Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.

– Matthew 22:1-6

The parable in this text is the third in a series that Jesus told that He directed at the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem.  The first parable dealt with the religious leaders' rejection of God's authority over their lives, demonstrated by their rejection of Jesus Christ.  The second symbolized the religious leaders' foolishness in rejecting God's way to righteousness through His Son.  Now the continued theme of rejecting God's revealed will in the gospel of His Son is found in this present parable.

In our culture, we are accustomed to a wedding and reception lasting for a few hours.  But the ancient custom of wedding feasts often lasted for as much as a week.  In the case of a royal wedding, the celebration might go on for two or three weeks.  The party in this parable is no ordinary party.  To be invited by the king as his guest for the wedding of his son - the anticipated heir to the throne - would have been the opportunity of a lifetime.  Such an invitation usually came by a personal envoy of the king.  Once invited a citizen felt a deep obligation to attend the wedding feast or face the displeasure of the king.  We might say that it was an invitation that you could not refuse!  Nor would anyone want to refuse an invitation to a celebration in which the King Himself provided everything.

But then again, it is not inconceivable that a person would refuse a royal invitation.  As a mater of fact, there have been more than a few famous people to do so.  British authors C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl both rejected invitations to be honored by the Queen of England.  Actor and comedian, John Cleese, and astrophysicist, Steven Hawking, both turned down offers of being knighted by the queen.  NFL linebacker James Harrison refused to join his team in visiting the White House after winning the Super Bowl.  Some folks even admire a person who would turn down such an invitation for reasons of personal conviction or political principle.  There is something is each one of us that resists the idea of being subject to a sovereign authority.  We don’t like the idea of a king (even a benevolent one) telling us where we have to go or what we have to do.

This is the truth that Jesus is driving at when He describes the reactions of the invited guests in the parable. The original guests refused to come, and in that culture, to reject the invitation of a king was tantamount to treason.  This was a serious offense.  Notice that some of them are indifferent, some of them are too busy or preoccupied with their own concerns, and some of them are openly hostile toward the servants of the King.  The first invitation was actually not the first; an advance invitation would have already gone out telling of the coming feast (like a wedding "save-the-date" card).  This is not pictured in the story, but it is understood as part of that culture. It might seem strange to us that guests would react this way, but those who had received the advance invitation had ample time to prepare for the feast. They had no legitimate excuses.

How do we account for such a strong rejection of the king's invitation? Jesus is giving us a picture of what God had done in preparing Israel for the coming of the Messiah. Just as in Jesus’ day, there are those who are indifferent to Christ, those who are too busy trying to do things their own way, and there are those who are openly hostile toward Him. 

The prophets had come in previous centuries announcing that God would send the Messianic King.  John the Baptist boldly announced that the time had arrived; the Messiah was present.  The arrival of the Messianic Kingdom had come. A new age for humanity had dawned. God had come among His creatures to redeem a people for Himself for all eternity. Jesus Christ Himself came announcing the advent of the kingdom and calling people to repentance.  "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15).  This is the invitation of the King, calling upon all to repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ.  Whether you want to believe it or not, there is something inside each one of us that resists the invitation of Jesus.  We are all indifferent, too busy, and even hostile toward God.  Yet, despite our resistance, the King of all creation invites you to come to Him by believing in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Jeff Frazier

Monday, May 9, 2016

We all receive invitations in the mail throughout the year requesting our attendance at various functions.  Some are decorated wedding invitations from long-time family friends.  Others have vivid colors and graphics inviting you to birthday parties, special holiday parties, or graduation parties.  Still other invitations call upon us to join others for anniversary celebrations or the opening of a new business or even for a special sale.

You cannot possibly respond to every invitation that comes through the mail.  So you have to make some decisions as you sort through the mail.  Some invitations impersonally address you as "The Occupant."  That normally does not get much attention!  Some invitations are actually attempts to lure you into a “business opportunity” where you will spend money that will profit the one who sent the invitation. But there are other invitations that are quite different.  They come from close friends who invite you to be part of a very special occasion.  You feel honored to be invited.  Your attendance is valued by the one offering the invitation, and you dare not neglect it. 

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.  “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’  “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.  The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.  The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.   Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’  So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.  ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.  “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” 

- Matthew 22:1-14

This parable, like all of Jesus’ parables, has many layers of meaning.  However, the primary meaning of this story has to do with the amazing invitation of our gracious King. The gospel of Jesus Christ is God's invitation for us to have a relationship with Him.  This invitation reflects the character of the One offering it, and it comes with the certainty of His honor and our joy!  It is given out of His loving kindness with the assurance of grace sufficient to accomplish everything He desires.  Such an invitation cannot be tossed aside, and it must not be neglected.  The Eternal King is no mere businessman trying to bring in a new customer.  He speaks with eternal authority and calls upon us to hear and respond to the invitation of the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ.  This is God’s invitation to us, that we would come to know Him through His Son!

