Sermon - Luke 7 - An Annointing - Littleby Baptist Church - August 25, 2019
When we last looked at the life and ministry of Jesus, we
focused on the conversation Jesus had with the rich young ruler. He did not ask
the rich young ruler to give up his riches because he was wealthy, Jesus was
trying to get the young man to truly put his faith in Jesus. The young man
needed to be 110% fully bought in on following Jesus, not a list of rules or things.
Following rules will get us nowhere, we need to turn to Jesus, repent of our sins, and fully trust Him and follow wherever He leads.
The Gospels tell of a woman who anointed Jesus. Each of the telling’s are slightly different and there is even some debate on if they are all telling us about the same event. Regardless, they all emphasize an important message. We will be taking a look at Luke’s version of the woman who anointed Jesus.
Luke 7:36-38
“36 Then one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume.”
We tend to give Pharisees a hard time and while this Pharisee is not used as a good example by Luke, we see that Jesus accepted the invitation to dine with him. Jesus came for all, in hopes that none would parish. Even what in today’s terms we would call a ‘Holly Roller’ who would think highly of themselves. We can sometimes dismiss the Holly Rollers as people who have heard the message and it just got corrupted, just like a Pharisees. Jesus tried to reach them, and we need to follow suit. The hope being all will repent and follow Jesus.
The picture of the Last Supper shows everyone sitting around a table as we would see it, that is not how things were done in those days. They would eat at tables that were lower than most coffee tables and lean on pillows with their feet stuck out to their side. Sitting up at our dining tables would really make it hard for this woman to come up behind Jesus and do what she did, but with Him laying on his side made this possible.
I love you all, but do not expect your feet washed when you come to my house. Having someone wash your feet and anoint you with oil seems a bit odd to us, but it was common practice at the time. Back then it was expected that wealthy people would have servants wash the feet of their guests and anoint their heads with oil. Got rid of the worst of the stink and covered up the rest of it. Jesus’ feet being washed was normal, the anointing was normal, the way it was done was not.
The woman doing the washing was a ‘sinner’ and would never have been a servant at a Pharisee’s house. The perfume, according to the Gospel of Mark, was valued at over 300 denarii, or over 300 days’ worth of wages. Something only the wealthy could afford and would not be used on feet, it was something that would have been saved for special occasions. I think you would also have a hard time finding a servant who would kiss the feet they were washing.
In this case, this sinner, this woman was doing way more than normal. In this single act, you could say, that she was worshipping Jesus with all that she had. Somehow, she understood exactly who Jesus was and held absolutely nothing back. She did not care how she looked, who was watching, or what it cost. It was Pure Unfiltered Worship!
In Matthew and Mark, Jesus is recorded as saying that what this woman had done will be told wherever the Gospel is told. Her demonstration of pure unfiltered worship, her pouring out her Love for Jesus is something we can all learn from.
How many here are willing to say that You Love Jesus? Are you willing to shout it from the roof tops? Are you willing to sing at the top of your lungs as you praise your Lord? How about raising your hands when you praise Him? You ok with this stuff in church, but how about out in public?
Like this sinner, we need to give Jesus our Pure Unfiltered Worship!
I am not standing here saying I get it right all the time. There are times I have prayed loudly, sang even louder, waved my hands in the air as I worshipped Jesus, and did not care who saw me or heard me. On the flip side though, there have been times I have not raised my hands in worship, prayed to myself, or sung quietly because I was not sure how people would react. I have been as free as this woman and as rigid as the Pharisee.
This woman, who has been recorded in scripture as a sinner, one of the worst things you could be called by a Pharisee is showing us that we need to worship Jesus with all that we have, to not worry what others might think or say, we need to pour every ounce of our love for Jesus into our worship of Him.
Hold nothing back! Give your Lord Pure Unfiltered Worship!
Luke 7:39
“39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!””
The Pharisee was looking at Jesus as a wise teacher or prophet who should have known better than to become ceremonial unclean by allowing a sinner to touch Him.
He did not understand that Jesus did not care about becoming ceremonial unclean, He was not worried about what people thought, His focus was on being about His Father’s business. He was on this earth to provide a path to salvation to this woman, the Pharisee, and the rest of us sinners.
Luke 7:40-43
“40 Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He said, “Say it, teacher.” 41 “A creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.42 Since they could not pay it back, he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.” “You have judged correctly,” he told him.”
