Tears can mean so many different things…………………….
We cry tears of joy………………
We cry when we’re hurt………….
We cry when we’ve been loved……………
We often cry when we are grateful………..
We usually cry when we are overwhelmed and our feelings just burst forth………………..
Seeing people whom we love…………….and whom we haven’t seen in a while can do that………………
If it’s been years since we’ve seen them…………………….we may burst into tears…………because we miss them so much……………….
But, in our lesson today…………………….a woman wept…………………….when she was in the Presence of Jesus………………….
We really don’t know who she was……………….There’s a lot of conjecture…………….She might have been the woman taken in adultery whom Jesus forgave……………..That story is in John’s gospel…………..
Or……………..she might have been someone whose life was just so painful and difficult that when Jesus entered her life……………..he brought healing to her……………………And out of gratitude…………………she wept…………………because the Master had made her whole again…………………..
Simon……………….the Pharisee with whom Jesus was having dinner……………..described this anonymous woman as “sinful…………..”
In Judaism there are 613 commandments…………………………….Someone has counted them!!!!! It would be a whole lot harder to live by them………………………
And if one breaks a commandment………………at least according to the apostle Paul……………..all of them have been broken by that single failing………………………
So…………..let’s get the picture of our story………………..
Jesus is in the home of a noted Pharisee…………..a “big shot” named Simon………………..
He’s at table with him……………….They’re probably reclining on furniture………………That was the practice of the times………………….
And, in the middle of this dinner party…………………..an anonymous woman walks in………………Tears burst forth…………………….She pours expensive ointment on Jesus feet………………..Kisses his feet……………..and dries his feet with her hair…………………..
Whoa!
If I’d been Simon…………..man……………would I have felt uncomfortable……………….The peace of my home had been disturbed by an intruder………………probably someone from “the street”………………….maybe someone from the red light district…………….though we’re not really told what “sinful” means in this story……………….
For Simon………………..in whose home this happened……………this would have been a major blow to his hospitality…………………..
And I can just hear what he was thinking…………”Where did she come from?” “Who let her in?” “This is embarrassing…………….” “Oh no! Not her!” “Look at what she’s doing!”
If this woman was Mary of Magdala………………..Mary had been identified as someone whom Jesus had cast out seven demons……………..(Mark 16:9)
Simon might have been thinking, “Oh no…………Its crazy Mary……………”
We really don’t know who this person is……………..But, the situation……………..is just so awkward………………………..
But, then Jesus did one of those things……………..for which He was known…………….He took an embarrassing, awkward situation…………………and turned it into a teaching moment……………………
And I’ll bet that Simon never forgot the lesson!
Jesus was pretty tough on Simon………………………….
Simon was a good man…………………..He kept the commandments……………He was someone who observed propriety…………….He did things “just right”…………………
We might call him “prim and proper”………………….kind of like Felix Ungar in Neil Simon’s play, The Odd Couple……………..but not neurotic………………
More like………………..someone who was so rigid and “by the book”……………..but………..jacked up on………………….a dose of……………………extreme judgmentalism…………………
He was overzealous…………………….I mean………………..really “Holy”…………………..at least in his mind………………………He believed that he did everything right…………………But, there wasn’t any grace in him………………
In the Middle East hospitality means almost everything…………………When one comes into a home………………as a guest…………………man…………………they roll out the red carpet……………………They prepare special food…………..special drink………………treat them like royalty………………..and will even go as far as to defend their guests with their very lives…………………….if someone would try and harm their house guests………………….
This is still true today……………
Hospitality with a capital H!
They get out the special coffee……….drunk in those tiny little cups……………with enough caffeine to keep a person awake for a day…………………
Dessert is baklava…………………..And baklava is kind of pastry that is…………..really scrumptious…………………If you haven’t tried it…………..I guarantee you’ll like it………………..
But…………..in Simon’s case……………his hospitality was marginal……………………..
Simon was judging this anonymous woman…………..and was horror stricken because she blundered into his home……………although…………..she might have been a guest, too……………………………
Though it doesn’t sound like it based on the way the story is presented…………………
Jesus said that Simon had not……………….given him water for his feet……………….and feet back then were dusty and dirty…………….That was a major break in hospitality………………
Simon hadn’t greeted Jesus with a kiss………………Look, I know, we generally don’t greet house guests with kisses…………unless we’re really close to them………..like family………….
But, back then, and today…………..in the Middle East…………….they welcome one another with kisses and hugs………..Its just part of their culture…………….
