Title: On account of Christ you receive God’s favor!
Text Luke 7:48-50
48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Bill Cosby insists that there is a difference between Mother's Day and Father's Day. He says that Mother's Day is a much bigger deal because Mothers are more organized. Mothers say to their children: Now here is a list of what I want. Go get the money from your father and you surprise me on Mother's Day.
For Father’s Day, Bill Cosby gives each of his five kids $20 so that they can go out and by him a present—a total of $100. They go to the store and buy two packages of underwear, each of which costs $5 and contains three shorts. They tear them open and each kid wraps up one pair, the sixth going to the Salvation Army. Therefore, on Father’s Day he’s walking around with new underwear and his kid’s are walking around with $90 worth of his change in their pockets.
Today we thank the Lord for our dad’s and for all the blessings that we've learned from them. Many times dad showed us favor and kindness when we've messed up and today as well we can be thankful that:
On account of Christ you receive God’s favor!
In our Gospel for today Jesus is invited to dine with a Pharisee. Now, the Pharisees were a bit self-absorbed; if you remember the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
Now, as Jesus is dinning a woman of questionable character- a woman of the city, a sinner, who is only at this place because she knew Jesus was there, begins weeping and wets his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair.
At some point in her life she made some wrong choices (any of you ever do that before?) The burden of her sin, she carried by herself, until the weight of the Law of God caused a repentant heart in her. Hearing of Christ’s presence in the house she came to honor Him in blessed thanksgiving, washing, kissing and anointing His feet.
Ill.
The root of this practice appears to be found in the hospitality customs of ancient civilizations, especially where sandals were the chief footwear. A host would provide water for guests to wash their feet, provide a servant to wash the feet of the guests or even serve the guests by washing their feet. A typical Eastern host might bow, greet, and kiss his guest, then offer water to allow the guest to wash his feet or have servants do it. Though the wearing of sandals might necessitate washing the feet, the water was also offered as a courtesy even when shoes were worn. Jesus even washes His disciple’s feet as a sign of humility in how they should treat one another.
As the Pharisee sees this he thinks to himself, “If Jesus really is a prophet, he would know that this woman is a low-life sinner of the worst kind and certainly not wish to be associated with her.” Many times we too lump people together with those whom they associate with.
Ill.
Father Mike was a young Priest when I was playing in the bars of Detroit in my early 20s. In 1978 he was newly ordained and installed at St. Francis Cabrini parish in Allen Park. One night as we were beginning to play our first set, in walks my friend Jeff and Father Mike. In talking with Father Mike between sets he related a bit of uneasiness at being in this place. After all the Priest was usually seen at church among parishioners. So here is Father Mike, among sinners, alcohol, smoke, drugs, fights and yes even Rock-n-Roll … done occasionally with a banjo and a red towel.
His thought, “Yes, I am a Priest but maybe here is where I should be bringing the love of Christ to those in need.”
This unfortunately seems to place the weight of some sins that are more public and seem greater in the light of our own vision to the hidden sin we all have and fight against daily. At times you and I, like the Pharisee, see the sins of others … while neglecting the plank in your own eye; thinking it a speck of dust you can just wash out yourself. This self-justifying, self-redeeming sin is a greater corruption than the public sin which is recognized and repented of allowing the cleansing ointment of the God/man to wash you clean in the tears of baptismal forgiveness.
Jesus places the plank squarely back in the Pharisees eye with his story of two debtors. One who was forgiven a debt that was ten times the others and asks this question of the Pharisee:
“ … Now which of them will love him more?”
If you like the Pharisee answer, “the one who has been forgiven the bigger debt!” you too would have answered correctly! The gift of forgiveness is truly a blessing when you recognize especially the magnitude of your guilt. Even the smallest of sin brings separation for eternity from our loving God. At no time could this woman in our lesson see a repair she could make. What she saw was Jesus; Only Jesus. She could only, through repentance, see the comfort offered in Him and the justifying gift and forgiveness He offered.
The Pharisee struggled because he didn’t recognize Jesus for who He is and also didn’t recognize his own sin of self-righteousness. Not needing Christ’s forgiveness in his own view the Pharisee was to be forgiven little and he loved little. But not so you who place your trust in Christ because:
On account of Christ you too receive God’s favor and the same gift!
The epistle reading for today from Galatians brings to focus the gift of God’s justifying grace in Christ Jesus.
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
The woman at Christ’s feet would not be kept from the free grace offered by the Spirit through faith.
48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The sermon hymn Not What These Hands Have Done reminds us:
1. Not what these hands have done can save this guilty soul; Not what this toiling flesh has born can make my spirit whole.
2. Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God; Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.
49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”
Again the Sermon hymn frees you and me from the work of the Law and points us to the joy we have in Christ Jesus and His work.
3. Thy work alone O Christ, Can ease this weight of sin; Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
4. Thy love to me O God, not mine, O Lord to thee; can rid me of this dark unrest and set my spirit free.
50 And then he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The sermon hymn concludes with the gospel’s Good News:
5. Thy grace alone O God, to me can pardon speak; Thy power alone, O Son of God, can this sore bondage break.
6. I bless the Christ of God, I rest on love divine; and with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
Christ’s forgiveness is given freely to all who repent of their sins by faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit, trusting in Christ’s finished work. You are Christ’s not of your doing but of his choosing and he calls through the gospel of forgiveness by the Holy Spirit in word and sacrament. In baptism you have been call, washed and made God’s beloved child!
As we today celebrate our earthly fathers and all that they have meant in our lives, influencing who we’ve become … we too remember that as a child of our heavenly Father, brought to him through the work of His Son, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, we have an eternal Father’s Day that we celebrate and joy in now and forever in heaven, Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
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