Both of the debtors owed significant amounts of money, one owing 50 days’ worth of work and the other 500 days of work. Debts they most likely could never afford to pay back on their own. In the Pharisee’s mind he owed the small amount as he had probably accidently messed up here and there, but the woman owed the greater debt as she was a sinner and had been cast out of the temple. While the Pharisee answered Jesus correctly, he still thought he was good enough, but the woman was not. He did not understand that they were not so different.
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The Pharisee may have been ceremonial clean, but the inside was not. In these couple of verses, we see a man who is arrogant, does not love his neighbor as himself, and more. We see a man who does not realize that even a single sin results in us falling short of the glory of God.
It is easy for us to look at ‘others’ and tell ourselves that I am not ‘that’ bad. It does not matter how well we have our life put together, how polished we may appear, or how good we are at following rules. We have all fallen short of the glory of God and are in desperate need of a savior. We need to understand that we Need Jesus just like the woman did and we need to give Him our Pure Unfiltered Worship.
Luke 7:44-46
“44 Turning to 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, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume.”
The Pharisee did not even show Jesus the basic courtesies of the day, while the woman went to the extreme. The Pharisee looked at the outside and did not think a carpenter’s son who ‘may’ be a prophet could offer him anything. The woman on the other hand understood that she was a sinner and that she needed her Savior. In both cases their actions showed Jesus and those watching what was in their hearts. She showed that Pure Unfiltered Worship, He did not.
Luke 7:47-48
“47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.””
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The woman was worshipping Jesus with everything she had because she understood she deserved death, but Jesus was offering the gift of eternal life. She was so grateful for what Jesus was giving her that she did not care what others thought or said, so she poured out all of her Love in true unfiltered worship.
In 2 Samuel chapter 6, David did this as they were bringing the Ark of the Lord back to its rightful place. As the King of Israel, he worshipped the Lord with all his might, did not care what people saw, or how it made him look. It made his wife angry, but he told her that he was willing to look foolish as he worshipped the Lord. David was a man who at times was a holier than thou Pharisee and at times gave all he had in Pure Unfiltered Worship.
We are sinners. We may have sinned 1 time, 50 times, 500 times, or 500 Billion times. The number does not matter, the fact is we deserve judgement and Jesus is offering Grace.
Jesus has given us everything. Are you willing to unashamedly give Jesus everything you have? Are you willing to give Him Pure Unfiltered Worship?
God Bless,
Robert
Following rules will get us nowhere, we need to turn to Jesus, repent of our sins, and fully trust Him and follow wherever He leads.
The Gospels tell of a woman who anointed Jesus. Each of the telling’s are slightly different and there is even some debate on if they are all telling us about the same event. Regardless, they all emphasize an important message. We will be taking a look at Luke’s version of the woman who anointed Jesus.
Luke 7:36-38
“36 Then one of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume.”
We tend to give Pharisees a hard time and while this Pharisee is not used as a good example by Luke, we see that Jesus accepted the invitation to dine with him. Jesus came for all, in hopes that none would parish. Even what in today’s terms we would call a ‘Holly Roller’ who would think highly of themselves. We can sometimes dismiss the Holly Rollers as people who have heard the message and it just got corrupted, just like a Pharisees. Jesus tried to reach them, and we need to follow suit. The hope being all will repent and follow Jesus.
The picture of the Last Supper shows everyone sitting around a table as we would see it, that is not how things were done in those days. They would eat at tables that were lower than most coffee tables and lean on pillows with their feet stuck out to their side. Sitting up at our dining tables would really make it hard for this woman to come up behind Jesus and do what she did, but with Him laying on his side made this possible.
I love you all, but do not expect your feet washed when you come to my house. Having someone wash your feet and anoint you with oil seems a bit odd to us, but it was common practice at the time. Back then it was expected that wealthy people would have servants wash the feet of their guests and anoint their heads with oil. Got rid of the worst of the stink and covered up the rest of it. Jesus’ feet being washed was normal, the anointing was normal, the way it was done was not.
The woman doing the washing was a ‘sinner’ and would never have been a servant at a Pharisee’s house. The perfume, according to the Gospel of Mark, was valued at over 300 denarii, or over 300 days’ worth of wages. Something only the wealthy could afford and would not be used on feet, it was something that would have been saved for special occasions. I think you would also have a hard time finding a servant who would kiss the feet they were washing.
