Perhaps a better title for this sermon would be "Jesus Meets Two Hearts." In Luke 7:36-50 we see a clear contrast in the hearts of two people. One is a proud Pharisee, Simon, who brings Jesus to his house, probably to engage in a theological discussion. The other is a unnamed woman, a notorious sinner and likely a prostitute, who hears Jesus will be at Simon's house and "crashes the party" to meet Jesus.
In the minds of Luke's audience (as posted earlier), Simon would be the hero, the upstanding citizen and righteous man. The woman would be an outcast from society, an embarrassment to the city. But the story has them switching roles. The woman is shown to be the truly righteous one, because her sins are forgiven and she responds with devotion. Simon is shown to not only have a judgmental attitude toward the woman, but to not even be a gracious host!
Their response to Jesus is what made all the difference. Simon is portrayed as one who is curious about this new rabbi, but almost casual in his approach to Jesus. He certainly does not go out of his way to show respect for Jesus. The woman has had her life transformed by Jesus. She probably had heard Him or seen Him earlier, and His message had reached her heart. The change is shown in her grateful and passionate giving of herself and all she had in devotion to Jesus.
Jesus' parable highlights the difference. One debt is about fifty days' pay, and the debtor could conceivably find a way to pay it back. The other is five hundred days' pay, and the debtor would see no way out of that debt in his own power. The awareness of the depth of the debt makes a difference in the reaction of the one forgiven.
Of course, one side point in the parable is that both are debtors. Whether we have been "respectable" members of society, or have fallen into obvious and open sin, we all owe a debt to Jesus, who paid the debt for us. It is in our awareness of the depth of our debt that we find the impetus for devotion. Although we often look up to the great saints of the church, they are often more acutely aware of their depravity than we who sometimes become content in our spirituality. We all owe everything to Jesus; are we aware of this on a daily basis? How does knowing we have received grace we did not deserve to free us from our debt of sin change the way we approach the Lord?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
A Curious Question About Audience
As I worked out the Power Point presentation for my sermon tomorrow, I began to ponder the way Jesus sets up a contrast between Simon and the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50. To a Jewish audience, the contrast would be shocking and unexpected. The notorious sinner is praised for her love, while the Pharisee is shown to be less than gracious toward Jesus. This is how the contrast is presented in much teaching, and to be honest I will be using this as well.
However, Luke is writing to a Gentile, Theophilus. He may well have intended that eventually his work would be read by others, but he had to consider to whom he was writing. I doubt that Theophilus would know much if anything about the Jewish sects of Israel, so how could Luke make him have the same visceral reaction to the contrast of Jesus? I believe that is why the details of the banquet, including the seating, were stressed. Luke describes a feast that is obviously given by a man of some means, and given in a style adopted from Hellenistic practice. Theophilus would probably have been shocked that this wealthy and prominent man was considered by Jesus to be less worthy than a common woman. (This is especially true if we accept that Luke's circumlocutions indicate that she was a prostitute.)
To a Jew or a Roman, Jesus' comparison comes as a shock. Is it possible that we who are comfortable in our Christian religious practices could be like Simon, concerned with how Jesus fits into our system and having a love that has grown cold? Do we look down on "sinners," rather than seeing them as those who have much to forgive and therefore have the capacity for much love? Or do we recognize our own sinfulness, and come humbly to Jesus bringing all we have to offer Him? If our study does not raise questions like these, questions that can change our lives, we haven't finished the process.
However, Luke is writing to a Gentile, Theophilus. He may well have intended that eventually his work would be read by others, but he had to consider to whom he was writing. I doubt that Theophilus would know much if anything about the Jewish sects of Israel, so how could Luke make him have the same visceral reaction to the contrast of Jesus? I believe that is why the details of the banquet, including the seating, were stressed. Luke describes a feast that is obviously given by a man of some means, and given in a style adopted from Hellenistic practice. Theophilus would probably have been shocked that this wealthy and prominent man was considered by Jesus to be less worthy than a common woman. (This is especially true if we accept that Luke's circumlocutions indicate that she was a prostitute.)
