your way of life then you can be forgiven.” But how did the Lord Jesus react? In a completely different way. The idea that we would first change our way of life, then we would be forgiven, comes from man. It comes from man’s requirements and human-centered faith. The woman cried. Jesus’ feet were wetted with her tears. She dried them with her hair and kissed them, and anointed them with alabaster ointment. The works of love came from faith.
Simon the Pharisee did not show any respect for the guest. We can imagine what it would be like to come to a house. We are invited as guest to some house, we come, we open the door ourselves, the host says nothing, we hang our jacket on a hook, go into the room. Nobody says anything. All avoid us. We find our own chair. This is how the Pharisee reacted. How is it at summer services? Here, joyful greetings are heard. We meet others that we haven’t seen in years. God’s peace. We have with joy greeted and talked with one another. Greetings have a very great significance. Sometimes the words may not even be heard but it is expressed from the look that I value you, it is good to see you. Even here it is good to see so many of my friends. At this moment there are many friends who have not made it to these services who listen on the radio or on the computer somewhere far away. Someone is on their sick bed; they may not even be able to listen, but there, far away, some friend is remembering her. They say, “Let’s go visit,” and they greet, bringing greetings of God’s peace.
Jesus sent twelve disciples and said: when you go into a house, greet with the greetings of peace, wish them peace; if the guests are not ready to accept the greetings, then return. I thought about this yesterday when I was able to give communion along with many other pastors, and in the end it is said, when releasing, to all communion guests, “Go in the peace of God.” How beautiful it is and how much significance there is in this greeting, “Go in the peace of God.” It may be that greeting someone may be difficult in our daily lives, there are unfamiliar guests; sometimes we might mutter a greeting to someone, but yet take no notice of that person. We do not need to be ashamed, but many times we can be ashamed of greeting. What then if a friend does not greet you? It could be that he didn’t notice you as he walked by. What if the friend does not greet you on purpose? Does he do as the Pharisees did in this story? What does it mean if someone does not greet you with God’s peace? The message related is that you are not considered a believer. If some Christian decides that I will not greet that brother or sister because in my mind he is such a sinner, and that Christian tells others not to greet that person, then he is acting like the Pharisees in this story. We must ask ourselves seriously in connection to this: do we see inside the heart of another person? Jesus saw. But do we? In the same way we must ask seriously before the Word of God, do we see our own condition? Here it is reminded that it is good to learn the history of Christianity. It is good to remember all the beautiful and good, but it is good to learn where the faults/errors have come from, where have the heresies come from. In Christianity during the different phases, in the beginning phases and in the later phases, there have been Pharisees. Man becomes as if he is God. It is a very dangerous doctrine, that we as humans rise up to the level of God. May God protect us from this.
Simon the Pharisee thought that the woman was a sinner. Here in the middle of this story is a parable of two men who owed money to a lender, a different amount, 50 and 500 denarii. Both were big amounts. When they couldn’t pay it back, the lender forgave them their debt; both debtors received it forgiven, both were shown grace. Although the host, Simon, was a debtor, he did not show love. How was it with this woman? She showed love the whole time. Love is the result when one experiences grace. This woman received all her sins forgiven, not just some of the sins, but all sins forgiven. She received a great amount of sins forgiven and she showed a great amount of love.
Love is a fruit of faith. Today, good service guests, have you received a little or much forgiven? How is it in the light of God’s Word, how do we see our own situation? Is it not proclaimed to you and to me, to the congregation, all sins forgiven? When we remember how much I have been loved, how much I have been forgiven, don’t we also want to forgive those little faults of our brothers and sisters? Surely the transgressions and faults can be burdensome, but ask and pray for power to have them forgiven.
Jesus did something very unusual. While he was eating at the home of a stranger he began rebuke the host. He said, “Look at this woman. When I came into your home you did not give me water to wash my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You did not greet me with a kiss, but she has been kissing my feet since I arrived. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment.” Faith effects works of love. Love shows how we relate to those close to us. The Pharisees were offended by the woman. But even more, these Pharisees were offended by Jesus. The main person in this story is not the Pharisee, not even the woman, but the center-most is Jesus Christ. He does not reject the weak and wounded person. He receives that person and shows mercy. Maybe there is someone at services or listening who is rejected. Someone to whom it has been said, “You are not acceptable here. You are acceptable only when you are such and such a person.” As people we may speak in this way. We may speak in this way in our homes or with families. I think about you mothers and fathers who may have several children, it is good when the kids help and learn good things in the family, take responsibility; but at the same time, I think of the older kids who help, and when the little ones need a lap, they are there. These older kids also need laps and love, all ages and sizes—we all hunger for love. As humans we may reject another person, but the king of the Kingdom of God, the Lord Jesus, does not reject.
At these services we have heard the good message, the joyous message, from the Lord Jesus Christ, to you who have been tried, who are like this woman, you who many times have been looked at and rejected, the Lord Jesus does not look in this way, he looks graciously, with value, with mercy. In the gospel of Luke, there is the portion where Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster sang. The gospel tells that Jesus looked at Peter. We could imagine how Jesus looked at Peter, he who three times denied Jesus. Full of grace, full of love. The gospel tells how Peter went out and wept bitterly. This woman did not say anything in the house of the Pharisee, but her works told of her. We do not need long speeches, even though I have spoken long here, but in everyday life those small works of love to our friends and close ones, they have great significance.
We do not just examine the Word of God, but the Word examines us. Jesus looks graciously on us today, even though we may have gone to the place of the Pharisee, hardened, hypocritical. The son of God looks on us graciously and calls us as partakers of his grace. In the speakers meeting, in the introduction, was a question: is it enough if we preach only of Christ? One older speaker kept a speaking turn where he said there where Christ is, there is the Kingdom of God. That we would always preach the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. For as sinful people we get comfort from no other place. At work at the hospital,—I will not tell personal stories for the sake of privacy, but this I can say,—that a person that is about to die (leave) becomes comforted only from the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. But not only the one that is leaving, but even us who may have much of our life still to live, you also are comforted by faith that you can today believe that all of your sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name and atoning blood. You can be of a secure mind that the Lord Jesus sees your difficulties; he sees everything. As Paul writes to the Corinthian congregation: I have not wanted to say anything more than the crucified Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul continues in another portion, that we do not proclaim ourselves but Jesus Christ, that he is the Lord. Lift up your hearts, hearers of the Word this evening, to believe sins forgiven in Jesus’ name and blood. We can be secure traveling. Bless one another, bless with this most precious gospel that the Lord Jesus suffered and died and rose again on all of our behalf. He is the beginning and end of our faith. I want to also at the end ask if I may remain believing. I wish to remain believing with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Mika Kallunki
a sermon given on Luke 7:36–50
transcribed into English by Jim Lehtola
The robe of righteousness
The
