Of Judgment and Forgiveness
Today the passage of Scripture that I have chosen from the Gospel of Luke tells us of an encounter between Jesus, a Pharisee and a woman of the streets. It is a story that we can all identify with on some level and even find ourselves in its characters.
There is the Pharisee – a teacher and interpreter of the law of God. His role in society is a privileged one not only because he is educated but because he is considered to have a keen understanding of God and what is most desired by God of the people. And yet it is clear that the Pharisees had rejected the call of John the Baptist to be baptized in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. It is interesting that this Pharisee – who is identified as Simon – is keen to have Jesus come to his house. In other versions of the encounter, the Pharisee is identified as Simon the leper.
Then there is the woman. She is simply known as a sinner. From the thoughts going through the Pharisee’s mind, it has been assumed that she was a prostitute but that is never made clear. What is clear is that the woman is greatly troubled in her heart and mind.
In both Matthew and Mark’s version, the story focuses on the woman in the story symbolically preparing Jesus for his coming passion and death but in Luke the story takes on a whole different purpose and tone.
In Luke’s version, the encounter between Jesus, the Pharisee and the woman takes on a whole different tone. Perhaps what we have in Luke is more than just a story about a ritual preparation. This is a psychological profile and one that allows Jesus to speak to the judgments we make about others and the opportunities that we can realize for giving and receiving forgiveness.
As a Pharisee, Simon’s leprosy would have isolated him from family and society in general and from his fellow Pharisees. His healing by Jesus would have restored him physically, spiritually and socially. His healing would enable him to once again take his place as a teacher and interpreter of the laws of God. No doubt he would have been deeply grateful for this and that may have precipitated the invitation he gave to Jesus to come to his house for a meal. Whether or not he was prepared to accept that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah is unclear but what we do know is that Simon saw Jesus as a righteous person like himself; and righteous people do not allow sinners to touch them.
But Jesus does allow this woman to touch him; and she doesn’t just touch him, she coats his feet with her tears, she dries them with her hair and then spreads ointment upon them. Her actions are personal and come from a deep sense of wanting to show Jesus how much she believes in his words and the promise of God to forgive the sins of the people who come to him in faith.
Simon has missed the point of Jesus’ message. He still imagines that the forgiveness of God is only for those who have made every effort to do what is right according to the laws of God. Simon knows that he is not perfect but sincerely believes that his path in life as a Pharisee has ensured that he will be forgiven of any of his sins. His leprosy may have been a sign that he had offended God in some way but his healing was a sign that God had forgiven him. But how much did Simon appreciate that gift of God to him?
The woman is known as a sinner. She clearly is not one whom the Pharisee would expect to acknowledge God in a serious way or be acknowledged by God as worthy of his mercy and forgiveness. She had chosen a path that regularly broke the laws of God and – in Simon’s mind – she broke them with the full knowledge that she was acting in opposition to God. Such a person was to be avoided by those who sought to remain righteous and pure in the eyes of God. Simon had written her off and so had God. Jesus was obviously not the person he thought he was or he would have stayed clear of her as Simon was glad to do.
Jesus sees in the eyes and the actions of Simon his discomfort and even disdain for this woman. Jesus takes Simon by surprise by asking him a question. Two men owe money to a creditor. One owes significantly more. The creditor decides to forgive them both. Which one is more grateful? The obvious answer is the one who was forgiven a larger debt. Simon answers correctly and Jesus says that he has judged rightly. Yet when faced by the truth about his own situation and that of the woman, he somehow is reluctant to consider that the woman may indeed be the more grateful one because he still cannot believe that she could even be forgiven by God.
Simon may have been an exemplary Jew when it came to following laws and commandments yet he forgot some of the very basic directions that God gave to the people. He forgot to attend to the very basic human needs of his most honoured guest. It was customary in that time to offer water for a person to wash their feet. No such provision was made by Simon. He was so wrapped up in himself and his desire for Jesus and others to see him as a great follower of God.
The woman knew that she was a person who had strayed far from the path of God. We are not sure how or why this happened in her life but she had come to a place where she desperately wanted to make a change. Whether the flask of ointment was intended to be rubbed on Jesus’ feet all along is not clear. What is clear is that she intended it as a gift – perhaps an act of penance; but her grief and remorse when in the presence of Jesus brought tears of sorrow to her eyes. Overwhelmed with emotion, she then proceeds to dry his feet. What else could she do to show her change of heart? She takes the flask of ointment and rubs his feet. In that encounter the woman offers a most personal service to Jesus. Without knowing it, she has touched God in a way she might never have imagined was possible and God allowed her to touch him. She was far from what we may imagine to be a follower of God, a righteous person; but she was a person who – in the eyes of God – was a person whose need of forgiveness was great. She had made mistakes in life but her love of God was so great that she was willing to enter the house of one whom she knew was judging and condemning her. But with Jesus there was no judgment, no condemnation. Her faith in the mercy and forgiveness of God as revealed by Jesus brings to her spirit and mind real salvation and with it the peace of God.
One of the hardest things to accept is that mercy and forgiveness are the gifts of God for the people of God. Another thing that is hard to accept is that the people of God are not just those who appear faithful in worship and service of God. We who are here now in this place may have been here for a long time or a short time. This may even be our first time but we are not here to prove to anyone how good or righteous we are. We are here because we seek the mercy and forgiveness of God in our lives; and so I say to all of us here whether your sins are small or large:
Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, strength and understanding; love your neighbour as yourself and receive into your life the promise of mercy and forgiveness from God and be at peace!
AMEN