The banquet might be hosted by Proud Simon the Pharisee (who does more to insult Jesus than to welcome and receive Him), but the “Real Reception” of forgiveness and God’s love is offered by the True and Humble Master Jesus and is open to everyone at the table who will receive Him in, truth humility and faith. The three title themes are: “Sinners at the Table,” “The Proud and the Bold,” and “Faith and Forgiveness Move Forward.” Let’s take a look!
Sinners at the Table:
Luke sets up the scene in verses 36-38 with Jesus being “invited” to a banquet by a local Pharisee named Simon. In ancient Palestinian culture important people and religious leaders in a local town or village would hold banquets and invite the “celebrity” prophets, zealots, and curiosities that were passing through or ministering in the area at the time. To understand Simon’s most possible “attitude” and reasoning in inviting Jesus one must consider Luke’s previous context from chapter 4 on… It should not be lost on us that Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law has gone from inquiring, to inquisition to barely veiled hostility because of their pride, spiritual blindness and unbelief. Luke does not reveal Simon’s intentions or attitude but contextually we can easily see that local tradition and custom most likely demanded Jesus be invited. Simon then both ignorantly or intentionally hides behind and uses that local tradition and custom to insult and not pay full hospitality to his guest (v. 44-46). Jesus as previously discussed is under the microscope of the leaders’ judgment towards their frowning disapproval. Another part of this customary banquet would be to allow the poor and “no-accounts” (sinners) of the area to come to the banquet and collect the leftovers from the feast; so the woman’s presence at the banquet “behind Jesus” a place of desperation, need, indignity, disgrace, and humility (in that culture) would not be unexpected… But the woman’s response to Jesus would be shocking and unexpected to the host and his guests (more on this next section).
Simon then makes some “flawed” and presumptuous conclusions from His witness of the woman’s response to Jesus. Simon comes to the conclusion Jesus is no prophet because Jesus either one doesn’t know the woman’s reputation (and the Spirit should have revealed it to Him) and /or if He did know He would keep His distance like a “good and proper” pious Jew would! Jesus is more than willing to show that He divinely knows people’s hearts and to shatter Simon’s heresy and wrong attitude towards His neighbor by showing God’s great love for sinners. The revelation that Simon completely missed was that the sinners weren’t just “Simon and culture’s “no-accounts” behind the table but that there are sinners at the table- and Simon is one of them and just as much in need of God’s grace as the woman was – the only difference is she was aware, desperate, and repentant (like Charles Wesley) and she believed Jesus could forgive and was willing to trust Him by showing a bold and loving act of humbly and intimately anointing Jesus with Kingly and welcoming oil, perfume, and a contrite heart and worshipful attitude. You see Simon might have been “hosting a banquet” but Messiah- King Jesus was “holding out a Reception” for forgiveness of sins but only the “receptive” to King Jesus and His offer of forgiveness would “receive Him.”
We don’t know what shape (square, rectangle etc.) the table at the banquet was. We don’t know where the seats of honor and what the “traditional pecking order” looked like, but for all of humanity and all of us when it comes to being sinners our table is round (no foot, no head) - we are equal before the cross before a Savior and a God that loves us is gracious towards us and invites us to receive Him the question is will we or will we continually compare ourselves towards others, separating the “halves” between the haves and have-nots trying to stand on our own inadequate righteousness? Jesus lets Simon and us know we get nowhere, no justification, no imputed righteousness from God with such a comparative attitude and it means we don’t understand our own need- our need of forgiveness. Jesus brings this home for Simon with the brief parable he tells about being forgiven a larger debt over a smaller debt; a manageable debt versus an unmanageable debt (a hopeless case 10 times the other amount).
The one with the bigger debt is more grateful and loving than the one with the small but here is where I think the irony is in the parable- Jesus isn’t being formulaic- the “more awful” you are “the more bankrupt” the more you will love Jesus. Bankrupt is bankrupt! Helpless is helpless but forgiveness is complete for all who will receive God’s love and grace through Faith. The irony is everyone at the table and behind it had the unmanageable debt, there is really no such thing as “little forgiveness” that’s a works righteousness of the Pharisees and their traditions- we are all sinners at the table. Jesus doesn’t pay a little for “righteous types” and a lot for the ill reputes- Jesus and the Gospel the gift from heaven is for ALL who will receive Him and His costly blood covers over the multitude of all our sins (remember that hymn- Jesus Paid it all?) Furthermore, Jesus wanted Simon to know that it is insulting to God’s grace and we are actually unreceptive of Jesus and the Gospel when we think we can go “only a little way” out of our way to receive Him because we only need a “little forgiveness” much like Simon’s incomplete hospitality to Jesus as his guest. The magnitude of our response to Jesus’ grace is to be equal in knowing the truth and by faith stepping out in the boldness of revealing our love as a result of our forgiveness. The woman loved much because she knew she was forgiven much, Simon loved little because he thought he only needed a little forgiveness (because he was pious) when in reality He needed just as much forgiveness and if he had been receptive to Jesus like the woman was- He would have loved much too! Luke offers us a contrast of the pride of the faithless and the boldness of the faithful in personal humility!