I mean……………here in the Midwest………..some men get a little nervous when another man hugs them…………..unless of course its done in a very “manly” way……………..We just don’t want to come across as…………….well………you know.
We don’t want to act like women…………………….All huggy, kissy…………….touchy, feely…………….because after all………………we’re……..MEN……………….
Now, remember I grew up in Northwest Indiana………..where men were supposed to be rough and tough………………….rip phone books in two……………and be ultra masculine………….
Being in the same room with someone like Felix Unger would have given most of us the willies………………..
Jesus said to Simon “You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.”
Can you see what Jesus was trying to teach Simon?????
It wasn’t just one lesson……………………..There was a whole lot packed into that teachable moment…………………………….
1. Don’t judge people by outward appearances…………..
2. Never judge a book by its cover………………..
3. Don’t judge people by so called reputations…………..They might not be like other people say they are at all…………..
4. Be generous………………..
5. Offer hospitality……………………..
6. Give……………………
Not because we “have to”…………….but because we’ve been blessed…………….We’ve been loved……………..We’ve been forgiven………………….That’s what the Cross is about…………..
And have you ever noticed that the ground at the foot of the Cross is level??????
Anyone who comes to Jesus………………..and asks for forgiveness…………………is forgiven……………………And it doesn’t matter what our social station is…………….our status………………….
None of that matters at the foot of the Cross, does it?
Because when Jesus looks at you and me………………..He sees our heart and soul……………..He knows our pain………………..He knows our fears………………………And…………..He knows why we have sought Him out………………
We seek Him…………..because in Him we find our greatest needs met…………………Not gold……………not silver……………….not fame…………………not anything that the world values…………………
We go to him…………….because just like that anonymous woman………………we carry baggage…………………….guilt…………….shame………………hurt…………………..sin
And Jesus’ love is so complete………………….and non-judgmental………………..that in His presence we are safe……………….We may not feel safe in a lot of places……………….But, when we’re with Jesus…………………we’re safe………………..And we are forgiven……………and loved in spite of our failings………………..
A lot of us grow up in homes where love has to be earned………………And sometimes our homes aren’t very stable…………….The love offered can be pretty conditional…………and often capricious………………..Mess up just once………………and love will be withdrawn………………………..But, the love of our God…………..and our Lord and Savior is steadfast………………….And it doesn’t vary…………………And we can count on that every day……………every moment of the day………………..from now until the time we meet Christ in glory face to face…………….Once we belong to Him………………..He never stops loving us…………………..never………………..
He not only loved the anonymous woman………………But, he loved Simon, too………………..
Simon got a dose of tough love that day………………..But, Jesus loved Simon………………
And thousands of people sought out Jesus………………….He fed them………………..He healed them………………He forgave them…………….He loved them……………..He put them on the right path………………..He wept for them………………..And He died for them…………….
He died for you……………and for me……………………
And the Church of Jesus Christ…………..and I’m not talking about a building………..I’m talking about God’s People………………….you and me……………and all who believe……………..are called to do the same things Jesus did……………….
Its not hard to know when someone has been loved by the Lord……………….It shows…………….There is kindness in their face………………There is a warmth in their handshake………………..There is friendship in their eyes…………………..
I wonder……………when people come to Church…………..(and I mean worship in a building)………and they’re coming ……..with baggage……………and hurts…………..and sins…………….(And they will probably not reveal them in church!)……………….how do we welcome them??????
How do we express hospitality????? How do we express the love of Christ?????
Are we like Simon????? Or are we like this anonymous woman?????
He or she who has been forgiven little………….forgives little………………
He or she who has been forgiven much………………just overflows with grace……….and mercy……………and love………………
And, I think we can add patience to that list……………….Oh, our world is so impatient today…………….Just get stuck in a line of traffic………….No one can go anywhere…………..But, someone is going to honk their horn……………as if it will speed things up!!!!
The difference between the anonymous woman……….let’s call her Mary…………….and Simon………………Is that Mary had met the Savior and knew Him……………..Simon had met Jesus………………but……………he hadn’t become a part of him yet………………….
Mary gave to others……………..what Jesus had given to her!!!!!
The need is so great……………….People aren’t looking for programs…………..They’re not looking for fish fries………………..(though almost everyone I know in Indiana loves fish and tenderloin)……………….They want to meet Jesus………………They may not even know it……………….
But, they want to meet Jesus…………………….through us!
