READ | SERMON NOTES
SUMMARY l The shared meal is the emblem of real community, until we find ourselves eating together in one another’s home, we do not fully belong to one another. Nothing fills our heart than having meals with the ones we love. Who belongs to Jesus’ community?
Who’s out?
What was Simon’s posture?
• Simon invited Jesus for dinner. He had a genuine desire to know and to have a real relationship with Jesus. At the same time, he was also assessing Jesus.
• Simon thought he was the one in the driving seat since he invited Jesus. He had religious presumptions on who Jesus was – that He was a prophet, He should know who the sinful woman was and He would avoid contact with the woman. Simon assumed that Jesus must adhere to his presumption about holiness and how a prophet ought to conduct himself. He expected Jesus to behave according to his own terms.
• We cannot have a relationship with Jesus on our own terms! We would have kept Jesus at arm’s length and misunderstood Him.
• Simon failed to see Jesus as his guest, let alone as the only one who can forgive sins.
• Simon also failed to see those who truly belong to Jesus’ community.
Who’s in?
What was the sinful woman’s posture?
• The woman wet Jesus’ feet with her tears and threw her hair to wipe them. She also greeted Him by kissing His feet and poured expensive perfume over them.
• The woman was the exact opposite of Simon. She came in humility, lowliness and brokenness, aware of her own sin and shame.
• The fundamental difference between Simon and The Woman was that he made himself less of a sinner because of his religious beliefs.
• This is not about the costliness of worship. This is about the costliness of forgiveness. The cross of Christ damns us as much as it saves us. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is of infinite value; it tells us simultaneously of the extent of our sin and the extent of God’s love for us.
• We are no different from the person who we looked down on. Jesus died for all of us.
Anna Lembke in her book, Dopamine Nation, wrote about how unprecedentedly addicted we have become because of how readily available things have become. One of the major factors in a person’s recovery from self-destructive behaviour is how communities respond to their shame:
i. Destructive Shame – If others respond by rejecting, condemning, or shunning us, we enter the cycle of destructive shame. This deepens the emotional experience of shame and sets us up to perpetuate the behaviour that led to feeling shame in the first place. The cycle repeats itself through the overconsumption of the addiction, leading to shame. When one does not feel that it is a safe space, one will lie and become isolated from the community and turn to the addiction. This is a vicious cycle.
ii. Prosocial Shame – If others respond by holding us closer and providing clear guidance for redemption/recovery, we enter the cycle of prosocial shame. This mitigates the emotional experience of shame and helps us stop or reduce the shameful behaviour. Instead of lying, one practises radical honesty to the community that holds and loves them. The communal acceptance breaks the cycle of addiction and repeated sins.
If we come to Jesus on our own terms, blind to Him and to the community, then we will not provide the right community for those who are genuinely seeking a way out of their sins. We may not be perfect, but we want everyone to experience God’s embrace and forgiveness in our community. This is the community that Jesus wants to build.
(Sermon notes by Honey Vreugdewater)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Just prior to Jesus’ meal at Simon’s house, he makes a statement about “the people of this generation” in Luke 7:31-35. Read the passage and discuss what is the issue with the children sitting in the marketplace.
- What was the problem with Simon’s approach to having a relationship with Jesus? How was it totally different compared to the sinful woman’s approach?
- When was the last time you wept over your sin?
- Who are kinds of people who you are “blind” towards? Why do you have a bias against them?
- What is one way that you can practice the same kind of welcome Jesus had to those who you would usually not want to associate with?
