 We continue our verse by verse study here in the gospel of Luke. We'll begin reading together at verse 31 We'll read to verse 35 and then we'll move on into verse 36 and conclude at verse 50 So let's begin here in Luke chapter 7 at verse 31, and I will read to verse 35 and we'll get into our study Luke writes in chapter 7 verse 31 the Lord said To what then shall I liken the men of this generation and what are they like? They're like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another Saying we played the flute for you and you didn't dance We mourned to you and you did not weep For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine and you say he has a demon The son of man has come eating and drinking and you say look a glutton and a wine bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners But wisdom is justified by all her children what the Lord Jesus Christ is dealing with in the passage before us is criticism and Judgment you see he has just confirmed the ministry of John the Baptist and He now has to address a growing attitude of this critical spirit and judgmental heart and and all and so that's what he begins to do in verse 31 Now as he begins in verse 31 He uses a common teaching technique The way he begins when he says to what then shall I like in the men of this generation and what are they like is Actually a common technique used during this time to introduce a parable or some other illustration and so that's what he's about to do and so he begins to do so by pointing out that there's a generation that is having a certain response to his work and his word and So he says how can I compare this generation? What is this unbelieving generation like to what can I compare it and he says they're like like like children who object to everything that their Playmates want to do He says they're like in verse 32 children sitting in the marketplace These children are spoken of as being in the Agora or the marketplace And so while the the parents are going about on their business the children obviously would find something to do and they would play with other children and What he's mentioning here when he speaks in verse 32 of playing the flute for you and you didn't dance or mourning to you And you didn't weep those were common children's games during the time of Christ what we today might say playing wedding or playing Funeral that's what they were doing. Those are games at that time. And so his point is nothing. That's done is ever satisfactory for them There there's always something wrong and it causes a dissatisfaction for them because some people can never see any good in anything and so these are Unsatisfied fickle people is the point he's making and so when he says let me liken it into children playing in the marketplace common games but They're unsatisfied as they play together and he uses that to illustrate John the Baptist notice verse 33 for John the Baptist came Neither eating bread nor drinking wine and you said he has a demon So Jesus applies the first portion of his illustrations of the people's reaction to John We played the flute for you and you didn't dance See he's saying John came neither eating nor drinking. He led an austere lifestyle John did not live in a lavish way. He was known for his spiritual discipline Matthew tells us in chapter 3 verse 4 concerning him that his clothes were made of camels here He had a leather belt around his waist and his food was locusts wild honey So that caused people problem and so their responses for him was well This man's austere lifestyle really speaks concerning the fact that he's got a demon which in some ways that term He's got a demon is another way of saying he's crazy. This guy's crazy the way that he lives So his his discipline the discipline of his godly lifestyle caused them problems Because normally when somebody sold out the discipline of their lifestyle can cause carnal people problems That's just normal. They said that kind of thing about Jesus in Mark chapter 3 verses 20 and 21 When Jesus entered a house a crowd gathered his disciples were not even able to eat and when his family heard about this They went it went to take charge of him They said he's out of his mind when when somebody is serving the Lord God with all that's within them There will always be people who see their discipline as a sign of them being Overly zealous or too fanatic or a bit crazy. I remember a woman calling our church years ago now Was very upset because her son had had come here and actually had gotten saved and she said you know I could handle him when he was loaded. I can't handle him as a Jesus freak She preferred him to be a loadie and a drunk She said I can handle that but I don't like what he's become and there are quite a number of people who think just like that And so the witness of John's devotion convicted those who saw him and they couldn't remain simply spectators They were convicted by his commitment John wouldn't dance to their tune so he's got to be crazy and Then he gives the second illustration which applies to Jesus in verse 34 He says the son of man has come eating and drinking you say look a glutton and a whine-bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners Well, Jesus lived a normal pattern of the average Jewish man. He ate and drank like others did His failing to them when he's not devoted enough Now the bottom line is very simply this if you want to find fault you can find fault with anyone You can even find fault with Jesus Christ himself if you want to if you want to inspect sin closely enough or If you want to think that people who don't agree with the things that you do are very sinful and you can find Something wrong with God himself and that's what was taking place here They said that Jesus Christ wasn't devoted and yet John was but he's crazy So what's Jesus's response verse 35 wisdom is justified by all her children