Unconditional Love
May 10th, 2009 • Posted in Messages/Sermons • 1,124 viewsLuke Lesson 24 (2009)
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
Luke 7:36-8:3
Key Verse: 7:47
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
Happy Mother’s Day! Today is the day we appreciate and celebrate all mothers who in love sacrifice their lives for their children. Mothers are beautiful because of their comfort, protection and loving sacrifice for their children. When a child feels threatened or needs comfort, he will run to the protecting and loving arms of his mother. All mothers resemble God our Creator and Redeemer in this way. Even though we call God our Father in heaven, God is also like our mother. The Prophet Isaiah sang a song, “Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. But Zion said, ‘The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget you, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isaiah 49:13-16) In this respect, God is our best mother.
Today’s passage, 7:36-8:3, is a story about God’s unconditional love for sinners through the grace of forgiveness of sins. It’s also a love story of a brokenhearted woman who expressed her love and gratitude to Jesus the best way she could. She cried a lot, stood behind Jesus, wiped his feet with her hair and poured perfume on them. People didn’t understand her actions. But Jesus understood why she did what she did and said, “She loved much because her many sins have been forgiven.” (47) Jesus gladly accepted her love and worship and celebrated her salvation by saying “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!” (50) In the last section of today’s passage, 8:1-3, the author Dr. Luke added the story of several beautiful women who had mothered Jesus and his disciples throughout his Galilean ministry, helping to support them out of their own means. These women dearly loved Jesus and served people behind the scenes because they had experienced Jesus’ healing very personally. Let’s think about the unconditional love of God.
Look at verse 36. One day Jesus was invited to a dinner by a man named Simon who was a Pharisee, so Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. Here, we should not overlook the fact that Jesus accepted an invitation to dinner from a Pharisee. As we learned earlier in the previous passages, most Pharisees were antagonistic toward Jesus because his new teachings about the good news of the kingdom of God were offensive to their legalistic beliefs. They felt that the way Jesus approached tax collectors and those whom they considered morally loose was especially too liberal. Jesus often received invitations from tax collectors and didn’t mind eating with them. Actually, it seems that Jesus really enjoyed his association with the wrong crowd of people in society. As a result, Jesus was branded as “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” How often do we tend to or even like to stereotype people, failing to show our genuine love and concern for them? “An invitation of the Pharisee? Hum, they are bad and suspicious!” However, it seems that Jesus was willing to join the dinner at this Pharisee’s house because it says that he was reclining at the table, relaxed and ready to enjoy the dinner party. Jesus’ willing acceptance and participation in the dinner shows that Jesus did not cut off all the religious leaders simply because they rejected him. In fact, Jesus never stereotyped people. He dealt with all people as individuals.
While all the invited dinner guests were about to have their meal, a woman interrupted their dinner. Look at verse 37. “When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.” Even though Luke didn’t specify what kind of sinful life she had lived, we can imagine how she gained her bad reputation. Obviously, she had lived a morally loose life as a prostitute in the town. If you ruin your reputation in a legalistic society, your life is almost over. No matter how hard she must have struggled, she was not able to restore her reputation and dignity as a noble human being. Not only that, but also those who were associated with her could have been suspected of being morally loose.
In those days, women were oppressed by men in society. Many women were abused by men at home and in society. They had no voice. Even though she was morally wrong for living such a loose life, we can say that this woman could also have been a victim of violence by many people. Many guys had used her, dumped and criticized her. Probably she was abused verbally and even physically. She was treated inhumanely by them. She was deeply broken in her heart so that she probably became ill physically. We can only imagine what really happened to her. We know that there are so many people who are abused and cannot speak out, like this poor lady.
Look at verse 38. When she came to Jesus, she didn’t say a word. She just stood behind him at his feet weeping, and she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. Why would such a broken and sorrowful woman come to Jesus while everybody was watching, standing behind him at his feet and do such a personal and special service to him? It could have been very embarrassing to any decent person to be anointed by such a notoriously sinful lady of the town. You don’t want scandals to ruin your public reputation. Look at verse 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.’” Here, we see that the Pharisee who invited Jesus hadn’t known him very well. He probably invited Jesus not out of his love and respect for him but out of his curiosity. He wanted to watch him closely and find out what kind of man he was; “Is he really a prophet?” or “If not, who is he?” In his eyes, Jesus wasn’t even a prophet. He thought that if he were truly a prophet, he wouldn’t let her touch him because she was a sinful woman. He also thought, why didn’t he say to her, “Woman, you are embarrassing me. Stay away from me.” But he didn’t. Instead, Jesus seemed to enjoy her serving actions. What kind of relationship did Jesus have with her?
Jesus knew what the Pharisee was questioning in his mind. Look at verse 40. Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. In verses 41-42, Jesus told him a parable in order to explain why she did what she did. “Two men owned money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said, “Bingo!” (43) But what Jesus really wanted to say to him was in the following verses.
Look at verses 44-46. Then Jesus 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. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.” Obviously, Jesus surprised Simon and everyone there by making the woman the focus of the parable and by contrasting her with Simon. What is more surprising is that Jesus made this sinful lady the heroine — the good example and Simon the villain — the bad guy. It was exactly the opposite of what Simon thought. Simon thought that he was good and she was bad. What a surprise!
In verse 47 Jesus drew a conclusion of his speech. “Therefore, I say to you, her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Of course, Jesus did not mean that she had earned great forgiveness because she loved him much. It was the other way around; her love was the result, not the reason, for forgiveness. She loved Jesus so dearly because she was deeply touched by the love of Jesus through the grace of forgiveness of sins. On the other hand, Simon didn’t show any love for Jesus because he had not been forgiven. It does not mean that Jesus didn’t love him. It means that he was spiritually blind. Here, we learn that the intensity of our love for Jesus is proportionate to our perception of the greatness of the forgiveness of our sins. The fact was that this woman’s love for Jesus was so explosive that she could not hide it. It just came out.
