Show Up! Show Out!

Ex-trav’-a-gant: 3. Too ornate or showy.

A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. (Luke 7:37-38)

There’s a phrase I’ve heard plenty of times in church, and it’s disturbing. The phrase is, “But you don’t have to do all that. That’s so extreme.”

Somewhere along the Christian journey, we have gotten comfortable with the concept of presenting ourselves to Jesus with a rider attached. Pastor Sam noted this in his sermon on Sunday. What is our approach to God as we join together in corporate worship? There are usually three modes in which people enter the courts of our King:

1) God, do You see me? You should be happy that I’m here in church. Look, I’m giving you two hours of my time. That should be plenty. Don’t ask me to do anything else in this place. I’ll attend, but I won’t labor.

2) God, I’m here because You told me to stay here, and I’m doing what You’ve asked me to do, but I really don’t want to be here. I’m so tired of this place. That’s why I’m complaining every time I open my mouth. I’ll labor, but I won’t worship.

3) God, what a privilege it is to be here! I am so grateful that You’ve given me some things to do here in Your place. Please help me to serve and speak with the same love You have shown to me. I will work and worship to the glory of Your name.

In the Luke 7 narrative, we see that the home where Jesus was invited was owned by a Pharisee named Simon. Simon sat at the table with the King of kings, but in his heart there were despising words: “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:39b) The sinful woman, who had no place at the table where the men were reclining, stood at the feet of Jesus. And though she could not express herself with the eloquence of a well-educated Pharisee, she labored for the King through meeting the need that Simon had neglected: Simon had not washed Jesus’s feet, so she washed them using her hair as cloth and her tears as water.

What were those woman’s tears? Tears of regret for her sinful life? Tears of sorrow to see that Simon had not extended the basic courtesy of giving Jesus water for His feet? Tears that she could not come any closer to Him? Jesus interprets her tears: they were tears of love. He said, “…her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown.” (Luke 7:47b)

Do you love Him today? Does it show?

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Unrestrained.

Ex-trav’-a-gant: 2. Going beyond reasonable limits; excessive or unrestrained.

Then he turned toward the woman and said 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.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:44-48)

In the Luke 7 narrative, Jesus makes a public declaration of what had happened in the heart of a known sinner: “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown.” (Luke 7:47a) Do we understand this? Jesus, King and Lord over all, has stated a corollary. In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam expressed the connection in this way: When a person realizes what God has done, and responds to His call, then there is a gratitude that is observable. We, when we know what God has done, weep with joy and relief. We express our thanks to Him with unrestrained adoration and praise. We give Him gifts: excessive offerings that bear great cost to us, but that are the tangible evidence of the depth of our gratitude.

Let’s not forget to consider the other corollary stated by Jesus, found in the second part of verse 47: “But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” (Luke 7:47b) And it’s a scary thing to realize that we, if we don’t recognize what God has done, will not express any love for God. Jesus makes a public declaration of Simon’s unloving expressions, and I would like us to ask ourselves a few questions based on Simon’s three unloving acts.

Simon dismissed the Lord's pursuit. “You did not give Me any water for My feet…”

Have I acknowledged the extent of years that Jesus has walked on my road of life, pursuing me and calling my name? Have I blessed the Feet that walked into the places and spaces I've wandered through?

Simon despised the Lord's Presence. “You did not give Me a kiss…”

Have I obeyed the psalmic directive, “Kiss the Son?” (see Psalm 2:12) Am I happy to be in His company, acknowledging His presence, or am I trying to avoid His Light?

Simon denied the Lord's position. “You did not put oil on My head…”

Have I, personally, agreed with the pronouncement of Jesus as Prophet, Priest, and King? Does my worship, allegorically speaking, pour out like oil as a confirmation of His established position in my heart?

Simon invited Jesus into his home. The sinful woman invited Jesus into her heart.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

It's Me, Uninvited.

Ex-trav’-a-gant: 1. Originally, straying beyond bounds; wandering.

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. (Luke 7:36-37)

Have you ever gone into someone’s home as an uninvited guest? I have not. But I have had the privilege of showing up in a few churches as an uninvited guest.

I can tell you that I've received all sorts of reactions. Once I walked into a church for a memorial service I had found out about at the last minute. I wandered in from off the street in jeans and a denim jacket. Some people glanced at me, and in their glance it seems they weren’t too fond that I had walked in without the traditional black dress.

Another time, I learned that there was a church seminar that was directly related to the topic I had been studying in school. I mentioned to a colleague that I would be in attendance. A third party who knew I was not on the attendance roster, overhearing our conversation, interjected: “Who invited you?”

But let’s back-track to a different time… about 32 A.D. It was a time when attire denoted position. It was a time where women were not encouraged to engage in academic ventures. But in a small gathering of Pharisees and professionals, a woman with a bad reputation wandered into a place where she had not been invited, and her presence taught everyone in the room a powerful lesson.

[Actually, I’m wondering if we in 2014 are not so different from people who lived in 32. We still have our hang-ups about attire, education, and ‘who-knows-who’…]

The lesson is this: Jesus is worth being extravagant for. His presence, His word, and His love are worth the embarrassment of wandering into the place where He is. He’s worth straying beyond the boundaries set by man.

Jesus has captured my heart, and I want to be in whatever places He is speaking-- even if it means I have to ignore the social, political, or tradition-based cues that seek to keep me from pursuing His presence. I pray the same is true for you.

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

I Have An All-Access Pass.

Ex-trav’-a-gant: 1. Originally, straying beyond bounds; wandering. 2. Going beyond reasonable limits; excessive or unrestrained. 3. Too ornate or showy. 4. Costing or spending too much; wasteful. [Definition from the New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition]

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam spoke on one of the New Testament accounts of extravagant worship. Luke 7:36-50 is a passage that holds a number of important messages for Christians who long to go deeper in their relationship with the Lord.

I encourage us to re-read the passage today, and to ask God to open our hearts to what He is saying. As we progress through the rest of this week, we’ll consider a few of the points made in the sermon.

Luke 7:36-50

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said 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.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Climate Control.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam noted that spiritual gifts are exercised in the climate of faith. Our pastor reminded us of the passage in Scripture that speaks of the atmosphere of unbelief in Jesus's hometown:

Now Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did he get these ideas? And what is this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these miracles that are done through his hands? Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And so they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his own house.” He was not able to do a miracle there, except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed because of their unbelief. Then he went around among the villages and taught. (Mark 6:1-6, NET, emphasis mine)

Pastor Sam also shared that what Jesus was not able to do in His hometown, He was able to do in Capernaum:

After Jesus had finished teaching all this to the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave who was highly regarded, but who was sick and at the point of death. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they urged him earnestly, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, because he loves our nation, and even built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not presume to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servant must be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him. He turned and said to the crowd that followed him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith!” So when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave well. (Luke 7:1-10, NET, emphasis mine)

What a contrast. The "insiders", the men and women of Jesus's neighborhood, took offense at His presence in the synagogue. They refused to acknowledge His status, instead referring to Him as a common laborer. The "outsider", a Roman centurion, recognized that he was not worthy to bear the presence of Jesus in his house. The centurion referred to Jesus as Lord, the One with the authority to impart healing, and the centurion even realized that Jesus could command healing without having to be physically present-- just say the word, Lord, and by Your word healing will occur.

When we speak of Jesus, what sort of climate rules our speech? Is our Lord amazed at our unbelief? Or, is He amazed at our faith?