3rd Sunday After Pentecost Proper 6
June 13, 2010
the Rev. Ken Kroohs
(2nd Samuel 11:26-12:10 & 13-13; Ps. 32; Luke 7:36-8:3)
BARGAINING WITH GOD
St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, High Point, NC
MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN
This week I am going to go through the gospel — backwards!
My reason is that there is so much in the first 2/3rds we usually ignore the last few lines. Soon afterwards He went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources
Luke is the gospel writer who most often mentions the role women play in Jesus’ ministry. In fact, here the women are important enough to be mentioned by name whereas few men, other than the apostles, are ever named.
We probably don’t notice how amazing it is that these women are walking with Jesus. It is unimaginable that a woman would travel with a rabbi — women were to stay home and take care of the house!
They also apparently are from wealthy families. First, they had the resources to go with Jesus. Not only resources to pay for their expenses but most likely they had to pay servants to take care of their homes when they were away. Their husbands were NOT doing the dishes!
Plus ...... Luke tells us it was the women who paid the expenses of Jesus and the apostles. Luke in this way stresses the importance ... the essential need for the gift of generosity if other people are to use their gifts of healing, teaching, etc.. Without the generosity of some people even Jesus’ ministry would have been limited.
There is another point Luke slips in ... almost slips past us. I suspect the original readers would have noticed that at least one of the people named was either not Jewish or at least a Roman sympathizer. Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward — possibly was a Roman. He was at the least a Roman supporter Herod was not likely to keep a Jewish zealot on staff.
So we discover that generous women of all types were central to Christian ministry.
Moving backwards the next place we stop is Jesus’ statement that her sins were forgiven. .... We give the Pharisees a bad reputation and this Pharisee apparently deserved it! That said, Jesus was speaking absolute blasphemy! Absolute, extreme, unforgivable blasphemy! We may not understand it that way but the Jews, and especially Jewish leaders such as the pharisees would hear Jesus stepping in front of God ... taking God’s power ... or claiming to.
No wonder the Pharisees reacted so strongly! Jesus was taking away Yahweh’s position. I do not remember Moses ever claiming to take away the sins of anyone! So Jesus is placing Himself above all other prophets.
But notice something .... and I think this is fairly important .... Jesus’s words, “your faith has saved you” can be heard as a test. If you have enough faith you will be forgiven. And Jesus has said this in other places so it is easy to assume or believe you have to have some amount of faith to be saved.
I think that is right ... but the test is much easier than we might think. The test is simply: Do we believe God will/has forgiven us? If we have enough faith in God’s love to believe God has/will forgive us — then we are forgiven.
Its as if a person places something valuable on the table and all we have to do is pick it up it becomes ours. Our choice is whether or not to pick it up. It is our choice whether or not to accept the forgiveness God offers us. If we do, then our faith in God’s love has saved us and we can go in peace.
Sounds easy — but many times it is not easy!
Keep moving backwards .... “I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love” This is one of those times I wish I was a great Greek scholar! The various translations, and I checked 10, have slightly different wording. But the consensus seems to be that Jesus is saying the woman’s sins are forgiven and “hence” she has shown great love.
She was not forgiven because she showed great love but she showed great love because she had been forgiven.
That certainly is consistent with Jesus’ teaching before that. Jesus said that the creditor whose debt was largest appreciated the debt being canceled more than the creditor with the smaller debt.
BUT, Jesus explains, the Pharisee showed neither respect nor appreciation for Jesus. The Pharisee did not believe he had anything to be forgiven! The Pharisee believed he did not have any sin.
I suspect that deep down inside many of us have that attitude. When we are asked what sins Jesus has to forgive us for, we consider little things. And honestly, I suspect for most of us our sins are things “left undone” more than things “done”. But we all have sins.
I wonder ----- I wonder if those teachings which focus on the idea we are all condemned by original sin .... that we are all condemned because of Adam and Eve disobeying God and THAT is what Jesus saves us from .... if maybe some of the reason for that focus is that people did not understand themselves as personal sinners. We call Jesus our ‘savior’ but deep down inside wonder why we need a savior.
And, if that is so. If we are not, at least metaphorically on our knees confessing a lot .... then we cannot appreciate God’s forgiveness and so are less likely to respond in great and enthusiastic ways. Honestly, can we see ourselves in the position of the women bathing Jesus feet with tears of shame and appreciation?
Jesus says: “the one to whom little is given, loves little” or “appreciates little”. Possibly Jesus was .... cannot say “wrong” but possibly Jesus was incomplete in His wording. Maybe it should read that the “one who receives little, loves little”. We are all offered the same. The Pharisee, the woman, and each of us are offered the same. The question is what are willing to accept.
To accept God’s love we must understand what we are being offered.
Have you ever been very, very hungry and someone offers you a couple cookies? How grateful were you? ...... Have you ever been stuffed to the gills ... just waddling away from the table and someone offers you a couple cookies? How appreciative are you?
The woman was very, very hungry. The Pharisee was stuffed to the gills — or thought he was.
Where do we see ourselves on that continuum? Do we think we are basically full and don’t really need anything else? So full we don’t need what God is offering?
Try this ---- try to forget yourself for a moment. Forget your own evaluation of your own sins. Try to imagine that you are a very sinful person. Try to imagine you have done ***** whatever.
Now imagine you honestly and sincerely accept God’s forgiveness and love. .... How does that feel? How would you respond? Would you respond more like the woman who will give God anything? Or more like the Pharisee who gives God nothing?
Or try this .... have you even negotiated with God? You know — God if you will just heal this person, get me a job, make sure my parents don’t discover what I did .... God if you will just do that I will ********. Go to church every week, go on a mission trip, tithe what I earn, never do it again ---- we make promises to God. Attempt to negotiate with God. What would you offer God in exchange for something ??
God has already completed His end of the bargain! God has already done great things for us. .... How are we responding? What are you, and I, doing for God?
AMEN
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CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)