Do you hear the Lord's invitation to know Him through the gospel?  Then do not make excuses. Do not ignore Him or attempt to put Him off until later.  He is the Eternal King, and He invites you into His family.  To hear His invitation to come to the wedding feast is to know His mercy. 

Pastor Jeff Frazier

Friday, May 6, 2016

Luke 7:44-50

"Then turning toward 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 has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

The actions of the woman in this story illustrate that she had repented of her sins and placed her faith in Jesus as the true Messiah who had the power to forgive sin. What do you think of when you hear the word “repent”?  Does it sound like an old fashioned church word to you?  Do you immediately think of an angry preacher pounding the pulpit and shouting for people to repent of their sin?  Maybe you have no idea at all what this word is supposed to mean.  I think that most people (even Christians) simply don’t understand the nature of true repentance. 

Martin Luther once said that “most stare blinking at the doctrine of repentance like a cow stares at a new gate.”

But consider what Jesus had to say about the repentance that this woman had obviously heard, believed, and embraced:

“‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” – Mark 1:15

“They went out and preached that people should repent.” – Mark 6:12

“He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” – Luke 3:3

“Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.” - Luke 3:8

“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” – Luke 5:32

Whatever it is, repentance seems to be pretty important to Jesus!  Most of us think it means being really, really sorry for the wrong things we have done, or feeling really guilty all of the time, or living with a vague sense of general self-loathing.  While it is true that the Bible teaches that we are all sinners, it also teaches that we are created in the image of God and loved with an everlasting love through Christ!  The biblical concept of repentance is not just about the first half of that message.

Take the often quoted verse Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  Do you realize that the very next verse (which is actually a continuation of the same thought) says, “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”? Too many Christians think that repentance is only dealing with the first verse (3:23), but true repentance means to live in light of both verses (sin-3:23 & grace-3:24)! The Gospel is supposed to be the “Good News”, but the announcement that “all have sinned” is not really very good news (it is not even news) without also telling them that their sin can be forgiven and wiped clean by the free grace of God in Christ!

Jesus’ last words to the woman in this story are “go in peace.” True repentance does not mean we must go through life beating ourselves up spiritually for being sinners.  It means that while cannot rationalize, ignore or justify our sin, we can be lifted out of it by the one who gives us divine grace!

The apostle Paul tells us that it is the kindness of God leads us toward repentance. Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? Romans 2:4

Sin, guilt, judgment and death are in the Bible, but they are only half of the story and these words will not bring anyone to true repentance without the second half of the story.  The second is the part about grace, forgiveness, mercy, joy, hope and freedom! Simon the Pharisee could not experience the second half because he could not accept the reality that he was a sinner. It is only when we can truly acknowledge the first half (our sin and guilt) that we begin to experience the power of the second half (God’s forgiveness and grace).  When you put these two together in the human heart, you get true repentance!

Oh Lord God, you are high and exalted.  You are the Holy One and the Lord of all creation.  We are weak and corrupt and undeserving creatures.  Yet you have poured out your love on us through Jesus.  Teach us the meaning of true repentance that we might become humble and joyful servants, extravagantly loving you like the woman who had been set free from her sin. Help us to “go in peace” because we have received the forgiveness that comes from you alone. – Amen.

Pastor Jeff Frazier

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Luke 7:36-50
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward 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 has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”


As an elementary student, I engaged in countless sword drills at my small, conservative Christian school. Sword drills were competitions to determine who could find a passage in the Bible the fastest. The teacher called out, “Hold up your swords”. We grabbed our Bibles by the spine and lifted them high above our heads. Then the teacher called out a verse (such as Luke 7:50), and after pausing long enough for our little eyes to flash with excitement, yelled out, “GO!” We brought our Bibles down, ripped them open, and flipped through the pages as fast as possible. The first person who found the correct passage jumped out of his seat, and after being acknowledged by the teacher, read the verse aloud. That student was met by cheers from the class as the teacher gave him a point on the board, and then we began the competition all over again.

I couldn’t tell you the passages on which we were drilled, but I can tell you the feeling of pride that I had in the rare instance I won, and the envy I felt if someone else beat me. I missed the point. It was far more about the competition and far less about the verses the teachers were attempting to creatively implant in our minds and hearts.