In this case, this sinner, this woman was doing way more than normal. In this single act, you could say, that she was worshipping Jesus with all that she had. Somehow, she understood exactly who Jesus was and held absolutely nothing back. She did not care how she looked, who was watching, or what it cost. It was Pure Unfiltered Worship!
In Matthew and Mark, Jesus is recorded as saying that what this woman had done will be told wherever the Gospel is told. Her demonstration of pure unfiltered worship, her pouring out her Love for Jesus is something we can all learn from.
How many here are willing to say that You Love Jesus? Are you willing to shout it from the roof tops? Are you willing to sing at the top of your lungs as you praise your Lord? How about raising your hands when you praise Him? You ok with this stuff in church, but how about out in public?
Like this sinner, we need to give Jesus our Pure Unfiltered Worship!
I am not standing here saying I get it right all the time. There are times I have prayed loudly, sang even louder, waved my hands in the air as I worshipped Jesus, and did not care who saw me or heard me. On the flip side though, there have been times I have not raised my hands in worship, prayed to myself, or sung quietly because I was not sure how people would react. I have been as free as this woman and as rigid as the Pharisee.
This woman, who has been recorded in scripture as a sinner, one of the worst things you could be called by a Pharisee is showing us that we need to worship Jesus with all that we have, to not worry what others might think or say, we need to pour every ounce of our love for Jesus into our worship of Him.
Hold nothing back! Give your Lord Pure Unfiltered Worship!
Luke 7:39
“39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—she’s a sinner!””
The Pharisee was looking at Jesus as a wise teacher or prophet who should have known better than to become ceremonial unclean by allowing a sinner to touch Him.
He did not understand that Jesus did not care about becoming ceremonial unclean, He was not worried about what people thought, His focus was on being about His Father’s business. He was on this earth to provide a path to salvation to this woman, the Pharisee, and the rest of us sinners.
Luke 7:40-43
“40 Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He said, “Say it, teacher.” 41 “A creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.42 Since they could not pay it back, he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.” “You have judged correctly,” he told him.”
Both of the debtors owed significant amounts of money, one owing 50 days’ worth of work and the other 500 days of work. Debts they most likely could never afford to pay back on their own. In the Pharisee’s mind he owed the small amount as he had probably accidently messed up here and there, but the woman owed the greater debt as she was a sinner and had been cast out of the temple. While the Pharisee answered Jesus correctly, he still thought he was good enough, but the woman was not. He did not understand that they were not so different.
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The Pharisee may have been ceremonial clean, but the inside was not. In these couple of verses, we see a man who is arrogant, does not love his neighbor as himself, and more. We see a man who does not realize that even a single sin results in us falling short of the glory of God.
It is easy for us to look at ‘others’ and tell ourselves that I am not ‘that’ bad. It does not matter how well we have our life put together, how polished we may appear, or how good we are at following rules. We have all fallen short of the glory of God and are in desperate need of a savior. We need to understand that we Need Jesus just like the woman did and we need to give Him our Pure Unfiltered Worship.
Luke 7:44-46
“44 Turning to 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, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume.”
The Pharisee did not even show Jesus the basic courtesies of the day, while the woman went to the extreme. The Pharisee looked at the outside and did not think a carpenter’s son who ‘may’ be a prophet could offer him anything. The woman on the other hand understood that she was a sinner and that she needed her Savior. In both cases their actions showed Jesus and those watching what was in their hearts. She showed that Pure Unfiltered Worship, He did not.
Luke 7:47-48
“47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.””
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The woman was worshipping Jesus with everything she had because she understood she deserved death, but Jesus was offering the gift of eternal life. She was so grateful for what Jesus was giving her that she did not care what others thought or said, so she poured out all of her Love in true unfiltered worship.
In 2 Samuel chapter 6, David did this as they were bringing the Ark of the Lord back to its rightful place. As the King of Israel, he worshipped the Lord with all his might, did not care what people saw, or how it made him look. It made his wife angry, but he told her that he was willing to look foolish as he worshipped the Lord. David was a man who at times was a holier than thou Pharisee and at times gave all he had in Pure Unfiltered Worship.
We are sinners. We may have sinned 1 time, 50 times, 500 times, or 500 Billion times. The number does not matter, the fact is we deserve judgement and Jesus is offering Grace.
Jesus has given us everything. Are you willing to unashamedly give Jesus everything you have? Are you willing to give Him Pure Unfiltered Worship?
God Bless,
Robert
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