The fruit of the Pharisees in the way that they think the way that they act Well, their fruit can be compared to the fruit that's produced by the ministry of Jesus Christ and when you compare the loving compassionate Merciful touch of God in somebody's life that transforms them into loving compassionate and merciful people when you compare the touch of God in somebody's life with religious legalism from the Pharisees perspective who may have been able to to comb the world to make one follower of their particular lifestyle, but making them twice the child of hell that they themselves are when they would Change somebody's life. It wasn't for the better. It was always for the worse Jesus said just check out the children or look at the fruit and you're going to be able to make a judge As to whether or not judgment as to whether or not my ministry is good and from God or not And so moving into verse 36 continuing One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him And he went to the Pharisees house and sat down to eat behold a Woman in the city who was a sinner when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisees house brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil and stood at his feet behind him Weeping and she began to wash his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head And she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil now When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he spoke to himself saying and this man if you were a prophet would know Who and what manner of woman this is who's touching him for Jesus's sinner Jesus answered and said to him Simon I have something to say to you. He said teacher say it There was a certain creditor who had two debtors one owed 500 denarii the other 50 and when they had nothing with which to repay He freely forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him more Simon answered and said I suppose the one whom he forgave more and he said to him you've rightly judged Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon. Do you see this woman? I Entered your house You gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head You gave me no kiss. This woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in You did not anoint my head with oil But this woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil Therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little and he said to her your sins are forgiven and Those who sat at the table with them began to say to themselves. Who is this who even forgives sins? Then he said to the woman your faith has saved you Go in peace This is one of my favorite passages in the whole Bible for some reason and I'm not quite sure why I'm attracted to sinful women Just look at Marie. No, I'm a Jack. She didn't hear that. Don't tell her No, I I See women in the Bible that are touched by the grace of God and for some reason that speaks to my heart very very deeply it does We have a woman at the well a woman who had had Five men that she called husband and a man she was living with and I'm attracted to the grace of God as God shows her such wonderful grace. I think of the woman who was caught in sexual sin and and and dragged before Jesus Christ in front of Witnesses and how she was treated in and Jesus's response paraphrased when he says The one here who has no sin let him be the first to cast a stone at her I'm attracted to to God's mercy. I guess and and because I I frankly I take the side of those women when I see how they're being treated and and and and it moves my heart I have found three women in the New Testament that actually have had tremendous impact in that way And this happens to be one of those chapters that that gives us one of those instances This is the woman who was a great sinner a notorious sinner And so what we see here is we see Simon a Pharisee. We see a sinner and we see a savior We see those three here in this one story We see Simon we see a sinner and we see a savior and as we look at this What we're really seeing is Jesus Christ once again being presented to us as the forgiver of sins and When you look at the Lord Jesus Christ you have to ask yourself What is the motivator of his forgiveness and one of the chief motivators of his forgiveness of our sins is Simply his great love for us his great love for us now How do we know that well the Bible makes that clear in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4 and 5? Because they're Paul said because of his great love for us God who is rich in mercy Made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved Because of his great love for us God who is rich in mercy made us alive And so we see Jesus as a forgiver of sins and that's what we're going to be seeing here in this passage now Notice how it says in verse 36 that that one of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him I've mentioned this to you before perhaps you knew it reading the Bible the word Pharisee there literally means separated one That's what the word Pharisee means the separated ones the Pharisees were a small religious group with tremendous influence Historians state that they numbered somewhere around six thousand with the majority of them occupying positions in the city of Jerusalem and They had a tremendous amount of influence during the time of Jesus Christ. There were two main religious groups During the time of Jesus that you'll read when you read in the Bible you read of them You you read of the Pharisees and you read of the Sadducees The Sadducees and the Pharisees have contrasting histories Sadducees basically began About a hundred and fifty or so years before Christ and The Sadducees were really what you would call a Hellenized or a Grecianized or paganized Jews Who basically had combined the Greek philosophy with Jewish theology and therefore did a kind of a hybrid faith that was very much culturally