To a Jew or a Roman, Jesus' comparison comes as a shock. Is it possible that we who are comfortable in our Christian religious practices could be like Simon, concerned with how Jesus fits into our system and having a love that has grown cold? Do we look down on "sinners," rather than seeing them as those who have much to forgive and therefore have the capacity for much love? Or do we recognize our own sinfulness, and come humbly to Jesus bringing all we have to offer Him? If our study does not raise questions like these, questions that can change our lives, we haven't finished the process.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Shattering Expectations
In reading Luke 7:36-50, I was struck by the comment of Simon the Pharisee about Jesus. "If this man were a prophet..." is a comment that expresses Simon's expectations of what a prophet was like. For Jesus to allow a notoriously sinful woman to touch Him was a violation of the purity expected of a prophet, or even a rabbi. Simon thus appears to make up his mind about who Jesus is, and that without seeking an explanation for His behavior.
Of course, Jesus promptly demonstrates His prophetic abilities by reveaing that He is aware of Simon's thoughts. We are not told Simon's reaction, but from the wording of the story it doesn't seem that he was terribly astonished. Jesus did not address Simon's opinion directly, but through an illustration (sometimes referred to as a parable).
The exchange between Jesus and Simon is one of the gospel accounts that shows Jesus shattering the expectations of people. There were certain ways rabbis and prophets were expected to behave, and the conventions were established by long tradition. Jesus was willing to break with those traditions, not just to make a point, but tho show what a true rabbi and a true prophet really were like. Certainly Jesus was more than a teacher, and more than a prophet, but He was both of those as well. He was in many ways the fulfillment of what each of those offices should be.
Shattering expectations is something the church needs to do today. The stereotype of the evangelical church is one that paints Christians as self-righteous money-grubbing hypocrites out for their own interests. We need to show a love and compassion that tells the world around us that their image of the church is wrong. We ought to be the expression of the love of Jesus to our neighbors, friends, and family, and to break the negative stereotypes and expectations they have of Christians. Once we do that, we can present the good news of forgiveness even to those who thought they had no need of Jesus.
Of course, Jesus promptly demonstrates His prophetic abilities by reveaing that He is aware of Simon's thoughts. We are not told Simon's reaction, but from the wording of the story it doesn't seem that he was terribly astonished. Jesus did not address Simon's opinion directly, but through an illustration (sometimes referred to as a parable).
The exchange between Jesus and Simon is one of the gospel accounts that shows Jesus shattering the expectations of people. There were certain ways rabbis and prophets were expected to behave, and the conventions were established by long tradition. Jesus was willing to break with those traditions, not just to make a point, but tho show what a true rabbi and a true prophet really were like. Certainly Jesus was more than a teacher, and more than a prophet, but He was both of those as well. He was in many ways the fulfillment of what each of those offices should be.
Shattering expectations is something the church needs to do today. The stereotype of the evangelical church is one that paints Christians as self-righteous money-grubbing hypocrites out for their own interests. We need to show a love and compassion that tells the world around us that their image of the church is wrong. We ought to be the expression of the love of Jesus to our neighbors, friends, and family, and to break the negative stereotypes and expectations they have of Christians. Once we do that, we can present the good news of forgiveness even to those who thought they had no need of Jesus.
Monday, January 24, 2011
An Excursus on Academia
I took my son back to college today. If I'm honest, I have to admit to being envious of his opportunity to spend the day studying subjects that are of interest to him, and even the opportunity to study some subjects of less than thrilling import. I took a short stroll through the library- sorry, the learning resource center- and thought of how enjoyable it would be to spend days in the stacks. (I was looking for back issues of the Journal of Early Christian Studies, and they have them! Time to pay my son more visits.) I recall my own days as a student fondly, and I'm sure with a great deal of fuzziness over just how hard the work was then.
Many Christians find academia dull, intimidating, and perhaps even slightly heretical. The fear of academics is likely due to the number of people, famous and otherwise, whose stories of "falling away" during their college and even seminary years breed sorrow in the heart. There certainly is a temptation for the academically-minded to place a desire to be novel and to interest their peers above fidelity to God and His Word, but there are also strong, brilliant minds pursuing scholarship with a fervent grasp of the ultimate truth. Like anything else, scholarship can be misused and twisted to draw the soul away from Jesus, but it does not have to be so.
I think my study here is a reaction to my envy of my son's studies. Here is where I can go back into the library (I still haven't wrapped my tongue around the whole learning resource center" thing) and study with passion and interest those subjects that pique my interest. I hope this pursuit spurs you on to your own study, your own scholarship, and that most of all our studies will lead us into the truth of God.