One of the songs I really enjoy listening while I drive is Bryan Duncan’s hymn, titled “When I Turn to You.” The lyrics go as follows, “When I turn to You, You are always waiting with a heart that understands before I speak. And I learn from You all that really matters. Though a million years go by, You’ll still love me. I no longer look for a place to hide, cause I know where I belong. When I turn to you, when I turn to you, when I turn to you, dear Lord, I know that I love You. When I turn to You, You are watching over me. Through the eyes that look beyond the faults I see. And I learn from You. You are always merciful. Though I remember all that You’ve forgiven me. I no longer look for a place to hide, cause I know where I belong. When I turn to You, when I turn to You, when I turn to You, dear Lord, I know that I love You.”
A woman with a terrible credit history sought a loan from a bank. When the financial officer of the bank searched her credit history, he found that she was a bad risk. So the loan officer asked annoying questions about her outstanding debts, “Lady, what about this unpaid bill 25 years ago? What about the unpaid mortgage two years ago?” “Are you paying your rent now?” The woman became very angry and said, “Well, I just filed for bankruptcy, so I owe nobody, okay?” Obviously, she didn’t get the loan from the bank. Spiritually speaking, before the holy God, we are all like that bankrupt woman who could not pay her overwhelming debt. None of us has enough resources to pay off our debt of sin.
We all need forgiveness. We need forgiveness more than food. We need forgiveness more than water.
Look at verse 48. “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” It was a confirmation of the grace of forgiveness of sins she had already received. Jesus declared the forgiveness of her sins in public because she didn’t need to hide herself in the closet. She has a new identity and a beautiful future as a child of God. Likewise we should be reminded and assured of the grace of forgiveness of sins over and over in our lifetime.
Some years ago, a Christian counselor and therapist was asked to pray for the healing for a woman in her late forties. She suffered from chronic disorders and arthritis. When he started to pray over her he received insight that she was bitter. So he asked her if she was feeling hostility, anger or bitterness towards someone, and he felt led to ask specifically if she had felt that way towards her sister. She hardened her heart, and said, “No. I haven’t seen my sister for 16 years.” Then the counselor asked again, “Are you sure?” Then she told him how years ago her sister had married a man she loved, then divorced him. “I cannot forgive my sister for that,” she admitted. “If you don’t forgiver her,” the counselor told her, “Your bones will waste away, just as David complained his bones did when he kept silent about his sin of adultery with Bathsheba.” (Psalm 32:4-5) When she heard his words she relented, “What should I do?” she asked. The counselor told her to write her sister a letter, forgiving her and asking to renew their relationship. She wrote the letter immediately, but she didn’t send it for several weeks. During that time she became more ill, until she thought she was going to die. Then she remembered the letter. Somehow she collected the strength to drive to the post office and mailed it. The very moment she dropped the letter in the box, she experienced relief, and she was completely healed by the time she reached home. Healing comes from forgiveness. We need to be forgiven by God. And we also need to forgive ourselves. We need to forgive others. We need to be forgiven by others. Forgiveness! That’s what we need every day! We need forgiveness to live today and tomorrow.
But when Jesus declared the forgiveness of sins, some of the people there raised the question, “Who is he who even forgive sins?” “Who is this man who even declares the forgiveness sins?” Is he speaking on behalf of God? Or is he a madman? Is he lying or misleading people? Or is he possibly the Messiah, the Christ of God? Or is he God Himself? The woman who might not have known much about the Scriptures, unlike the Pharisee, still believed in Jesus. She believed and experienced the grace of forgiveness of sins. That’s why Jesus said to her in verse 50, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Sin is an offense against God. We do many things to offend, hurt, and injure each other, knowingly and unknowingly. But sin is an offense against God. Psalm 51:1-4 reads, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgression. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…”
We deserve to be condemned, judged and punished. But what does it mean that our sins are forgiven? It means that God took our sins upon Himself by sending His one and only Son who paid the terrible price through his sacrificial death on the cross, which gives him the right to forgive our sins. Praise Jesus who took away all our sins through his death on the cross. This is God’s unconditional love for sinners. (John 3:16) We didn’t love God, but God loved us first. (1 John 4:19)
What also concerned Luke in this passage is how we are to live in response to the unconditional love of God? What are we to do? The woman’s great love sets an example of how we are to live. Of course, we cannot anoint the feet of Jesus now. But we can love God and love our neighbors now. We can love God in worship, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving. We can share the joy with those around us. We can bring people to God through prayer, sharing stories of Gods’ love and Bible studies. We can feed the hungry and defend the helpless. We can do so much. The problem is not that we don’t have anything to do. It’s our selfishness and unbelief.
In 8:1-3, we hear from Luke the author about several beautiful women who loved God and their neighbors as their expression of love and thanksgiving for the grace they received through Jesus. Look at verses 1-3. “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These were the women who had been healed, liberated and forgiven. These women who knew the love of God through Jesus were helping to support the ministry of Jesus wherever they went. They were the ones who offered their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God as their spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1) They were the ones who served the Lord and His people behind the scenes. They were mothers of faith. We need these kinds of women today more than ever. Praise and thank God our Father who raised many beautiful women and mothers of faith among us.
We have all received so much love and grace from God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to respond to His great love for each of us in a proper way. Let us not take his grace lightly or take it for granted. Let us love and serve him more and more. For he who has been forgiven much loves much and he who has been forgiven little loves little. Happy Mother’s Day!