attuned to their times and So they denied things like spirits angels They denied the resurrection and all they were the what we would today Probably say were the liberals in the religious camp now the Pharisees on the other hand would have been the extreme conservatives They were the ones who were the separated ones because when the when the Sadducees began to to become More known in all and to have great influence while the Pharisees made sure that they that they Separated from that and so at first there their origin was was not necessarily bad in and of itself They wanted to keep pure in the things of God but over time they were hardened into their traditions and and ultimately Lost the real purpose of being separated to God because they stopped loving people They they stopped seeing people as important in all and and their rules and their regulations began to dominate And that's why that's why they very often will be in conflict with Christ That's why they get upset at him for healing on the Sabbath because for them the concern over somebody's health was not as great as the Keeping of their understanding of the law and if Jesus did a work on the Sabbath Then he ought to be stoned for doing so because that's a blasphemous thing to do because you're breaking God's law And you're teaching others to do it and and so from their perspective They were right and Jesus was wrong now Simon is a Pharisee and As a Pharisee, he's a conservative Religious man and he's invited Jesus Christ to dinner now. I want you to see how it says in verse 36 one of the Pharisees asked him Now the word asked when you look at the New Testament the New Testament is written in the Greek language The word is coin a Greek coin a speaking of the common language during the time So when you look at this the New Testament being Greek You look into the word asked there and you can actually find that that's a strong Greek word that literally means to beg or to compel In other words, this is not just a simple request It wasn't like you were talking to one of your friends and you said, you know, we ought to grab some lunch sometime Because we can do that you can see one of the friends you have here at church And you say you know what haven't talked to her for a while, you know next week Why don't we get together if you're able to you know, we do that all the time This isn't what he's doing what he's doing is he's begging him. He's insisting He's pleading He's saying I want you to come and I won't take no for an answer So this is the attitude that you find here with this man by the name of Simon Simon really wants Jesus to come but you know what he doesn't have to beg him to do that because Luke has already revealed that Jesus is willing to spend time with people and yet Simon's insistent that he comes to his home for a meal Now many people want to know what would be the motivation of this? Why would Simon compel him? Why would Simon beg him insist demand? Why would he want him to come to his house? There are various reasons perhaps one could be curiosity Why would he invite him? Maybe he had curiosity Jesus's fame has touched him and perhaps what that has done is it's it's caused him to be curious about Jesus and And and to want to know Something about him and so if I invite him over to my house to have a meal with me I'll have an opportunity to speak to him and gain some information I'm curious about him and you know what the Lord uses curiosity He does it all the time I've spoken to you about this before I've shared with you how people can get saved in the the most odd ways and and years ago when we were having a an Easter service here a Woman was driving by and that on Sunday She's driving by and she sees the cars that are are you know backed up and pulling in and and she's not from around here so She pulls into line, you know Some people just have to get into lines and and she she pulls into the line and and she goes up to the front gate over here and She asks one of our our guys there. Is this a yard sale? She thought she was going to a yard sale and and the guy goes no This isn't a yard sale. It's a church service. She's oh, it's a church. He said yeah Yeah, and she said really yeah, you ought to you had a park and Go on in and hear what's being said and you know she did and when I gave the invitation she came for it So she came out of curiosity thinking she was going to a yard sale and ended up going to the kingdom of God You know and that God uses curiosity, you know Remember in in in John chapter 3 verses 1 and 2 Remember a man by the name of Nicodemus how that Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and said into him master We know that thou art a teacher come from God For no man can do the works that thou doest unless God is with him See he came to Jesus by night to speak to him because he was concerned and curious about the things that Jesus was doing and Jesus at that time was able to lead him into the kingdom. So curiosity. Yes possibly how about courtesy? Could it be simple courtesy because it was a Jewish custom at that time to invite visiting rabbis and It's possible that just out of out of courtesy. He invited Jesus to his house and again some people get saved out of courtesy That's how I got saved friend of mine said to me. I've invited you to go here. You can't say no and out of courtesy I went with him and I got saved that day courtesy. How about collecting celebrities There are people who do that, you know, they want to know the up-and-coming person And because he's a religious individual It's very possible that he wanted to collect this new rabbi as one of his His friends and all because some people some people like to drop names Some people like to speak concerning the people that they know a lot of people become popular by extension by simply saying oh Yes, I have a friend who is this way or is this person and they borrow