If Simon the Pharisee was in my elementary classroom, I have a feeling he would have given the rest of us a run for our money. As a Pharisee, Simon cared a lot about the Law. He was a rule follower, and he was filled with head knowledge. But the problem is that he cared more about the Law than the God behind the Law. And there is a great difference between legalism and love.

Love is pictured in the extravagant expression of humility and brokenness of the woman. She wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Simon did not offer any water for Jesus’ feet—a common courtesy in that culture. The woman would not stop kissing Jesus’ feet from the time He entered. Simon did not greet Jesus with a kiss—another expression of warm hospitality and welcome from hosts. The woman lavishly poured out an expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. Simon did not even pour oil on Jesus’ head—something that would have been inexpensive and plentiful in a land of olive groves. The outpouring of love and devotion shown to Jesus by the woman stood in stark contrast to the cold reception Simon gave to Him.

And so Jesus asks Simon a question. “Do you see her?” He knows that Simon can physically see her with his eyes. The question is whether Simon can see her as a new creation—as someone who has been wholly forgiven by God, cleansed by His grace and mercy. Or does he just see who she once was before she met Jesus? Can he see the righteousness of God covering her, or can he only see the filth of her past sin?

In his book You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit, James K. A. Smith writes:

…discipleship is more a matter of hungering and thirsting than of knowing and believing…. Jesus doesn’t encounter…you and me…and ask, ‘What do you know?’ He doesn’t even ask, ‘What do you believe?’ He asks, ‘What do you want?’ This is the most incisive, piercing question Jesus can ask of us precisely because we are what we want. Our wants and longings and desires are at the core of our identity, the wellspring from which our actions and behavior flow. Our wants reverberate from our heart, the epicenter of the human person. Thus Scripture counsels, ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it’ (Prov. 4:23). 

…Jesus’s command to follow him is a command to align our loves and longings with his—to want what God wants, to desire what God desires, to hunger and thirst after God and crave a world where he is all in all…. 

Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into your mind; he is after nothing less than your wants, your loves, your longings. His ‘teaching’ doesn’t just touch the calm, cool, collected space of reflection and contemplation; he is a teacher who invades the heated, passionate regions of the heart. He is the Word who ‘penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit’; he ‘judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’ (Heb. 4:12).”

What about you? Do you love Him? I’m not asking whether you can win a Bible sword drill or engage in complex theological debates. The question isn’t “What do you know”? The question is “Do you love Him?” It is perhaps one of the most important questions you can ask.

- Jenny Schulenburg, Guest Blogger

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Luke 7:36-50
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward 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 has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

I have to admit, when I read these verses, one of the first things I always wonder is exactly how much 50 or 500 denarii would be in our day’s currency. Don’t you kind of wonder what amount of debt is being forgiven here? Since the debt in the parable is being compared to sin being forgiven in one’s life, it’s like my own self-righteousness wants to know how much it is so I can rationalize my own amount of “sin debt”– as if this makes a difference!!

The self-righteous Simon the Pharisee is certainly measuring himself in comparison to the woman who approached Jesus, and in doing so, is unable to see any of the sin in his own life. He also misses the fact that He who could forgive that sin is right in front of him. We get a view into his thought process when he questions the fact that Jesus welcomes the woman. In Simon’s judgment, if Jesus were a prophet, He’d certainly know who this sinful person is and would not accept her!

What does Jesus do? He answers Simon’s thoughts. Proving He knows the (very self-righteous!) thoughts of Simon, and also proving He knows who this woman is.

So I decided not to look up that information on denarii. Today, I don’t want to know what one or 50 or 500 is worth.

What I want to focus on is that in this parable the two are both debtors—both graciously forgiven.

And in the room with Jesus, both the Pharisee and the sinful woman are debtors in need of forgiveness. Both in need of Jesus the Messiah. One sees with eyes of faith and her sins are forgiven and she is free to love and serve her Lord. And one cannot see past his own blind self-righteousness.

Today let’s give thanksgiving to God who would send His Son, Jesus, to take the sins of the world on Himself in order to pay our (my) debt of sin.

Kelli Wick, Guest Blogger

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Luke 7:36-50

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward 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 has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

I love this story in Luke 7. In fact, it’s one of my favorites in the entire Bible. The way Jesus interacts with both Simon and the woman is fascinating on many levels and the way the woman interacts with Jesus is beautiful. What stands out to me about the woman is her boldness, her faith, and her reaction of love.

The boldness of this woman who walks into a dinner and starts wiping the feet of Jesus with her flask of ointment and her hair is – to put it super spiritually, soooo cool. The cultural context in which this took place would have looked down upon women - never mind the fact that she is also a prostitute (“a woman of the city”). Something for which she would even more so be judged and shamed.

