Of our five senses, our sense of smell is one of the most powerful. I mean I don’t know about you but my nose can smell spring on the way—and I’m happy to say I finally smelled the approach of that scene Friday on my way home from the church office! Pastor Carlos told me that when he is on his front porch in Hato Mayor—he can smell a snow storm about to hit us way up here in Maryland. That may sound a bit far-fetched—but the fact is the olfactory system God designed for us is a great proof of the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
This morning I want to borrow an idea from Mike Breaux of Willow Creek and begin my message by leading us in an exercise to help us focus on this particular sense. I’ll put some pictures on the screens of things that emit different aromas—and I want you to vote by saying either: “eeeww” — if, in your opinion, it’s a bad aroma or “aaaahhh” — if, in your opinion, it’s a good one. Does everyone understand?
Okay—here’s the first one: FRESH BREWED COFFEE — The “aaahhh’s” win this one—and I agree. There’s nothing like the aroma of fresh brewed coffee in the morning! How about this next one: GASOLINE—Sounds like we are mixed in our opinion of this one. Some like to hang out at gas pumps. Others don’t! How about this next one: THE SMELL OF A MAGIC MARKER—Another mixed result. Here’s another: the smell of someone getting A HAIR PERMANENT. I agree—that’s not a good odor—no matter how angelic the face on the head that’s emitting it! How about this one—the smell of RAIN? SKUNK? CRACKLING FIRE? BACON FRYING IN THE PAN? CABBAGE COOKING ON THE STOVE? BURGERS GRILLING? FRESH BAKED APPLE PIE? That is my favorite—even though I think you can actually gain weight just by enjoying that particular aroma!
Okay—I put you through this little exercise because today’s text—the next chapter in our study of the life of Christ—tells us about a time Jesus was invited to a banquet—and of course, banquets are of course full of amazing, tantalizing aromas—but there were other “aromas” present that day as well. And as we go through our study you’ll see what I mean. For now, take your Bibles and turn with me to Luke 7. We’ll be reading verses 36-50.
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.
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.
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.”
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. 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.
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.
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.”
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.”
As I said a moment ago, I’m sure that there were lots of wonderful aromas in the room the day Jesus came to that banquet. I’m thinking of smells like freshly picked fruit—pomegranates and grapes—or meat roasting on an open fire—and perhaps peppers, onions, garlic, and spices sizzling together in a pot. Maybe there was even an apple pie or two baking. I don’t know. What I DO know is that the HOST of this banquet was a Pharisee by the name of SIMON and—don’t confuse him with Simon Peter, Simon the Zealot, Simon the leper, or Simon Cowell. No THIS Simon was a member of that infamous group of guardians of Jewish religious law who repeatedly aligned themselves against Jesus—attacking Him for His teaching—and eventually plotting His execution—I’m referring to the Pharisees.
But—please understand—not all Pharisees were bad. For example, there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night—a true seeker—who respected Jesus’ teaching. After Jesus’ crucifixion Nicodemus worked with another “good” Pharisee—a Godly man named Joseph of Arimathea to arrange for our Lord’s burial—TEMPORARY burial that is! But this particular Pharisee—Simon—doesn’t seem to be a “good guy” and I’ll explain why I say that in a moment.
First, let’s consider WHY he decided to invite Jesus to his home in the first place? Why would an enemy—a critic—of Jesus ask Him to come to a dinner party? There are several possibilities. This took place in Capernaum and Jesus was known to speak in the synagogue there. So perhaps Simon felt prompted to issue the invite for that reason. After all in that culture it was considered a meritorious act to invite traveling rabbis to a meal. Or—perhaps Simon was just curious about this popular Teacher and Healer and he figured a banquet would give him a chance to check Jesus out up close. Maybe Simon invited our Lord because Jesus was a celebrity and Simon was the kind of guy who liked to be able to boast about the celebrities he knew.
But I for one don’t go for any of these options. No—I think the reason he invited Jesus was because, like many of his fellow Pharisees, Simon was looking for a way to expose Jesus as a false teacher.
Charles Swindoll’s input on this is helpful. In his commentary on Luke he writes, “Jesus’ growing ministry made the Pharisees feel increasingly marginalized. Every time Jesus exercised His divine authority, their credibility waned. Each time Jesus forgave a sinner, the religious leaders lost their power to condemn. He contradicted their teaching, exposed their pride and hypocrisy, rejected their interpretation of the Scripture, exposed the errors in their traditions, and even ridiculed them as petulant little brats.” So—I believe that, like the other “petulant little brats,” Simon was looking for a flaw in Jesus—this Man, Who as far as Simon was concerned—was nothing more than a religious fraud.