the status It's possible that it was a collector of celebrities, but I think that it was criticism I think that he invited Jesus over so that he could find something about him So that he could say something about him. We've already seen this in chapter 6 We saw it verse 7 in Luke 6 verse 7 where it says the scribes and Pharisees watched him Whether he would heal on the Sabbath day that they might find Accusation against him. I suspect and I think I think so rightly as we see this is going to pan out in just a moment That he actually had him there that he might criticize him Some people look for opportunity to criticize I Have it here all the time. It's just the way churches are People will come and they'll find something they don't like they'll find something that they just I've had people You know say the oddest things and and over time I've discovered that some people simply do like to criticize They they don't like conviction and therefore they're going to find something wrong With the church and that happens quite often and that's pretty much normal criticism I've told you this before I wasn't going to share it because I've said it to you more than once But I'll say it again because it's one of my stories that I kind of like so I repeat the ones I like frankly how that I had gone to buy a van and and the car salesman was sitting in the passenger Seat as I was driving and and my kids were in the back and Marie was in the back seat as this Car salesman's next to me and and I drive off the lot there and as I'm driving the van Wanting to know whether or not I have an ability to buy a van he asks me what do you do for a living and Any anytime somebody asked me that question. I just kind of you know, okay, here we go Let's see what he does and so I said I'm a pastor Now let's see And he thinks for a moment. I'm sure he was selecting his words carefully and he says oh you're a pastor Pastors are thieves. I wondered how he knew me, you know Yeah, he says pastors are thieves I'm driving. I'm thinking that's not going to make a sale. I mean calling me a thief I think what an odd thing to say and I got my family in the in the van and and you're telling me I'm a thief and I just how odd is this and so I'm just driving and and and yeah pastors are thieves and I looked at him I said they are he goes. Yes, so he's pretty sure I was a thief and I go well I said to him Do you know that there are 500,000 pastors in the United States? He said no, I didn't know that I Said yeah, and I guarantee you the overwhelming majority of them are honest God-fearing men love the Lord and they're not thieves He goes well, you may be right. I said Yeah, and I'm quietly driving and I turned to him and I said, you know The last three cars that I bought Were sold to me by lying car salesman I Said but you're not a lying car salesman. Are you? You're honest aren't you? He goes. Yes, sir. I am I Said good, and I'm an honest pastor. It's nice to meet you You know some people will will just they just look to criticize and then they do and they don't know you from from Adam But they're going to criticize I suspect that that's what's taking place here I suspect that he brought the Lord Jesus there to find something wrong with him And you'll see why in just a moment now in verse 37 he goes on and says behold Now when he says and behold that word behold there is to cause us to See that this is unusual Behold a woman in the city who was a sinner when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisees house Brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil and stood at his feet behind him weeping She began to wash his feet with her tears wiped them with the hair of her head And she kissed his feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this He spoke to himself saying this man if you were a prophet would know who and what manner of woman This is who was touching him. She's a sinner and so women at that time were normally not present at this kind of a meal and The fact that she was well known and as a matter of fact He simply speaks of her as being a sinner when he says this woman who is a sinner she's a notorious sinner and She's a prostitute and what has happened is this prostitute has entered the home uninvited Interestingly enough notice with me that she remains unnamed it doesn't say her name though She was well known everybody knew who she was now Luke could have said the woman's name He could have said and whatever her name was walked into the room I love the grace of God because he doesn't want this woman to be remembered for her past sins That's why she's left unnamed Because her name should be protected because her sins have been washed away And so she's an unnamed woman there protecting her because this story has been read now for 2,000 years That God doesn't want her to be remembered because of her sins because her sins have been doubt with the psalmist in Psalm 103 Verses 11 through 13 says as the heavens are high above the earth So great is his mercy toward those who fear him as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our Transgressions from us as a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear him And so God has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west if I start on an Equator on a globe and I start going north. I eventually hit the apex I'm north and then I eventually come back and I go down south But if I go from the east to the west it doesn't matter the east in the west will never ever Touch because I start out east and I'll always go east if I start out west I'll always go west and so he doesn't say as far as the north is from the south He says as far as the east is from the west to give us an attitude or an idea of Infinity God will separate our sins from us forever, and they'll never be remembered again Now this woman Must have been impressed with Jesus's approachable compassionate