Many Christians find academia dull, intimidating, and perhaps even slightly heretical. The fear of academics is likely due to the number of people, famous and otherwise, whose stories of "falling away" during their college and even seminary years breed sorrow in the heart. There certainly is a temptation for the academically-minded to place a desire to be novel and to interest their peers above fidelity to God and His Word, but there are also strong, brilliant minds pursuing scholarship with a fervent grasp of the ultimate truth. Like anything else, scholarship can be misused and twisted to draw the soul away from Jesus, but it does not have to be so.
I think my study here is a reaction to my envy of my son's studies. Here is where I can go back into the library (I still haven't wrapped my tongue around the whole learning resource center" thing) and study with passion and interest those subjects that pique my interest. I hope this pursuit spurs you on to your own study, your own scholarship, and that most of all our studies will lead us into the truth of God.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday sermon-"Jesus Meets Determined Friends"
Today's sermon came from Luke 5:17-26. In this passage we find the healing of the paralytic, a man whose friends were so determined to get help for him that they risked their reputations to tear a hole in the roof so they could get their friend to Jesus. This is one of the passages which contradicts those who claim Jesus never said He was the Son of God. In healing the man, Jesus also implicitly drew a conclusion about Himself for the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They said no one could forgive sins except God, and Jesus provided evidence that He could forgive sins. It was a conclusion most of them refused to draw.
The challenge of this passage comes with the actions of the friends. Are we so determined to bring our friends face-to-face with Jesus that we would take risks to do so? It's so easy to back down to pressure, even just pressure to remain politically correct. I'd like to give you the same challenge I brought to church today. Write down the names of three people you have contact with, whether family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors, who do not know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Pray each day that the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts, and that God would open doors for you and others to share Jesus with them. I believe that praying for those who are separated from the Lord is the first step we should take in sharing the good news with them; too often it's the last step we take when we reach the end of our own devices.
In our troubled world, we need to be determined to bring people to the One who has the solution to their deepest need. Will you accept this challenge today?
The challenge of this passage comes with the actions of the friends. Are we so determined to bring our friends face-to-face with Jesus that we would take risks to do so? It's so easy to back down to pressure, even just pressure to remain politically correct. I'd like to give you the same challenge I brought to church today. Write down the names of three people you have contact with, whether family, friends, colleagues, or neighbors, who do not know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Pray each day that the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts, and that God would open doors for you and others to share Jesus with them. I believe that praying for those who are separated from the Lord is the first step we should take in sharing the good news with them; too often it's the last step we take when we reach the end of our own devices.
In our troubled world, we need to be determined to bring people to the One who has the solution to their deepest need. Will you accept this challenge today?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The author's intent
As I was studying for this Sunday's sermon, I came across an intriguing discussion of the house in which Jesus healed the paralytic man. I am using the Luke passage (5:17-26), and while reading about this passage Ralph Gower pointed out that Luke was a Roman (or at least a Gentile) writing to a Roman. This would color the meaning of "tiles," since a Roman would understand them differently than an Israelite. This makes it possible that Jesus was teaching from a terrace or portico with a tiled roof over it, rather than in the house proper.
While this does not affect the meaning of the passage, it does remind us that when we read the Bible we need to think about both the author and the audience, and how they would understand a passage. One of the biggest arguments against many modern Biblical interpretations is that they simply would never have occurred to the original readers. Modern literary theory makes an attempt to "deconstruct" this original intent for current readers, but to do so empties communication of any understandable content. It is also, I believe, a lazy way out of doing the hard work necessary to bridge the gap from past to present.
While this does not affect the meaning of the passage, it does remind us that when we read the Bible we need to think about both the author and the audience, and how they would understand a passage. One of the biggest arguments against many modern Biblical interpretations is that they simply would never have occurred to the original readers. Modern literary theory makes an attempt to "deconstruct" this original intent for current readers, but to do so empties communication of any understandable content. It is also, I believe, a lazy way out of doing the hard work necessary to bridge the gap from past to present.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Welcome to Pastor Steve's Study!
Hi! I hope to use this blog to share what's happening in my study-at least, in my virtual study. I want to share what I am learning with you, and I hope you will find some of it valuable. So join me as we explore the Bible, theology, philosophy, and whatever other subjects come up as I seek to apply truth to life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)