Do you love Jesus? (Luke 7d)

Do you love Jesus?

Luke 7:36-50

Key verse 7:47

As you know, many couples divorce. The pain and trauma is enormous and takes a long time to heal. Why then do they split up? One marriage counselor listed some common reasons according to her 24 years of experience. Among them are infidelity, significant differences in values and beliefs, emotional needs not being met, boredom, stonewalling, lack of communication, loneliness, and so on. Seeing the list, I realized that we Christians could also have such things toward Jesus. Sometimes, you may feel distant with Jesus or bored with what we are doing in the church? How often do you think about him? How often do you read the Bible and pray? To whom do you give your best now? How is your relationship with Jesus? Do you love Jesus? Today, we are going to talk about love for Jesus.

In today’s passage, Jesus talked with two persons. One was a sinful woman and the other was a Pharisee. Which one do you think loved Jesus more and why? I pray that through this passage we all may experience the power of God’s grace and love Jesus more.

So far in chapter 7, Jesus healed a sick servant by his word. Then he raised a dead man by the power of his word. These were undeniable facts and ample evidences that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. This news spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country and now people came to know about Jesus. There were two different responses from people, however. Some people, particularly the Pharisees, rejected Jesus and stumbled on him. But some others believed Jesus as the Messiah and became the kingdom people. Among them was a woman, whom we are going to talk about today.

³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 

One day, one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to a dinner along with some other guests. His name was Simon. It was a Jewish custom to invite a traveling teacher to dinner, especially if he had preached in the local synagogue. Considering that many Pharisees were hostile to Jesus, his invitation of Jesus was a surprise. Anyway, Jesus went to his house and reclined at the table. Reclining at the table was a Jewish eating posture - with the upper part of the body resting on the left arm and the lower part stretched out. This was a very relaxing dinner. They talked about all kinds interesting topics, including the Torah, the news of Jerusalem and the temple, Roman occupation, and possibly Jesus’ teachings. The people there were really enjoying the fellowship over the table. But soon an unexpected intruder ruined their dinner. This was what happened.

³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

There was a woman in the town. Everyone knew her very well because she lived a sinful life. She was likely a harlot. And she happened to learn about Jesus’ coming to the Pharisee’s house for dinner. Though she was not invited, she went to the house with an alabaster jar of perfume with her. Probably, she had some plan with the perfume. It was not unusual for uninvited people, particularly the poor, to go to such an occasion. However, they were not allowed to join the meal. Instead, they observed the meal at a distance and got some leftovers afterward. Somehow, this sinful woman managed to get into the Pharisee’s house and could stand close to the table at the feet of Jesus.

As she was standing at the feet of Jesus, she kept looking at Jesus. Then, she was overwhelmed by her emotion toward Jesus. Then, she burst into tears and her tears ran down her cheeks continually. It was not tears of sadness, though, but of gratitude. Then, she came forward and knelt down at Jesus. Then she wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her long hair and kissed them. Lastly, she poured on them the perfume she brought, which was very expensive.

By the way, it was a custom to wash a guest’s feet and kiss his head or feet. Often, the host anointed guest’s head or feet with oil. This helped bring a sense of comfort and refreshment to the dry skin exposed to sunlight. Since perfume oil was expensive, it was used for special guests. All these courtesies were offered out of respect for guests. So, we can see that this woman was honoring Jesus with a special respect and gratitude.

Seeing her extraordinary actions, however, all the people there fell silent. Actually, they were greatly offended because she was a sinner well known in the town. And what she did was so shocking. She untied her hair, exposed them to the public and wiped a man’s feet with them, which was regarded promiscuous and very disgusting enough to provoke the Pharisees to anger. The host Simon was embarrassed and stunned. What surprised and confounded him was that Jesus did not stop her at all but rather allowed her to continue.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Simon wondered if Jesus was really a prophet. If so, he thought Jesus should have known that the woman was a sinner and should not have allowed her to touch him. As a Pharisee, Simon could not think of letting a sinner touch him, which was unclean and ungodly. To him, this sinful woman was just disgusting. He got mad that this woman messed up his dinner. In this very awkward and hostile situation, what did Jesus do? He told Simon a parable.