ministry She saw his mercy It's very very possible that she had heard how he had eaten with Levi Matthew Levi and his friends because Luke has already said in chapter 5 That people had spoken concerning that and the question had been asked Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners and Jesus answered and said to them Those who do well those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick I haven't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. It's very possible that she's heard of this one Who is merciful and compassionate the thing that I love about Jesus so very much though I have to be honest with you is that he is Approachable He's approachable Now Jesus as a typical Jew would be at during that day is reclining at meal They would recline at low couches. They would rest on their left elbow Stretched away from the table and with the right hand would take and eat from the table And so the sandals that are normally worn have been removed and his feet are stretched out Now as typical of Jewish women and you see this with this woman here She has in verse 37 an alabaster flask of fragrant oil And so as typical of Jewish women there was a flask of perfume that's hanging around her necks And so she approaches Jesus and as she begins to walk towards him She begins to sob convulsively now Obviously Every one of us when we go to restaurants and all Every one of us Know that there's that that that table noise that the talking all around you It's just you know, that's the way it is and people are talking and usually it'll you'll rise for a while Then it's low and rises and so there's table noise conversation going on But I can't help but believe that as she enters into this space where they're eating That people begin to notice that she's coming in one It's a woman and two she's a notorious sinner And and so this is highly unusual and people begin to get quiet as she walks in and as she's walking in you can Almost hear the the conversational noise dying down to to no noise at all And now it's dead silent and ask yourself how you would feel if you were walking into a room with people Speaking in the moment you step in everything is silent every eye is upon you and that's what's taking place and So she's looking around the room for the place where them the guest of honor would be and she sees Jesus there and as she sees him She just breaks and The tears begin to flow and they begin to just pour out of her eyes And she's standing over the Lord Jesus Christ and as she's standing over him sobbing the tears that have formed are now Beginning to drip off of her chin and and she sees them as as they are now dripping on to his feet And as she sees them dripping on to his feet She sees the dust and and the moisture now that that that is making it obvious that his feet are still dusty And as a result of that she bends down and as she bends down her hair is undone And she reaches out and she begins to take her hair and she begins to wipe the feet of her master and as she does So the love that she has is so overwhelming that she begins to kiss his feet in in Submitted obedient love for him and it's a pure love that she has for Jesus, but Simon doesn't think so because she's a prostitute and What he sees her doing frankly is plying her trade and as he sees her doing that it disturbs him you know Sometimes sometimes churches have to beg people to serve We we don't we don't believe that that's necessary We don't beg people to serve you want to know why we don't have to Because when people are in love with the Lord they find ways to serve they want to serve when you love the Lord You know you can always beg people and there will always be somebody who as a result of being asked or begged We'll do something but the purest worship and the purest service is from the heart of gratitude and that's what you see here You see this woman humbling herself James 410 says humble yourselves and the side of the Lord he'll lift you up and You see her kissing in an anointing Jesus's feet with that fragrant oil because it's revealing once again her love for him or gratitude I remember when when Jesus healed the mother-in-law of the Apostle Peter It's recorded in Mark chapter 1 verse 31 how the Bible says that when Jesus healed her She served them and that's what happens when the Lord reaches you and and touches you now Simon is there and notice the Bible in verse 39 says When when the Pharisee who invited him saw this he spoke to himself saying This man if he were a prophet would know who in what manner of woman this is who's touching him She's a sinner any blind man can see what she is it you don't have to be a prophet to see this and understand this you know and you know you can There are places that that I have traveled and I'll be walking on my way somewhere and There'll be prostitutes and you'll see them They don't wear signs You know hi. I'm a prostitute. They don't wear signs But do you know their prostitutes? They might call out to you. They'll make overtures to you They'll they'll walk in front of you. I mean that has happened in my life newer times. I've seen prostitutes You know, of course, I guess every adult Has seen people who have given themselves You know and that's that's what he's saying. He's saying if this man were a prophet He'd know who in what manner a woman this isn't touching him. She's a sinner I mean, it's real obvious that this person that is touching him now remember Pharisees separated ones Do not want to be touched by the unclean as a matter of fact according to Jewish law If somebody who is not kosher or somebody who is ceremonially unclean touches you you become unclean too And so they're watching that and they're saying now the only reason that Jesus doesn't mind this woman touching him It's because he's unclean himself and that's how rigid he is and and that's how he's thinking I've heard that this