Who is this Man?

 A Series on Lent
 (Use the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 7:36-50

[Lent gives us an opportunity to step back and pause to recognize our humanity and sinful nature. The Lenten season reminds us of our need for a Savior as a time to reflect and repent for our shortcomings. It is an opportunity to recognize the human condition we may spend the rest of the year running from and bring our need for a Savior to the forefront. Lent prepares us as we approach Good Friday and Easter with thanksgiving for the grace and mercy shown to us.]

Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon... 

⁴⁷ “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man that he goes around forgiving sins?” ⁵⁰ And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”         NLT

 

Just for a minute, put yourself in the setting of this story and imagine the scene. Simon, a respected Pharisee, invited Jesus to share a meal, maybe after speaking at synagogue. Of course his entourage is with him including his twelve closest followers, the disciples, as well as the women who support him in his ministry.

 

But there are many others. After all, Jesus is a rising star, and crowds follow him everywhere. There’s a buzz of activity and conversation in the room, including speculation about who Jesus is; a teacher, a rabbi, a prophet, or, dare I say it, the Messiah. There are those who want to see if he will perform a miracle; and those who need one.

 

Unnoticed, a woman quietly walks into the room, kneels behind Jesus at the table, and begins to cry; washing his dirty feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. She stands out in the crowd, not only because of her behavior, but because she is a known sinner, and Jesus is a respected teacher.

 

However, she seems totally unaware of the people gawking at her; talking about her; pointing fingers and whispering. She seems unaware that her clothing, her appearance, her life itself, doesn’t belong. In reality, she’s a social and religious outcast that doesn’t belong anywhere.

 

But the words that she heard from Jesus’ mouth have touched her heart; they’ve moved her to action; they’ve lifted her soul. Instead of feeling self-conscious, she feels free. Instead of feeling shame, she feels love. Instead of feeling alone in a crowd, she feels alone with Jesus.

 

And for her faith; for her love; for her undivided devotion; Jesus forgives her sins.

 

If only when we are in the presence of Jesus, we could feel the same way; if only we could experience his love and forgiveness like this sinful woman; if only we could be so devoted to Jesus… if only.

 

“Who is this man that forgives sins?” Think about this question; about the sinful woman and her story. Then ask yourself, “What can I learn from her? This woman who anointed Jesus with an extravagant bottle of perfume?”

 

 

Grading on a Curve

The Life of Jesus Series:

How Jesus interacted with others.

Luke 7:36-50

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%207%3A36-50&version=NIV;ICB

 

When I was in school, most of my teachers graded on a curve; except of course for Mr. Van Note. He was famous for saying things like, “You missed the boat” and, “I’m going to teach to the fast learners. The rest of you will just have to keep up”. He was a tough, but fair math teacher. But, going back to grading on a curve; how does it work?

 

According k12academics.com, "In education, grading on a bell curve is a method of assigning grades designed to yield a desired distribution of grades among the students in a class…  The instructor can decide what grade occupies the center of the distribution. This is the grade an average score will earn, and will be the most common. Traditionally, in the ABCDF system this is the 'C' grade”.

 

Although grading on a curve is normally thought of in terms of education, it can apply to every area of our lives. In fact, it would seem to be human nature to “grade on a curve”, especially when it’s to our benefit.

 

Consider the story in Luke 7. The sinful woman shed tears on Jesus’ feet; then dried them with her hair and finally anointed his feet with expensive perfume. In the mind of Simon the Pharisee, the situation was black and white. He was righteous and she was a sinner.

 

³⁹ The Pharisee who asked Jesus to come to his house saw this. He thought to himself, “If Jesus were a prophet, he would know that the woman who is touching him is a sinner!”                        ICB

 

In response to this, Jesus told a story about a moneylender who forgave the debts of two different people. One a very large debt and the other a moderate sized debt. What’s important here is that the moneylender forgave both the big and the small debtor. In the same way, Jesus offered forgiveness to both the sinful woman as well as the Pharisee.

 

So, who do you relate to in this story?

 

A more important question is; how do you respond to sin in your life? Are you blind to it like the Pharisee? Or, like the sinful woman, do you cry out to Jesus in love and faith, asking for his forgiveness and grace?

 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.                       Hebrews 4 NIV