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. ⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both.

There lived two people and both owed money to the same moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. The money they owed was worth about 20-months wages and two-months respectively. But both of them were unable to pay back. In such a case, the moneylender could confiscate their properties or put them into prison. However, to their amazement, this moneylender forgave the debts of both. It was a huge favor. The moneylender was so gracious and kind to them. At the end of the story, Jesus asked Simon, “Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

The question was so obvious to answer but very wise and insightful in pointing out Simon’s problem. By asking this question, Jesus taught Simon something very important about the woman and about him, which he did not see.

The word debt in the Bible refers to sin very often. The one who owed five hundred denarii referred to the woman and the one who owed fifty to the Pharisee and the moneylender to God. The point of this parable was that the woman was forgiven more so she loved Jesus more. That was why she showed such extraordinary actions of love to Jesus. This parable also implied that Simon was a sinner too but forgiven little. Jesus made this point more clearly in verses 44-47.  

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.

Jesus vindicated the woman, saying to Simon what he did not for Jesus and what she did.

·         Simon did not give Jesus any water for his feet, but the woman wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. The washing of feet was a most basic etiquette for a guest, but he didn’t do that.

·         He did not give Jesus a kiss, but she had not stopped kissing Jesus’ feet from the time Jesus entered. Simon did not show any respect to Jesus whereas she showed her humility and her highest respect to Jesus.

·         He did not put oil on Jesus’ head, but she gave her best and the most expense perfume to Jesus, not sparing anything for herself.

As such, whereas Simon showed his disrespect and insult to Jesus, the woman gave Jesus her best respect and gratitude with her perfume, her hair, and her heart and mind. Who can wipe someone’s feet with her hairs? Who can pour out perfume on other’s feet? It is possible only if we truly love someone. (I believe my wife is willing to do that for me because she loves me. But she had a hair cut yesterday.) Jesus saw her love for him and he knew why she did so.

⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Simon had judged the woman wrongly, thinking that she was an incorrigible sinner. But Jesus said to Simon that her many sins had been already forgiven as her great love and gratitude was shown to him.

It was highly likely that she had already known Jesus or had heard Jesus’ teaching previously. As we know, she was a sinful woman. The town people mocked her when she was passing by. “See, xxx is there.” Probably, she could not go to draw water at the well, which was much like going to Starbucks to meet friends today. She couldn’t associate with other women. She suffered a guilty sense and loneliness. But then something amazing happened to her when she happened to hear Jesus’ teaching. His word was so powerful and gracious that she could feel and see God’s presence in Jesus. His word convicted her and she came to repent of her sins. Then, she had a life changing experience. She attributed God’s grace to Jesus. Too her, Jesus was the Savior. Now seeing Jesus again at Simon’s house, she was so thankful that she was compelled to lavish her gratitude upon Jesus, by washing his feet with her tears and pouring out her perfume on them. Such tremendous gratitude and love to Jesus can be demonstrated only by one who repents and experiences the power of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

As such, forgiveness precedes and arouses love and love is expressed by gratitude and devotion. Love for Jesus is a natural response to God’s grace and forgiveness. Here we see love and gratitude in her. No doubt, she was forgiven. Jesus saw her as a worshiper, not as a sinner. Jesus saw her forgiveness and her love for him, not her past sins and failures.

But whoever has been forgiven little, like Simon, loves Jesus little. Simon did not even show Jesus basic etiquette, not to mention of love and devotion shown by the woman. Simon thought that he had little to be forgiven, and therefore loved Jesus little as we saw how he treated Jesus.

Now, which one would Jesus be pleased with? What was Jesus’ concern about us? To Jesus, who is righteous or who is less sinful according to our judgment does not matter because we are all sinners after all. But his concern is whether or not the person is forgiven and how much he or she loves him now. The presence or absence of love for Jesus in us is directly related to our understanding and experience of God’s forgiveness. In some sense, our love for Jesus is the indicator of our spiritual status - how much we are close to God and how much we are grateful and happy in him.