You don’t need to be trained……………He’s already inside of you!……………………We just need to listen………….and care………………love and forgive……………..and when God opens the door into their lives………….at the right moment…………..God will give us the right words to introduce someone……………..to the Savior……………..
And then we can Offer Them Christ……………………in deed……………and word…………….There is nothing greater on the face of the earth……………….And we have the privilege……………….to bear Him……………..
So, let’s bear Him well……………And give our very best hospitality.
Amen.
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I spent this evening watching Mel Gibson’s film, “The Passion of the Christ.” I first watched it when it debuted, while I was serving as Pastor of Calvary United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, IN. Tonight, as I watched it again, I saw new things in it. I had noticed the vitriolic hatred spewed on Jesus in this film the first time I watched it. I remember that Pope John Paul II, when questioned about the authenticity of this representation of the suffering and death of Jesus said, “It is as it was.” I would go further. In our own tendency to use violence to get our way, whether personally or politically, we crucify Christ again. In the movie, the violence used against Jesus was political, verbal, physical, spiritual and emotional. When the Roman Centurion Abenader beheld what the garrison of Roman troops had done to him by beating him with rods, then scourging him to the point of near death, this Roman, who didn’t know God, was appalled at the savagery which had been forced upon Jesus by his own troops. Even the High Priest for a moment was taken aback at Jesus’ state, though he called later upon Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus after the crowd chose to free Barabbas. Pilate did not want to crucify Jesus, and his wife urged him not to. But, due to the political pressures, and the possibility of a riot or insurrection in Jerusalem, Pilate gave in.
Sometimes we believe that we have risen above this kind of thing. We look at the technological progress we’ve made and note the civility gained in the general populace compared to Jesus’ time. But, from time to time, we see the same savagery emerge, sometimes in places that we would never have thought possible, and from people that we never would have remotely thought would do such things.
We have forgotten what we are capable of. Though we were created “a little lower than the angels,” even angels fight. We fight for things which are precious to us and for beliefs which are central to our way of life and our own self understanding. And when we are hurt, we may strike out as well. As I watched this movie again, I was reminded that I could have played a number of the characters in the film: I could have been Judas, who did what he thought was right, only to discover that he had condemned someone who was innocent. I could have been Abendader, who carried out orders from his superiors because he was loyal. I could have been Malchus, who knelt in wonder, when Jesus healed him and restored him. I could have been Peter, who failed in a moment of testing, as Jesus said he would do. I could have been Mary, weeping over the injustice done to her son. I could have been Mary Magdalene, who was freed from her addiction and slavery by the mercy of Christ. I could have been Pilate, who did what was expedient rather than what was right. And I have been Simon of Cyrene who carried a Cross, at first reluctantly, but later with much deeper faith. I don’t completely understand why Jesus had to suffer so. Its easy to say, “Because that’s what God wanted.” That is the general witness of the Church of the ages. Does this make God a child abuser? Or, is Jesus an Icon who shows us our own frailties and sinfulness, who embraces our sin, our suffering, and who becomes “the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world?” Evil is so subtle. It makes inroads among us and in us on cat’s feet. We may not even recognize the presence of Satan in our own souls, because the viewpoints we hold are so second nature to us, that they cling to us like a second skin.
But, as we suffer, and we try to understand why we do, usually we discover that in part, it has been our fault. But, not totally. None of us is sinless as Jesus was. The letter to the Hebrews says this: 10 It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:10 NRSV. As we suffer the false things which keep us from being faithful are stripped away. We draw closer to Jesus. He said on the Cross, ” My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). In that moment when Jesus felt so far away from God, the stage was set for a new day when God would reveal God’s faithfulness to Jesus and to all those who believe. When important things are taken away from us and we feel powerless in the face of powers far greater than ourselves let’s remember that our Crosses, our tortures and sufferings bring us closer to Christ’s suffering, and also to Easter and a resurrection. The “perfection” spoken about in Hebrews and also the Sermon on the Mount is not a false one derived from a distorted sense of our own grandeur or capabilities. It is, instead, a wholeness, a completeness, a complete “goodness” which in turn causes us to see in the suffering of others a profound connection, which cannot always be expressed in words, but which is recognized in the common humanity, and the uncommon love of God which is borne in each human soul. It is not violence which will save us, not words, not fists, not military might, not threats or abuse, but only the ability to recognize even in our enemies that they are like US, and we are like THEM. And in the suffering and death of Jesus and in our own suffering we fall to our knees and utter the ancient prayer known as the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
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