man is a prophet But this is obvious proof that he's not It's interesting to me that Simon's thought is revealed because notice how it says in verse 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he spoke to himself. He's not saying this out loud This isn't something that's being recorded. This is something that the Lord told his apostles later on what he was thinking is this Now as that's taken place Simon's thoughts have been revealed to Jesus and and also to us and and so in verse 40 Jesus answered Even though the guy wasn't speaking to him Jesus answered and said to him Simon I Have something to say to you And he said teachers say it now when you read this and you just read teachers say it It just seems like a natural flow right in reality. That's a very a very rude response to Jesus Christ He was being short with him say it That's what he's doing. It's it's like he's so disgusted. He doesn't even want to talk to the man. So it's like You know, that's the attitude of Simon say it. What do you want to say? Now Jesus begins to minister and He does so through a story Certain creditor who had two debtors one owed 500 Denarii the other 50 when they had nothing with which to repay He freely forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him the most who loves him more? You see When Jesus begins to speak about that he speaks about real-life situations You know Simon is so caught up with outer appearance that he doesn't see the heart of people Because outer appearance doesn't always reveal the heart You know, it's it to me It's kind of funny to even use illustrations like this because it's so far removed from so many people You know our congregation has people who who are younger people who wouldn't even understand some of the illustrations I use so I look out there for some gray hair so I can use this illustration And that was what was going on when I got saved Hippies can't know the Lord they can't know God their hair is too long. They don't wear shoes They can't possibly know God look at the way they are. I Was talking yesterday to Chuck and K Smith. We were at the pastors conference and and Marie was there for a meeting she's She meets with K and all and and we were at the pastors conference And so my wife and I and and Chuck and Kay and some others were at a table visiting and all and and we were talking about The old old days in the in the movement and all and and a young man comes walking up this young guys Maybe 21 or 22 years old and he's wearing puka shells. You guys know what puka shells are? Good, I got something to Puka shells and I look at him and I say you you're wearing your puka. You're wearing your shells, honey Goes yeah, and I said my wife Marie Hated my shells. She hated my wife Marie hated me. I had this when I met her I thought I was so cool You know and I had my my marinata dove and I had the shells and and it was like her life's quest for me to stop wearing those And so I said you know and Ray goes oh, yeah, I thought he looked so goofy with those I didn't like them and K said where did you buy them and I said well I actually I made them you know you used to go to these little shops And you'd buy these little shells and you'd get some dental floss and you tie it up And yeah, I said and that's what I did and so we're kind of laughing about that and K says you know I can still remember I can stand she's gonna turn 80 years old this month She says I can still remember when we would go out there in Huntington Beach Chuck and I and we would see the hippie kids and they would walk past and I would cry and We would pray for these hippies that God would touch them And you know how it is in the Calvary Ministries a lot of the hippies that that K and Chuck would pray for Are now not just pastoring but pastoring blessed churches Some of the largest churches in the United States are being pastored by Hippie kids that K used to pray for but but the church at that time the church The normal, you know church uh-uh if you come in here and you're barefooted We don't want you in here I can still remember the story of because we would go barefooted I went to church barefooted all the time didn't wear shoes I would wear slacks and a shirt a dress shirt and I'd go barefooted I mean that's just the way it was I still to the day I wear shoes if you don't mind me telling you twice a week That's it man. You know, I wear flip-flops You know because I just I don't remember, you know, I've been wearing flip-flops for 40 some years You know, I just die anyway So if we if we if we came walking in which we did, you know We would come barefooted just constantly and there was a time when some of the guys there at Calvary Costa Mesa put up a sign that said no shoes no entrance and because the hippies were coming in and they had just put new carpet in and They were gonna bring their their greasy feet that were you know filled with dirt and all and dirty up our carpets And so they put up a sign no no no shoes and no entrance But Chuck the pastor had gotten there early and he found the sign and he took it down and And he called the guys over and he said if a new carpet keeps a single kid from coming in here Let's rip out the carpet and just have concrete floors Because we're not going to keep kids from coming to Christ. Listen, that's what I was raised with because that's Christian, you see But today we have to be very careful that we don't kind of just bring it up to the 21st century and say they got piercings They can't possibly know Jesus They got tattoos. Oh my god. They antichrist. They have got to be antichrist You know because be careful be careful Be careful Because if some kid sits next to you with these his hair all otter or her her, you know earrings everywhere, you know And and and I I I happen to Know I happen to love those kids, you know frankly because they're kids that when God gets hold of their heart