When we love someone, we love everything about the person and want to do anything. Likewise, when we fall in love with Jesus, we want to do everything for him. We want to see him more often. We want to come close to him and hear his word. We want to live a life pleasing to him. We want to give our best to him. We also want to share his blessing with others and serve them. Love for Jesus is the engine of our Christian life. Without love for Jesus, however, we have only a business or religious or superficial relationship with Jesus. Then, our Christian life will be dry and rigid without joy and gratitude. And we can even become corrupt. So, I would say that the most important thing in Christian life is our personal love relationship with Jesus. That was why Jesus asked Peter in John 21, “Do you love me more than these?”

When I came to UBF, I was so much moved by the people there because they were so kind and looked happy. I saw that they loved God and so served others. I thought I was lucky to meet those people and also wished I could be happy and loving like them. Then I noticed that whenever they shared testimony they always said they were sinners. I was surprised to know their dirty secrets (?) and thanked that I was not like them. But later when I realized I was a sinner too, I felt God’s love for me and came to love him with gratitude as they did. Sometimes, my heart is dry and I complain. But when I repent and remember what Jesus has done for me, my relationship with him is restored and I become thankful again and love him. Again, our relationship with Jesus has to do with our sin. Only repentance of our sins and receiving God’s forgiveness establishes and renews our relationship with Jesus. It is because our fundamental relationship with him is not a business relationship or a friendship, but the relationship between the Savor and a sinner. So where there is no forgiveness, there is no true love. I pray that we can meet Jesus as sinners and receive his forgiveness everyday so our relationship can be deep, fresh, and personal.

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Now Jesus publically confirmed her forgiveness. This was the declaration that her sins were finally and completely gone so that there was no more trace of them remaining before God. What a powerful word! By saying this, Jesus intended two things.

First, he publically revealed God’s forgiveness of her sins so that she could be confident of her forgiveness and the people in the town would know she was a child of God. She would not have to fear people any more. She could go to draw water at well. She could go shopping and greet people on the street. No more the stigma of “sinner” on her. She was free from the bondage of sin. She became the kingdom people. She was more righteous and greater than any Pharisees because of Jesus. (7:28)

By declaring her forgiveness, Jesus also revealed his divine prerogative of forgiving sins. The other guests wondered, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” They judged Jesus because only God can forgive man’s sins. In that sense, what they said was right. If Jesus were not God, he could not forgive. But they did not know that Jesus is the Son of God to pronounce forgiveness.

However, forgiveness does not come without cost. The moneylender in the parable forgave his debtors. But, he had to assume their debts himself instead. It was costly. Likewise, you cannot forgive others unless you sacrifice. Forgiveness is not free. Our Lord Jesus can forgive us because he has taken our sins upon himself by dying on the cross.

However, his grace is given to only those who repent and believe in him that he is the Messiah and died for their sins. The woman had such faith. Her faith enabled her to receive forgiveness from God and her forgiveness compelled her to love Jesus so much.

In today’s passage, we have learned that loving our Lord is the natural response to his forgiveness. His forgiveness is a huge favor. Where sin increased, grace increased all the more. (Rom 5:20) It is his love for sinners. We did not love him first but he loved us first by his death. (1 John 4:19) Do you love Jesus? Yes, you love Jesus. You have a good reason to love Jesus. Jesus deserves your love and your gratitude.

How can we love him then? Love for Jesus should not be abstract. As the woman showed, love is the action of gratitude, praise, and worship. Love for Jesus is to give him our best. Jesus our Lord deserves our best and we are obligated to love him the most. SY gets up early in the morning and does daily bread. And she prays for missionaries who are in need, UBF leadership, Washington UBF, our bible students, our family members, and lastly for me also. That is why I can be here. Let’s think about how to love Jesus, how to respect and honor him as Lord and how to express your gratitude by action. When I am down, I sing Hymn 113, which helps refresh our relationship with Jesus. I hope this hymn may help you also. I pray that we all may know and remember Jesus’ forgiveness and love him more than anything else and anyone else. He deserves our best love. He is our Savior and the Son of God. 

Message by David Yun