But in she walks. And the contrast of her behavior and Simon the Pharisee’s behavior is immediately evident. Simon’s reason for inviting Jesus over for dinner is not made clear, but a couple clues tell us that his intentions were definitely not because he wanted a deeper friendship with Jesus or that he wanted to follow Him in faith. Rather, it seems he’s invited Jesus over to challenge Him and question Him. He even skips over the typical hospitality “basics” of the day – for example, providing water for washing feet or kissing the visitor on the cheeks (v. 44).

But the woman washes His feet with her tears and wipes them with her hair. She kisses his feet repeatedly and anoints them with her oil. Jesus responds to this by turning toward her while he is talking to Simon and you can almost see the reproach in His giving Simon the cold shoulder, and the welcome he gives the woman.

Her faith is evident in that she comes to Jesus, obviously knowing He can help her and give her peace. I love that she has faith that Jesus will not deny her or rebuke her in front of the table of men. Even when Simon the Pharisee begins his discussion with Jesus, she stays at the feet of Jesus. Jesus responds to her faith with the beautiful phrase, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Her reaction of love toward Jesus is evident in how she approaches Him and serves Him willingly. And His love for her is evident in how He responds without reproach and with forgiveness of her sins (v. 48).

This woman’s boldness, her faith and her reaction of love are a beautiful encouragement to those of us who have been forgiven of our sins. How are we responding in love and how are we serving the Lord Jesus Christ who redeemed us? Are we responding in boldness, in faith, and with love?

Kelli Wick, Guest Blogger

Monday, May 2, 2016

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what short of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

Luke 7:36-40

In 19 days, I will enter into the holy covenant of marriage with my best friend. My future husband, Matt, is a gift from God in my life, and our friends and family celebrate the Lord’s sovereign hand in bringing us together! When we first announced that we were dating, however, we were met with expressions of shock and surprise.

As a professional punk rocker signed to Capitol Records in Hollywood, Matt came from a life of alcohol and drug addiction. He mocked Christians and far preferred the party scene to a pious religious life.

I came from a strongly evangelical Christian home. We went to church weekly, prayed daily, read and memorized Scripture, evangelized frequently, and faithfully followed a list of “dos and don’ts.” The only “rocking out” we did in my home was to the Gaither Vocal Band.

Our backgrounds are polar opposite, to say the least. But Matt and I have the most important thing in common: Jesus saved us from ourselves. Matt was gloriously saved from a life of licentiousness (see his gospel story here) and I was gloriously saved from a life of legalism. We both needed a Savior, and neither of us had the power to save ourselves. In His grace and mercy, God called us to Himself and clothed us in new garments of His righteousness.

In this passage from the book of Luke, there are two characters much like Matt and me. There is “a woman of the city.” She was “one of them.” You know. Them. A sinner. The kind of sinner that Jesus should not be associating with if He was such a good prophet. Because surely the other character in the story would never associate with a prostitute. After all, he was a Pharisee—a teacher of the Law, a religiously and morally upright man. In fact, he was so focused on dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t’ of the Law that he strictly obeyed the additional oral traditions that his ancestors had passed down.

So when the Pharisee saw this “woman of the city” crash his dinner party with Jesus, he was irate. In our modern sensibilities, it might seem strange that anyone would crash the party in the first place, but meals of these types were not private affairs in Jesus’ time. It was common for strangers to hear word of a dinner gathering, enter the home, and observe what was going on inside. The problem was not that someone came uninvited; the problem was that she came.

The Pharisee grumbles to himself that if Jesus were some great prophet, He would have known both who and what sort of woman was touching Him. After all, she was a sinner! And what prophet would want to be defiled by a sinner?

Notice Jesus’ response. It is truly masterful! Jesus, who knows all things, proves that He is a prophet (the Prophet) by responding to the accusatory and unvoiced questions on this man’s heart. The Pharisee accuses Jesus of not knowing the identity or character of this woman. And yet Jesus knows both, and He addresses the Pharisee himself in a personal way. First, Jesus calls him by name. “Simon, I have something to say to you.” Next, he relates a parable that proves He knows the character of both “the woman of the city” and Simon too. Both will find themselves in the story.

We have a God who dines with sinners—both the licentious sinner and the pharisaical sinner. And precisely because Jesus is more than just a prophet—because He is the holy and righteous Son of God—He does not become defiled by their sin. Instead, sin becomes defiled by His righteousness. He is willing and able to make clean all who come to Him in repentance and faith. Praise God that there is hope for a sinner like me too!

Jenny Schulenburg, Guest Blogger