That brings another question to mind—namely—why did Jesus ACCEPT Simon’s invite—especially since He would have known Simon’s motives were less than pure. This question is easy to answer because the Bible tells us that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He came to rescue sinners—and like all of us, Simon was sinner! He needed rescuing. In fact, Jesus was KNOWN for this kind of thing—known to enjoy the company of sinners—all kinds of sinners. So, in short, Jesus came because Simon the Pharisee needed the Gospel too—whether he realized it or not.
Now—the reason I don’t put Simon in the “Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea GOOD Pharisee group” is because of the way he TREATED Jesus when our Lord arrived at his banquet. I mean, Simon purposely omitted customary courtesies from Jesus—lots of them. Here’s my list.
- Normally when a guest arrived the host placed his hand on the guest’s shoulder and gave him the kiss of peace but this was not done for Jesus.
- Customarily a guest’s sandals were removed and his feet were washed when he entered or while he reclined at the table, thus removing the dust of the street and refreshing him. Jesus’ feet were left embarrassingly dirty.
- Dinner guests were also anointed with a touch of olive oil or incense when they arrived. But there was no such kindness done for Jesus.
And the way I read the text this was not true of the other guests. They DID receive the customary greetings. In short, Simon singled Jesus out and treated Him with callous, calculated contempt. Simon carefully avoided every custom that would make the Lord feel welcome and at home—and all the kissed guests with cleaned feet and oiled heads knew it as they took their places around the table. It would be like me visiting in your home on a cold winter night for a party and you singling me out by not offering to take my coat or welcome me in and tell me where to sit. That kind of “welcome” would make anyone feel very UN-welcome, especially if everyone else WAS welcomed.
Now—in those days the houses of well-to-do people—LIKE SIMON—were built around an open courtyard in the form of a hollow square. Many times there was a garden and a fountain in this courtyard—and in the warm weather that’s where meals were eaten—out in the open. We don’t have a courtyard at our house on Farmingdale Court but we do have a deck and whenever it’s warm enough we always eat out there. For some reason food tastes better outside! It was also the custom that when a Rabbi was at a meal all kinds of people to come and listen to the pearls of wisdom that would come from his lips. I mean the doors of Simon’s house would have been open and anyone would be free to wander in and observe the conversation—perhaps even get a few left-overs. There would have been a lot of coming and going by onlookers that day. Everyone could come—except women—especially immoral women.
Tables in this day were built low to the ground. There were no chairs. Guests ate while reclining on their left elbow on low-ling couches or mats, eating with the right hand, like your kids do when they eat in front of the TV. Your feet would extend away from the table, in keeping with the belief that the feet were unclean and offensive by nature.
Well, early on at Simon’s open air banquet something shocking happened. A woman known for her immoral lifestyle—which probably means what you think it means–this woman of ill-repute suddenly showed up at Jesus’ feet. She had heard that Jesus was going to be at this particular gathering so she came to see Him. Maybe, unlike other women, she was able to get in because she had been to this house before—perhaps on “business” — I don’t know. That may be a stretch. But in some way, she was let in and when she was discovered her arrival was SHOCKING to the guests. I mean, Capernaum was a small town—and if you’ve ever lived in a small town you know how the gossip grapevine gets swinging. If you’ve been the victim of small town gossip you know how much courage it took for this woman not only to show up but to walk in and approach Jesus.
And please understand. It WAS a shock for the others. Our English translation obscures the onlookers’ response because the phrase we translate “When a woman” literally says, “AND LOOK! A WOMAN!!!”
By the way, don’t confuse this event with what happens in John 12. This was in Galilee. John’s account was in Bethany—near Jerusalem. This occurred early in Jesus’ earthly ministry. The other was more toward the end. This woman was a public sinner. Mary of Bethany was a respected member of society.
Anyhow, somewhere along the way, this woman had had an encounter with Jesus. He had touched her—but not in the way other men had. No—His teaching had spoken to her—touched her in the depth of her soul. Jesus had noticed her—and again not in the way other men had. I’m saying she had had a powerful encounter with Jesus—an encounter with His message—His grace. In fact, her life had been changed by that encounter—as countless other lives have been changed since. And that explains her brave arrival. She was there because of gratitude. If you knew the Jesus Who saved your soul was going to be in town, wouldn’t you go to where He was? Wouldn’t you find a way around any barrier to be In His presence? Sure you would!
