Sermon Tone Analysis

*(Loving Christ series)*

!! Luke 7:36-50

 

! Introduction

A young woman in England many years ago always wore a golden locket that she would not allow anyone to open or look into, and everyone thought there must be some romance connected with that locket and that in that locket must be the picture of the one she loved.

The young woman died at an early age, and after her death the locket was opened, everyone wondering whose face they would find within.

And in the locket was found simply a little slip of paper with these words written upon it, "Whom having not seen, I love."

Her Lord Jesus was the only lover she knew and the only lover she longed for.

-- R.A. Torrey

I read a story about a dedicated Christian working in an amazing way with the underprivileged people in London, England.

She was a Jew who had fled the German Gestapo in France during World War II.

As she fled, she knew she was close to being caught and she wanted to give up, but she came to the home of a French Huguenot.

A widow lady came to that home to say that it was time to flee to a new place.

This Jewish lady said, "It's no use, they will find me anyway.

They are so close behind."

The Christian widow said, "Yes, they will find someone here, but it's time for you to leave.

Go with these people to safety--I will take your identification and wait here."

The Jewish lady then understood the plan; the Gestapo would come and find this Christian widow and think she was the fleeing Jew.

The Jewish lady asked her why she was doing that and the widow responded, 'It's the least I can do; Christ has already done that and more for me."'

The widow was caught and imprisoned in the Jewish lady's place, allowing time for her to escape.

Within six months the Christian widow was dead in the concentration camp.

This Jewish lady never forgot that.

She too became a follower of Jesus Christ and lived her life serving others.

She met God through the greatest love a person can give--personal self-sacrifice.

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 444.

I would like to read another story of love for Christ.

It is found in Luke 7:36-50.

(The Message)

“One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal.

He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table.

Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet.

Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.”

Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Oh?

Tell me.”

            “Two men were in debt to a banker.

One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty.

Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts.

Which of the two would be more grateful?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”

“That’s right,” said Jesus.

Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman?

I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair.

You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet.

You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume.

Impressive, isn’t it?

She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful.

If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”

Then he spoke to her: “I forgive your sins.”

That set the dinner guests talking behind his back: “Who does he think he is, forgiving sins!”

He ignored them and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you.

Go in peace.”

The thoughts I want to share with you today and for the next three weeks were prompted by the book which the librarians have chosen as the book of the month.

It is called, “Loving Christ” and is written by Joseph Stowell who is president of Moody Bible Institute.

Today, I want to ask all of us, “Do you love Jesus?”

!

I. Do You Love Me?

When we lived in Steinbach there was a widow who lived in the apartment below us.

She lived there with her adult son who was an alcoholic and was known as the town drunk.

As you can imagine, he did not have a good reputation.

When we lived in Manitou, there was a particular lady who lived in the same community.

They used to talk about her in the coffee shop and I got the impression that she could be bought.

She did not have a good reputation and was looked down upon by the people of the town.

That is who the woman in Luke 7 was.

The text says that she “lived a sinful life in that town.”

In other words, people knew her and looked down upon her because of the lifestyle that she lived.

We may wonder what she was doing at the banquet of Simon the Pharisee, but that is easy enough to explain.

In that day, if there was a banquet, special guests would be invited to come and join in the meal and celebration.

Other people from the town would know that the banquet was on and because they did not have doors or guards or even triple pain windows, many people would come uninvited and listen in on the conversation at the table and perhaps even beg for food.

Many people were very poor and needed to find food wherever they could.

At the banquet they had lots of food and because they did not have refrigeration the food had to all be eaten.

When the quests had finished, others would come and ask if they could finish what was left.

So it was not impossible for a prostitute to be among the uninvited guests.

Even though it may not have been unusual for her to be there, what she did while there was unusual.

When she did it, everyone, invited guests and those standing around uninvited would have become quiet, stared at her, whispered to each other and probably run her down.

Standing with the uninvited crowd, she saw Jesus there.

It is more than likely that she had met with him before and knowing he would be at the banquet, she had come with some intention of letting him know how she felt.

As we set the scene, you have to remember that they did not sit at a table, but reclined on cushions as they ate, so their feet would stretch out behind them.

She came up behind him and knelt at his feet.

As she stood behind him, she was overcome with emotion and began to cry uncontrollably.

Her tears fell on Jesus’ feet.

Seeing this, she perhaps became anxious about this mishap and without regard for the shamelessness of the act, she let down her hair and began to wipe the tears with her hair.

Her approach to Jesus and her tears were all motivated by a deep love for Jesus which was now revealed even more as she began to kiss his feet.

Then, having come prepared to do so, she poured out a jar of expensive perfume on his feet, in an act of costly love for Jesus.

Her deep act of love arose out of her heart and she was not afraid to act on it.

In fact, hers is probably the most visible, public act of love for Jesus or for God of anyone in all of scripture.

It is unashamed, deeply felt and openly acted upon.

She loved Jesus with a deep and powerful love and was not afraid to show him and everyone else.

After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to the disciples and on one of those occasions, he spoke directly to Peter who had recently denied knowing Him.

In John 21:15-17, we have the story in which Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?”

            Today, the story of the woman invites us to pose this question to ourselves, “Do I love Jesus?”

If I am truly honest with myself, I have to admit that I do not love Jesus, at least not like the woman did.

In my heart I know that I love myself, I love fun, I love ease and comfort.

I don’t have any problem expressing enthusiasm about a lot of things and speak with passion about things that interest me, but how often do I speak with passion about my love for Jesus.

I suspect all of us struggle with this.

We are filled with self indulgence, or self pity, because we are filled with self love, not love for Jesus.

One writer says, “If we love Christ, He wants to know where He stands among all the stuff of our lives.”

I admit that I have a long way to go towards loving Jesus like this.

!

II.

How Great Is the Love of Christ!

How can we love Him that much?