man They're not afraid of anything, you know, you know part of the reason why we we who were hippie kids You know, we were so used by God as we didn't care So you didn't like me so what who cares who cares? You know, you know what I'm trying to say that's part of the reason that's that's so I'll tell you about the Lord I hate you. Yeah, I know that already, but let me tell you about Jesus, you know I mean So that that was just the truth that I mean that barrier is already down with because we were already Disliked and so what's more one more thing and anyway, if you if you want to hate me for loving you, that's That's okay That's that's how it works May this congregation not become old wine skins May we not fall into that trap of judging on outer appearances Because you know what I'm not going to mark my body up like some of these kids do, you know, I'm not going to do that That's not my thing, you know, I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to throw a bunch of spikes in my head You know and and all of that, you know, that's not my thing But when I see those kids talking to other kids that look just like them What's the difference between that and when I as a long hair would speak to other long hairs? What's the difference? They're trying to reach Their own kids who relate to them who won't listen to some old goof like me Who may listen to this kid? Because you look at him and you say you're like me, but there's something different about you And I I learned a long time ago that the lord has a way of cleaning up the fish after he catches it We're so busy saying oh here comes a fish. We need to clean up here Take those things out. Oh metal detectors being being being let's get all that off of them No No And so The bible is very clear the lord doesn't look at things like man looks at because because man looks at the outer appearance But god well god looks at the heart and and so that's why jesus is speaking to him That's why he gives to him this this this story here And and and he's he's making it very very clear That uh in this story that neither one of these people had money to pay the debt Notice one owes 500 denari the other 50, but he says When they had nothing with which to repay he freely forgave them both neither one of them had enough money to pay the debt So neither the self-righteous Pharisee Nor this sin bound woman have the ability to pay the debt And then in verse 44 now this to me is very very important Because this is something you can miss He turned to the woman But he says to simon Do you see this woman? I underscore that That's a great question Do you see This woman the answer is no i i don't see a woman to be crass if i may for a moment all simon sees as a prostitute I don't see no i Don't see a person I don't see a little girl Who was born like other little girls in a society that valued marriage and fidelity over a lifetime No, I don't see a girl whose whole life was given over to the hope of one day Marrying somebody and burying children and being the most valuable person society has which is a mother raising a godly generation Simon didn't see that All simon saw was a whore That's all he saw And that's why jesus has to say do you see her have you looked at her This and every person in this room has a testimony and and if we were to actually say what our real testimony was We might scare the person next to us What we really were and what we could really be if jesus hadn't come into our life We could scare the person next to us because we only give the sanitized versions of what we were really like We only say the things that are acceptable in public Because we don't want people to know what we thought just yesterday or last night or just a moment ago We don't want people to know what our hearts really like And so what we have a tendency of doing is looking on the outer appearance. Are they clean? Do they smell okay? Do you know then i'll talk to them? They're all right But we stopped looking into people's eyes a long time ago. And so simon You're not a very good judge of character Because you're not even looking at this woman. You're not even really looking at her. You don't understand what her life has been all about You don't know What it was like for her to be used. You don't know what it was like for her to be hurt You don't know what moved her into the lifestyle that she has all you can see Is that she's not like you and as a result of that You think i'm bad for loving her You think i'm bad for loving her that means it's me If we're ever going to be used by the lord we have to look at people We have to learn to look at one another And and and we have to realize that they all have stories every one of us do So he says you see this woman I and by the way, he's saying this in front of everybody because it's just absolutely stone silent And so he's actually dressing down simon in front of witnesses And he goes on i entered into your house. You gave me no water for my feet She washed my feet with her tears wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss This woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in you didn't anoint my head with oil This woman has anointed my feet with fragrant oil the three basic common courtesies that are extended from by every host to their guests You didn't show me any of those I walked dusty roads. I come in with dusty feet Normally a servant will wash the feet of a guest. You didn't do that You didn't give me a kiss of greeting This woman kissed my feet You didn't anoint my head with oil because it's hot And it's just another custom showing graciousness But she anointed my feet with fragrant oil the things that you refuse to do Even though you were basically culturally obligated to do so because that's a sign of a good host But because you disdained me because you didn't respect me because you were looking for something that you could find