Well, I think when she arrived and stood in the shadows of the porticos that surrounded the courtyard where the banquet was being held—as she stood there I think she noticed how disgracefully Jesus had been treated by His host and this prompted her to step forward to honor our Lord.
Women in her line of work often wore a small alabaster jar full of expensive perfume around their neck. She had repented of that line of work—and would no longer need it. So, perhaps with that in mind, her impromptu plan was to try and make up for the rude way Jesus had been treated by anointing His feet with its contents. But, as she began, her plan kind of fell apart, because she lost it emotionally. The joy of seeing Jesus—her gratitude for His forgiveness—well it made her begin to sob uncontrollably.
Have you ever lost it like that? Have you ever been so moved by the Gospel—moved by Jesus’ grace and love for YOU—that you became overcome with emotion? I have. I can relate to this woman. In fact, when I finally see Jesus, I think I’ll probably lose it. Maybe we all will. Maybe that’s what the Bible means when it says when we get to Heaven, “He will wipe every tear from our eyes.”
Well, that’s what happened to this dear woman. She lost it and began to cry uncontrollably. Martin Luther called her tears, “heart water” and I think that’s a great phrase to use. Her heart was so filled to overflowing that tears began to fall like raindrops wetting Jesus soiled feet. As I said, she had not MEANT for this to happen. She had no towel. So the poor woman did the best she could by unloosing her long hair and wiping the Master’s feet clean.
Now this was VERY socially unacceptable in that culture. It was a definite NO NO! A woman was to loosen her hair only in private and only in the presence of her husband. In fact the TALMUD said that a woman could be divorced for letting down her hair in the presence of another man. This offense was so grave that the rabbis put a woman’s loosening her hair in the same category as uncovering her breasts in public.
So—when her hair came DOWN—the shock level of the guests and the onlookers went UP several notches. MORE audible gasps were heard. But the woman kept on. She used her long hair to wipe away her tears and the dirt. When that was done, she began anointing the Lord’s feet with the perfume. The Greek literally says she rubbed or massaged it into the skin. The aroma filled the courtyard—overcoming the other aromas that were present that day. Then this poor woman repeatedly kissed Jesus’ feet. The Greek verb means “to kiss again and again.” And it was AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. I mean, all this went on for an uncomfortably long time.
In short, the woman was a self-forgetful mess—crying unashamedly, her nose runny with weeping, her hair stringy with the muddy mixture of dirt and tears—her gratitude overflowing in repeated kisses on our Lord’s now perfumed feet. I would be embarrassed if I saw such a display but it was a beautiful and fully proper outpouring of love by a redeemed soul. It was an act of desperately joyous humility. I’m reminded of something C. S. Lewis once said, “If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you may always do so.” This woman’s actions were not wrong—they were just an obvious expression of her love for our Lord!
Well, at this point three other AROMAS wafted through that courtyard.
(1) First, there was the AROMA of GRACE.
You’ve probably already caught a whiff of this particular scent as I’ve referred to the fact that this woman had been CHANGED by our Lord’s forgiveness. She may have BEEN a prostitute but now through the unmerited grace of God she was no longer defined by who she had been. Now her sinful past had been erased—moved as far as the East is from the West—hidden in the depths of the sea—REMEMBERED NO MORE by Him Who knows all things. Her guilt and shame had been washed away just as her tears had washed the dust from our Lord’s feet. Her body was no longer for sale because God had purchased her soul. As I inferred, this is why she boldly walked into Simon’s home that day—and exploded with unbelievable gratitude. Think of it. She had been humiliated most of her life—embarrassed most of her life—she had felt unloved most of her life—used up most of her life. Now for the first time she felt free—clean—forgiven. Understand—she had DONE nothing to DESERVE the cleansing of Jesus’ forgiveness. It was totally unmerited. His forgiveness always is.
I don’t know about you but I can see Jesus catching the scent of grace in that courtyard. I mean Our Lord didn’t jump to His feet and say, “What are you doing woman?! Get up! Stop making a fool of yourself.” He didn’t turn to the other guests and say, “You’ll have to forgive this woman. She’s a groupie. I can’t control the fans. Security, can we get this woman out of here?” No—He just let her continue—and not because He was on an ego trip. Jesus wasn’t basking in the adulation of a fan. No—He was basking in the wonderful aroma of a life changed by His amazing grace. He was soaking up the smell of surrender—enjoying the fragrant effects of forgiveness.