The Proud and the Bold
Luke lets us know directly in verses 33-35 that Jesus is a “friend of sinners”. Not only is He a friend but the wise receive Him while the foolish reject Him. Simon’s pride distorted his understanding of his spiritual bankruptcy and made him unresponsive to Jesus. Under the veil and guise of “custom, tradition and hospitality” of being “legally polite” Simon might of thought he could get away with actually being inhospitable and rude to the very one who could forgive Him. Jesus isn’t interested in Simon’s “niceties” that are hiding under customs yet sending a clear message of veiled hostility and rejection. Jesus isn’t interested in being “polite” His mission is to save sinners not play “religious games” and He calls Simon out on what’s really going on… Simon can’t control Jesus or repentant unwanted guests like the woman, neither can we “control God” and expect forgiveness; we come to Jesus on His terms or not at all. We come in the shameless boldness of our humility and in the brokenness of our spirit like the woman or we keep our distance like Simon and his pride.
There are people who “go to church” for years. They hide behind traditions, busyness in programs, niceties and customs so they never have to get real with God. They offer a wry smile at the “decision” music for the altar call thinking the hymns are “old and trite” not realizing that they are honest and real- expressing people’s brokenness, conviction and deep felt need of Christ’s forgiveness; a need every one of us still has today! We have prayed for revival in our nation for years, but prayer is only a part of it… Preparation is the other part- we must get real, repent and come to the end of ourselves and our self-sufficiency if we are ever to see the Holy Spirit’s power begin afresh and anew in our churches. We can’t ask God to revive others’ hearts if we don’t open our own hearts and lives fully to Him first. Luke shows us that Revival won’t bring love for our neighbor (Simon despised the repentant sinner kissing Jesus’ feet) but love for our neighbor brings Revival (the grace forgiveness and kindness of Christ that He freely gave this shunned woman). Can we love others like that? Like Christ loved us? Can we leave the doorless fortress of our politics and dungeon of our divisions to follow the footprints of Jesus- “where ’er they go?” Boldly, and with shameless humility will we let Christ reach into our hearts and in turn help us reach out to others? Redemption and revival comes when we abandon our pride and embrace Christ and His love for us and our neighbor.
Faith and Forgiveness Move Forward
Jesus’ last words in this passage are the most liberating and hopeful… “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Some people are hindered from faith by pride others struggle with doubt because of their many previous sins. But Jesus in His great love and sacrifice for us forgives us and honors faith! And that faith in His forgiveness brings peace! Have you ever struggled with your forgiveness? Have you ever been like me and like that woman at the banquet… telling yourself and others “I’m forgiven” while desperate for assurance and constantly looking behind yourself at your old life instead of at Jesus in front of you, your heavenly home ahead of you and the NEW LIFE, new pathway you are on right now? Our old life gazing cripples our assurance of God’s love and plans for us- disheartens our Mission and blinds us to our hope whether it’s our not making changes as a result of our transformation because of ignorance of our New Life or not letting go of old regrets of our past. (That’s why good Bible Study/Sunday School is so important!) All week from the world you will get a beating- “You were and are worthless… Remember when you did this… Make yourself over the way you used to. Do it the old way you know how…” The world is on an archeology dig saying “old, old, old, OLD!” On the other hand, the Bible for Christ Followers is on an ever upward journey of excellence saying: “IN CHRIST- new, new, new, NEW!!!” A good Sunday School will never get old and tired of encouraging, teaching, training, telling, demonstrating, exhorting, fellowshipping, loving, shouting, whispering, praying, and singing to one another about NEW LIFE IN CHRIST! The Greek word for “Baptize” is baptizo meaning “to dip”; but as a Baptist minister I don’t “dip” “I DUNK!” And as Baptists we dunk to RAISE! Scripture tells us to Baptize Disciples (Christ Followers) and furthermore it’s a reminder, a proclamation, a fact of and faith in the Gospel- that Jesus has brought us an Eternal and New Life! When I bring someone up out of the water and it whooshes off of them like a living spring it symbolizes the TRUTH that because of Jesus’ forgiveness of our sins through His cross and resurrection we have been raised to walk in newness of life!
Dear friends, we come to Jesus like that troubled woman- sorrowful in our sins, and despair- desperate for Jesus’ forgiveness and in the faith and expectation of His forgiving power as the Son of God to forgive us our transgressions once for all! We boldly come in sorrow, humility and troubled spirit, but that is not how we go! If you have asked Jesus to forgive you your sins in faith and belief- He has and you can and will have peace! You can let the past go and move forward! Your new life in Christ is ahead of you not behind you… Let that guide the Man/Woman of God you are now not your regrets, not the fleeting things, faculties and frailties of aging, or sorrows over what you have lost. Believe me, we serve a loving God who is much more interested in your seeing the beauty and magnitude of the Kingdom He has, He is and will be giving you that He has prepared for you before the foundations of this world. He wants you to move forward and claim the crowns of His righteousness thru faith from His eternal throne to cast as living proof at the feet of your neighbor as a new life giving and forgiving proclamation of the Gospel of His grace. Faith and Forgiveness Move Forward in New Life and when you do look and concentrate your gaze homeward… “You will go out with joy; you will be led forth in peace. The mountains and the hills will burst forth before you and the Trees of the field will clap their hands!!!” (see Isaiah 55). Please know I am praying for you all. I am praying we will be together again soon, I’m praying for revival… Will you join me? Will you prepare with me as we journey the Way of Christ- onward, forward, and ever upward!
Love in Christ, Darrin.