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Introduction to Luke

Three Major Themes:

God has a plan

The Kingdom of God

That you would have certainty in the things that you believe

Jesus ministry in Galilee ()

You can go back and listen to some of those messages on our web site.

Last week we wrapped up with a contrast between the pharisees who rejected the work of God and the general population who had received the work of God through John.

Luke

Retell the story with cultural and geographical context

This is the first of three occasions where Jesus ate at a Pharisees house.

(11:37-54; 14:1-24)

Meals were served in a horseshoe shape with people reclining on their side and their feet sticking out behind them.

Simon the Pharisee had not been hospitable.

The normal steps that someone would take when opening up their home would have included a kiss of greeting, washing the feet or providing water for the feet.

This meal probably took place in the courtyard of the home which would have been an easily accessible space for this woman.

Verse 47 and 48 are the high point of the text...

Three points from the text

We are with Simon the Pharisee in his mistake

If that person were truly good then they would do X and since they don't I feel morally superior.

If that person were truly good then they would do X and since they don't I feel morally superior.

Sin is very real

Forgiveness is real

Point #1 - We are with Simon the Pharisee in his mistake

Simon the Pharisee personifies a common attitude that people have in their human experience and it is this: If that person were truly good then they would do X and since they don't I feel morally superior.

Here Simon is judging Jesus in this way.

It is like an algebraic equation.

It might take the following forms:

If that person is truly good then they will adopt animals instead of buying bread ones and since they don't I'm morally superior.

If that person were truly good they would eat a paleo diet instead of being a vegan and since they don't I'm morally superior.

If my 8 year old sister were truly good she would know how to win at minecraft and since she doesn't I'm morally superior.

If that homeless person were really good they would get a job and get off the streets and since they don't I'm morally superior.

Have you ever been around a person who always has a better story?

Are you that person?

A critical spirit flows from a specific belief about oneself.

To be critical of others you have to

A sensed need a moral standing or approval… need righteousness

Posses a very low view of your sin

have a belief that by being able to identify other peoples sin you are in some way improving your own goodness.

"Ah, I know what you are doing wrong.

And by identifying that thing I am a better person then you."

It is as if a person becomes better by identifying other peoples wrongdoing.

“The Gospel does not establish a new religion for those who want to be pious, but salvation for the ungodly; and Christians are not pious people resting safely on grace but ungodly people standing under grace.”

- Earnst Kasemann

Jesus is saying moral standing does not flow from an ability to judge sin accurately.

No. Moral standing comes from being forgiven.

Our boast is in Christ's work for us not our work for him.

says that were sin abounds grace abounds much more.

Paul talks about boasting in Christ.

This pharisee appears to have been holding onto a self-righteousness.

Now, that doesn’t mean that we don’t address sin.

encourages us to help fellow Christians stuck in sin.

tells the church to deal with sinning members and move them towards repentance.

The correction of this passage is targeted at an attitude of self-righteousness based on the ability to identify other people’s sin.

And Jesus is calling Simon to look at the situation through new eyes.

If Simon is impacted by this experience what should he do after this encounter?

He is already virtuous.

Can he be more better?

No he needs to recognize that the opposite of sin is not virtue.

The opposite of sin is faith.

Point #2 Sin is substantially real

In our narrative sin is mentioned five times.

Let look at three of those passages:

Luke 7:

Luke 7:

Luke

In we are introduced to the concept of sin.

God gives Adam and Even parameters on what trees they cannot eat from.

And Adam and Eve disobey God’s Words.

The result is internal shame, separation from God and the curse of death.

The Hebrew word hata’ and Greek hamartia meant originally “to miss the mark, fail in duty” (Rom 3:23).

As Lawgiver, God sets limits to man’s freedom; another frequent term (Hebrew, ’abar; Greek, parabasis) describes sin as “transgression,” “overstepping set limits.”

Similar terms are pesha’ (Hebrew), meaning “rebellion,” “transgression”; ’asham (Hebrew) denotes “trespassing God’s kingly prerogative,” “incurring guilt”; paraptoma (Greek) denotes “a false step out of the appointed way,” “trespass on forbidden ground.”

“Iniquity” often translates ’aon (Hebrew, meaning “perverseness,” “wrongness”), for which the nearest NT equivalent is anomia (Greek, “lawlessness”) or paranomia (Greek, “lawbreaking”).

The most frequent biblical words for sin speak of violating that standard in some fashion.

The Hebrew word hata’ and Greek hamartia meant originally “to miss the mark, fail in duty” (Rom 3:23).

As Lawgiver, God sets limits to man’s freedom; another frequent term (Hebrew, ’abar; Greek, parabasis) describes sin as “transgression,” “overstepping set limits.”

Similar terms are pesha’ (Hebrew), meaning “rebellion,” “transgression”; ’asham (Hebrew) denotes “trespassing God’s kingly prerogative,” “incurring guilt”; paraptoma (Greek) denotes “a false step out of the appointed way,” “trespass on forbidden ground.”

“Iniquity” often translates ’aon (Hebrew, meaning “perverseness,” “wrongness”), for which the nearest NT equivalent is anomia (Greek, “lawlessness”) or paranomia (Greek, “lawbreaking”).

says “all have sinned”

Sin is a universal disease that has affected every part of our lives.

Sin has alienated humanity from the original design of the universe.

Sin has affected every human relationship.

Sin affects our physical bodies and puts us on the trajectory of death.

Sin has affected our work and play.

Sin has affected the good things God made for us.

In this story sin is an identity.

This women is identified as a sinner.

Her culture gave her this identity.

What this means is that she didn’t just step over the limits of her conscience, but she also ran through cultural boundaries and the social pressure associated with this particular sin.

All have sinned, but only some are identified as sinners by their culture.

A cultural concept of sin is an interesting idea.

Sometimes the taboos of culture align with God’s moral law.

Culture generally is disapproving of murder and murder is a violation of God’s law.

This is a case where God and culture agree.

But there are other instances where culture is more critical or more permissive then the law of God.

Ultimately, humans are accountable to God for their sin.

Culture can participate with God in that accountability process or it can inoculate its members from God’s conviction.

But no matter how culture handles sin, sin is very real in its effect.