And please—understand—Jesus’ ACCEPTANCE of the woman was not an ENDORSEMENT of her sinful lifestyle. Acceptance is not permissiveness. Jesus referred to her actions as SIN. He didn’t endorse her past life. No—He forgave it. And people who experience that forgiveness—people who inhale the grace of God don’t usually go back to their sinful lifestyle.
This is because God’s loving acceptance—His unconditional love—well, it gives sinners like you and me greater freedom to acknowledge our wrongdoing and to seek from Him a remedy for our sinfulness. Jesus’ unconditional acceptance opens the door to our repentance and then His forgiveness and the power to leave our sin.
Many people aren’t this accepting of people who have messed up royally in life because they are afraid that grace encourages people to sin—but that is not so. In fact, grace does exactly the opposite. Boice writes, “By the power of this gospel prostitutes have been reformed. Alcoholics have become sober. The proud have been humbled. Dishonest people have become models of integrity. Weak men have become strong—all because of the transformation wrought in them by the gospel of the grace of our forgiving God.”
One of my dad’s greatest preachers was Harry Ironside, and since I inherited most of his books Ironside has become one of mine as well. He once shared a powerful illustration of this principle.
Early in his ministry he was living in the San Francisco Bay area, and one day he came upon a group of Salvation Army workers holding an evangelistic meeting on a street corner. They were preaching and singing and sharing the gospel with all who would stop and listen. Well, they recognized Ironside and asked him to step up and share his testimony—which he did—a testimony of the life-changing power of the Gospel. As he was sharing, Ironside noticed a well-dressed man on the edge of the crowd. When Ironside finished his talk the man came forward, lifted his hat, and introduced himself. Ironside recognized the man as a well-known atheist who had made a name for himself by lecturing against the Christian faith. The man said, “Rev. Ironside, I challenge you to debate with me the question of ‘Agnosticism vs Christianity’ in the academy of Science Hall next Sunday afternoon at 4 PM. I will pay all your expenses.” Ironside replied by saying, “I am very much interested in this challenge and will agree to the debate on the following conditions. Bring with you to the Hall next Sunday two people as proof that agnosticism is of real value in changing human lives and building true character. Bring two men or women who have for years been what we commonly call ‘a down and outer’—someone whose actions have made them an outcast in society. They could have been a drunk or a criminal of some kind or involved in some behavior our society looks down on. But it has to be someone who for years was under the power of some evil habit and then heard of the glories of agnosticism and was so deeply moved that he or she decided to become an agnostic and as a result of that commitment found the power to turn from his aberrant behavior—all because they are now an agnostic. If you agree to bring these two people who have been changed by agnotiscim, I will bring with me at the very least one hundred men and women who for years lived in the same kind of sinful degradation as I have tried to depict but who have been gloriously saved through believing the Gospel which you ridicule. I will have these men and women with me on the platform as witnesses of the miraculous saving power of Jesus Christ and as present-day proof of the truth of the Bible.”
The agnostic waved his hand as if to say “Nothing doing!” and edged out of the crowd. Ironside knew that an experience of the grace of God changes us like nothing else can. It does not promote sin. In fact it does the opposite. It transforms lives. When people recognize that they have been graced—lifted form sin—forgiven—made sons and daughters of the most High—when they realize all this they become thankful and determined to live in a way that shows that gratitude. In short, THEY BECOME GRACE-DRIVEN. Paul described these people changed by their experience of God’s grace in in 2nd Corinthians 2. He referred to them as: “…the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved…”
Well, the good news is Jesus—our Creator and Redeemer—has not changed. The One Who loved and forgave that woman two thousand years ago, still loves and forgives sinners like you and me.
And—don’t you love THAT aroma—the aroma of the unmerited grace of God?!
(2) A second AROMA that filled the air that day was not so pleasant for it was the aroma of JUDGEMENTALISM.
It was very pungent. In fact, if we combine the other gospel accounts, most everyone in the room objected to the woman’s shameless display of gratitude and worship, but for different reasons. I mean there was a lot of JUDGEMENTAL SMELLS wafting through the room. Unfortunately acts of grace almost always prompt this kind of odor. I mean, many people react to unmerited grace with skeptical disbelief and judgment—which is what happened in Simon’s courtyard that day. In Matthew and Mark, we learn the disciples “were indignant, exclaiming, ‘Why this waste?’” In Mark, others who were present joined the disciples in their judgmental displeasure. John reveals that Judas led the condemning assault. And, according to our text in Luke, we learn that the host—Simon the Pharisee—seethed as well—but he seethed INWARDLY. No doubt, he maintained a composed, dignified façade despite his inward disgust. Pharisees, even the Pharisaical people of our day and age, hone this skill with daily practice. Simon’s control was strong because the truth is he could hardly believe his eyes. He was shocked by this woman’s actions and uncontrolled emotional display—but he was even more shocked and critical of Jesus’ response to it all. I mean, not only did He refuse to discourage the woman’s actions. He accepted them and even encouraged her! Simon thought, “How could He be a man of God, possessing true spiritual insight and behave like this around, well—THIS KIND OF A WOMAN!?”
