Each week, let’s reflect upon Sunday’s teaching through further exploration…
“The Thread” (Pieces Sermon Series)
He was invited to dine at the home of an elite member of society – someone with an excellent education, outstanding reputation, and authority among the masses. It was an interesting invitation, really, considering that his past interactions with men like this one had brought criticism and contempt. Still, he went.
The first few moments upon his arrival unfolded just like he anticipated. He was no honored guest. He wasn’t ushered in with a warm welcome. No one greeted him with a hearty handshake or smile. No one took his coat or showed him where he could wash up before the meal. So why did he even attend?
Because she was there. She was a woman despised, worthless, numbered among the dregs of society. She was definitely no honored guest; she hadn’t even been invited! But when she learned he was eating at this house, she came, and the reception he received from her was quite striking in comparison to the host’s.
Let’s pick up this account in Luke 7. Jesus was the one who had been invited to the dinner. Simon was the Pharisee who had invited Him. And the woman was… well, we don’t know her name. We’re told in verse 37 she’s a woman in that town who lived a sinful life and came with an alabaster jar of perfume. Standing behind Jesus, she wept at His feet, wetting them with her tears, kissing them, and pouring perfume on them (verse 38).
Simon grumbled to himself about the sinful woman. Jesus answered him even though Simon had not spoken out loud. Let’s pick up with verses 44-47 to see His response to Simon:
… “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
On the surface, Jesus’s words seem to call out Simon for his lack of hospitality. Of all people, Simon the Pharisee would know the importance of hospitality – it was a normal, expected part of daily life – like breathing to the Jewish culture. There’s a deeper issue here, though, than hospitality. It’s one of worship.
The Pharisees knew the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah, even going so far as to memorize much of the Hebrew Scriptures. They read about Him, wrote about Him, talked about Him… of all people to recognize who Jesus was and fall at His feet in worship, it was someone like Simon. But we know that was not Simon’s reaction. It was this woman’s – the one who would have had little to no reading ability, no writing skills. How was it she worshiped Jesus?
Throughout his sermon on Sunday, Jonathan shared these points about worship: “It’s not about a place; it’s about His presence… it’s about the heart behind it… it’s giving generously of ourselves.” That’s what I see when I look at this account in Luke 7. Simon’s home was a place full of people who knew about Jesus but failed to recognize Him, people whose acts of worship were not from the heart but rather out of duty and obligation, people who taught others to give generously but were not generous themselves. But the woman didn’t care about the place (she actually risked a lot to go where she wasn’t invited); she wanted to be where Jesus was present. Her humility and tears revealed the heart she had for Him (which Jesus recognized as “her great love”). And she poured expensive perfume on His feet – perfume that would have been a sacrifice for her to purchase/obtain and feet that had not even been offered a proper cleaning when He entered Simon’s home.
Are we at MACC more like Simon or more like this woman? What does our worship reveal?
We have a beautiful facility where we gather each week. We’re blessed to have it and to see it being utilized as a safe space for children, families, and community organizations. I’ve witnessed multiple people’s eyes light up when they walk through our building for the first time. Over and over, I’ve heard, “Wow, this is really nice!” This week, when that comment came once again, I smiled, but thought, “But what do you see when you look at us – the people?”
This building is not the church; we – the people who have made Jesus our Lord and Savior – are the Church. Maybe the building draws people in, but it can’t see them. It can’t listen to their stories of brokenness and pain. It can’t wipe their tears and wrap in a hug. It can’t offer hope through the Word and personal testimony of how Jesus transforms. It can’t bear the seal and evidence of the Holy Spirit. But we can. And every time we do, it’s an act of worship. It’s my prayer that we come to this building not to worship but rather as part of our worship. Like the sinful woman in Luke 7, I pray we’ll show people it’s not about the place but the presence of Jesus. It’s not about what we do or offer here but the heart behind it. It’s not about what we can get but what we can generously give.