Wrong with me. So you didn't extend any of those common courtesies to me the things that you did for other people You didn't do for me. Well, look what she did for me and you want to talk about Love you want to talk about forgiveness you see When simon said in verse 43 at the question Which of them will love him more found in verse 42 and he said I suppose the one whom he forgave more Again that I suppose Is another contemptible response. It's a disrespectful thing It's another way of saying it's quite obvious But jesus uses that because he wants to demonstrate that simon and this woman both needed a savior And that's why he says in verse 47 therefore I say to you her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little I asked the lord a long time ago To please help me never forget Never to go back and never to long for But help me never to forget What my life was like without him helped me never to forget that I I am afraid I I do not want to get to the point Where I can actually say I don't understand how they could do that I don't want to get there. I don't ever want to be able to say I don't understand how you could do that Because Because without christ I could do pretty much anything that's wrong I need him. I need his restraining power. I need his Him in my life and you see and I I don't want to go there But years ago I can still remember How um I was around Christians I was going to bible college and I was fellowshiping in a church. It wasn't a calvary chapel ministry It was a different church And and and I sensed there's something missing in my group of friends and And I started getting to the point where I I I just there's something missing here and and and I I believe very strongly that I can be impacted by my Friendships and I started seeing the flame that I at one time had burning in my heart I saw it starting to go out and I started getting concerned about it and And I I didn't know what it was until it finally hit me It finally hit me the friends that I had and they're good friends by the way And I loved them very much and I'm not knocking my friends. I loved them but I was wondering what was happening to me and I noticed they didn't ever share their faith. I noticed that they were People who were starting to experiment with drinking and stuff things that I had been pulled out of a long time before And now they're going out wanting to drink their beers because they turned 21 And and and we can drink you know God's grace is sufficient and and and for me I couldn't do that because I had spent years doing that already and I thought it was a wasted life And finally this this is the passage that the Lord used in my life To to to give me an understanding the way that Jesus said To whom little is forgiven the same loves little You see Simon didn't realize How much he needed forgiveness he didn't have a conscious need for it And therefore he didn't have love And therefore received no forgiveness because his self evaluation precluded him from recognizing a need for forgiveness And his indifference to Jesus demonstrated that there was no love of God in him Because the bible says he who does not love doesn't know God for God is love He didn't know the Lord He was just religious And I I prayed as I was putting this study together That we as a fellowship Will not become A church that forgets where we came from You see Jesus forgave her of sins. That's what it says in verse 48. Your sins are forgiven Now when he says your sins are forgiven your sins have already been forgiven It would give us to a belief that she had already had that forgiveness that already entered in by faith And Jesus is just confirming that but there are people who sat at the table and they began to say Who is this who even forgives sins? What kind of man is this? Who is this? Well, the answer is this is the one who can forgive sins and that's why he says your faith has saved you go in peace My wife and I were listening to A song by casting crown Casting crowns today. It's does anybody hear her? I'm sure you've heard this song and the words does anybody hear her Can anybody see or does anybody even know she's going down today under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? She's yearning for shelter and affection that she never found at home. She's searching for a hero to ride in To ride in and save the day And in walks her prince charming and he knows just what to say Momentary lapse of reason and she gives herself away If judgment looms under every steeple If lofty glances from lofty people Can't see can't see past her scarlet letter And we never even met her I was talking to marie today about that song because we heard it And I said this to her and I'll repeat it out loud to you I said that's not true with our fellowship That's not true with our church I said I actually have a problem with this song because our church isn't that way and I don't know any churches that are Because I honestly believe that if we have people coming in here who are broken that you would love them I believe that I believe you would accept them. I believe you'd put your armor on them and minister to them. I've seen it I know you will But may we always do that May we never get Like a simon And we start just seeing the outer appearance and don't see the hearts. May we never be like that Maybe may we always remember where we came from And what we were saved out of And what we would be without him And and may as we draw closer to the lord may we see more and more of his wonderful merciful compassionate love And our unworthiness Because if I can see how unworthy I am of his love Then I'll serve him all the days of my life Not expecting anything Because that's what I was saved to do Is to serve him Because he laid down his life for me And I will serve him gladly Because I keep remembering What I was without him But I also see what I've become Because of him