By the way, the Greek for “this kind of woman” comes from the same Greek word that means “soil or dirt.” So literally Simon was thinking, “If He were a TRUE prophet—He would know how DIRTY that woman who is touching Him really is.”
Let me just stop and ask—does anyone have a memory come to mind—a time when you behaved like Simon? I mean, has there ever been a time when you embraced judgmental thoughts about a sinner, like this woman—someone who messed up royally—even repeatedly in life? Perhaps in your thoughts you put this person in an entirely different “class” than yourself. You’re up here and this person is way down there. If this describes you then listen up because at this point a third aroma filled the courtyard.
(3) …and I’m referring to the stinging aroma of TRUTH.
Jesus proclaimed this truth in parable form—the truth that we are all sinners—all equally bankrupt before God. Now—as God in the flesh—Jesus knew what Simon was thinking. He saw beneath the Pharisee’s controlled façade. So, our Lord spoke up and answered Simon’s thoughts by saying, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” Simon said, “Tell me teacher.” Then Jesus proceeded to share this parable about two men who owed money to the same moneylender. One owed five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Now—to put that in modern terms—a denarius was the daily wage of a common laborer, so—taking the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, which would equal $58 per day would mean the first guy owed $29,000 and the second owed $2900. Well, Jesus said “Neither of them had the money to pay the moneylender back so he canceled the debts of both.” And then He posed the $29,000 question to Simon, “Which of the two would love the moneylender more?” I can almost see Simon’s reply, looking around the room at all of his buddies as if to say, “Where’s Jesus going with this?!” Well, Simon looked back at Jesus and said, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled.” Jesus said, “You have judged correctly”—which makes sense because Simon was very good at judging!
Then Jesus turned to look at the woman but, still talking to Simon, said: “Do you see this woman? I came into your house and you did not give Me any water for My feet. Do you see this woman for who she really is? Because Simon, to be honest, you didn’t see Me for Who I really am. I came into your house but you didn’t even give Me water for My feet. But she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not greet Me with a kiss but this woman has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not put oil on My head but she has poured perfume on My feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. You see, he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
And please note—THE WOMAN’S love didn’t save her. JESUS’ love did. Jesus was saying, “The reason this woman has acted this way is she knows her sins—a boatload of them—have been forgiven—cancelled—wiped out. And Simon, that’s why you are putting out such a judgmental aroma right now. She knows she has been forgiven much. You think you have little or nothing to be forgiven for.”
Think of it. Simon knew all the religion, all the liturgy, all the rules, all the rituals, all the regulations, but somehow he had missed the very essence of God—-the essence this woman captured. She KNEW she needed grace. Simon’s nose was too high in the air to do so. Simon’s problem was he compared himself to the woman instead of to our Holy God. The point of Jesus’ parable was that both debtors were insolvent—unable to pay their debts. It didn’t matter how great their debt was—neither could pay it. Both faced debtor’s prison. Simon needed to realize that the condition for being forgiven is to realize that we are ALL broke—insolvent before God—in desperate need of His grace.
Jesus’ words bring a question to mind, “Is there such a thing as someone who ‘has been forgiven little?’” I mean, Simon felt that in comparison to this woman he was a LITTLE sinner. That would only be true if sins of the spirit are less important than sins of the flesh and the Bible says they are not. We label the adulterer and the thief as BIG sinners. But God hates pride, self-righteousness, and criticism with all the vehemence of His holy nature. John Owen observed that “He who has slight thoughts of sin never has great thoughts of God.” That was Simon’s problem. Because he trivialized his own sin, he misunderstood what God’s forgiveness really means. We are not forgiven more or less—we are forgiven all or nothing. Simon was not different than the woman qualitatively. He was just as spiritually bankrupt as she was, in need of a Savior to cancel his debt. The love this woman had for Jesus—a love that prompted her uncontrollable loving actions was the sign of her faith. Let me ask: How obvious is YOUR love for God? Or to put it another way: If gratitude like this woman displayed is a sign of forgiveness, of what is a lack of gratitude a sign?
LET US PRAY