Forgiveness

Sermon preached by the Rev. Lowell E. Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

June 16, 2013; 4 Pentecost, Proper 6, Year C

Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary

(Luke 7:36 – 8:4)  One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him-- that she is a sinner." Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak." "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

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Sometimes when I’m doing research for sermon preparation, I run across someone who opens the scripture for me, and I think, that’s what I want to say about this passage.  That’s what happened to me this week, so credit most of the ideas and many of the words for this sermon to David J. Lose who holds the chair for Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN.  He says this story of the woman who interrupts the dinner party is one of his “absolute favorite” stories.[i]

So, let’s set the scene.  We are in the home of Simon, a prominent Pharisee, who has invited Jesus to dinner, most likely to allow Simon and his influential friends to get a taste of what this exciting young prophet is up to.  Expectations are high for a sophisticated and respectable discussion.

The proper and civil evening is interrupted by a woman who is known as “a sinner.”  Now, that doesn’t mean necessarily that she is a prostitute, as some have assumed, but she is known to be a sinner, and we can imagine people like Simon and his friends know why.

She behaves in an audacious, provocative way, lavishing affection upon Jesus, washing his feet with ointment and tears, kissing his feet and drying them with her hair.  Outrageous. 

It seems that Jesus knows why she has done this unexpected act, and he offers to share his knowledge, as Rabbis often do, with a question and a story.  Simon, who do you think would be more grateful, someone whose debt of $100,000 was cancelled or the one who was forgiven $10,000?  “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.”  Well, yes. 

I can imagine Jesus opening his hand in a gesture toward the woman, who is profoundly expressing her gratitude, weeping and overcome with gladness and joy – “the kind of gratitude understood only by someone who has been given everything.”  Forgiven everything.

Now let’s think about that for a minute.  What does forgiveness mean, especially when you have profound things to be forgiven for?  At its heart, forgiveness is the restoration of relationship.  When you have done something to rupture a relationship or to injure another, forgiveness happens when that other releases any claim, just like a cancelled debt.  “Forgiveness cancels relational debt and opens up the future.”

More than that.  “Forgiveness gives you back yourself.”  When you live with a burden of guilt, it is so easy to define yourself by that lack and to let it dominate you and your sense of self.  You can feel like you are a failure; you are “the mistakes you’ve made, the debt you owe.  When you are forgiven, all those limitations disappear and you are restored, renewed, set free.  So, yes, forgiveness is everything.”

After Jesus’ conversation with Simon, Jesus looks at the woman and says to her – reminds her, most likely – “Your sins are forgiven.”  “I think Jesus had already met this woman, already forgiven her sins,” that’s why she is so grateful.  But a reminder is helpful.  Especially in a context where you can imagine Simon and the others are looking at her the way some people do when they look down on others.  Jesus tells her again that she is forgiven.  “Some things, you see, are so good it’s hard to believe they’re true.  And so Jesus repeats the words of forgiveness that they may sink deep into her broken and reborn heart.”

Now that would have been enough for a good story and a good lesson.  But Jesus goes deeper.  He makes some comparisons – this sinner’s acts of extravagant hospitality in contrast with Simon’s lack of generosity.  Jesus says that the truth cuts both ways.  Jesus makes no accusation or threat toward Simon, just a simple observation:  Those who have been forgiven little love very little. 

Maybe Simon has been forgiven much, but didn’t notice because of his status.  Maybe he doesn’t think he needs forgiveness, after all, he’s a good man, a Pharisee who is conscientious in his behavior.  Perhaps he even disdains forgiveness as something for others, like this woman who is so clearly a sinner in need of forgiveness.  Him, need forgiveness?  No.  No, thank you.

And so, if we are unaware of our need, we can’t receive the gift for what we lack, and we experience little gratitude, at least nothing like the gratitude of one who knows she has received everything. 

It is one of the problems for those who believe they have earned everything.  They are often blind to what they have been given, often unable to see their debts, their need, even the damage they may have left in the wake of their earning everything. 

It is an even bigger problem for those who have sensed themselves to be entitled to everything, dare I say, entitled to anything.  When you live in a privileged situation, you just take so much for granted.  So many of your needs have been met, that you may not even recognize them as needs.  Or gifts. 

So we may wonder about Simon.  He’s known as a good man, a man of some standing – whether earned or given through entitlement, we don’t know – but he simply overlooked the acts of common hospitality of greeting his guest Jesus with a kiss, or washing his feet, or anointing his head.  It does make one “wonder whether he invited Jesus sincerely or more for sport.” 

Simon could have looked upon the woman’s extravagant show of love and recognized the contrast with his own lack of hospitality.  But instead, “he judges both her and Jesus.  He is a man who has no sense of being forgiven – even of needing forgiveness – and so is trapped in a judgmental hardness of heart.”

Jesus’ story tells both sides of a single truth:  “the joyful truth that those who recognize their need receive their heart’s desire and live out of gratitude and love, and the tragic truth that those who believe themselves righteous or sufficient on their own never know the joy of receiving and so pursue truncated lives absent of genuine gratitude or love.”

We don’t hear any more about these characters in the rest of Luke’s gospel.  But I wonder what happened to them.  So I speculate. 

The woman who showed her gratitude…  I’ll bet she was welcomed into the community of people drawn to Jesus, those others who were touched by his compassion.  Maybe she continued to live out of that energy of gratitude and thanks.  In fact, the reason we might have this story passed down to us might be because she told it later to his friends gathered to break bread each Sunday after his resurrection. 

But what about Simon?  With his lovely dinner party disrupted and his guest insulting him, Simon might have decided he didn’t like this new rabbi very much.  If Jesus were a real prophet, he should have known that woman was a sinner and stopped the whole embarrassing mess before it started.  Simon might have felt shamed.  Not the healthy shame that leads to repentance and forgiveness.  But the unhealthy shame that hardens hearts. 

Simon might have been one of those who decided that Jesus was a problem; that Jesus crossed some unforgivable lines.  After all, who does he think he is passing out forgiveness so wantonly.  Only God can forgive.  That’s what the Temple is for.  If this woman, this sinner needs forgiveness, she should go through proper channels and offer her sacrifices at the Temple.  This Jesus is no prophet; he’s a problem.  Simon might have ended this evening with the kind of anger that can turn deadly.  A self-righteous anger; the anger of someone who is certain that he is right.  And he knows the kind of people that live in the shadow of his rightness – this embarrassing woman and her charlatan rabbi.

And BAM – I realize, I’ve just bashed Simon with the same penchant to go searching for the splinters in my neighbor’s eye rather than pull out the plank in my own.  There I go again.  Judging with a hard heart.

So I’ve got a choice now:  rejoice or resent.  Laugh and embrace my habitual sinfulness, and be loved and forgiven all things; or get down and resentful, either toward myself or toward the Simons of the world, and reject God’s tender embrace.  Will I be like Simon, or like the grateful woman?  How about you?

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[i]  David Lose, Forgiveness and Gratitude, from his Dear Working Preacher blog, http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=2601.   All quotes in this sermon are from David Lose or from the scripture text.