"The Greatest Miracle"
Reinbeck UMC
June 16, 2013
A couple in Connecticut decided to have a garage sale. They put out a mirror they'd received as a wedding gift. The reason they were selling it was that it had a gaudy aqua-colored metal frame and they just couldn't find a room in their house where it looked good.
Shortly after the sale began, a man (who was looking to decorate his apartment) bought the mirror for one dollar. He was all excited, and he said as he bought it: "This is a great deal - it still has the plastic on it." Then he peeled off the aqua-colored protective covering… to reveal a beautiful gold finished frame underneath.
In today's scripture, Simon wrote off the woman because of the way she looked and smelled. In our culture, she might be wearing a really short skirt with fishnet stockings and low cut blouse, smelling of cheap perfume and cigarettes. You know. She was dressed the way any self-respecting parent tells their daughters not to dress. Nevertheless, it was fitting of her occupation. Therefore, Simon judged her.
In today's scripture, Jesus looks at the woman and peals back the gaudy, aqua-colored plastic coating to see something different.
Let's back up just a little. Simon was a Pharisee who spent his life avoiding sin. That's what Pharisees did. They looked at God's laws and then stepped back 10 steps to draw a great big circle around the law. They avoided sin by refusing to do anything that might cause them to cross that imaginary line. They taught others to do the same. The problem was that the Pharisees had a real attitude about those who lived on the other side of the line.
Simon believed Jesus was from the other side of the line. He had, after all, broken the Pharisees Sabbath laws and ignored the Pharisees cleanliness laws. Perhaps worst of all, Jesus insisted on associating with people who clearly lived on the other side of the Pharisee's line.
Simon thought it was risky enough to have Jesus to his house for supper. Then through the side door sneaks this- woman. Our English translation does not convey the shock that the entrance of this woman made, literally the Greek reads, "And look a woman!" A CERTAIN woman, Luke says, not even wanting to use her name.
She came because she heard Jesus was there. What kind of risk did she take to get into Simon's house? She probably sneaked in by the side door and then she stood behind Jesus. You have to picture Jesus reclining on one elbow in the traditional posture for eating at a banquet, his feet tucked behind him. She approached Jesus from behind him, perhaps to give him the gift of the fine oil, and noticed something unthinkable. Simon had not provided even the most basic of common courtesies for his guest. He hadn't washed Jesus feet. Perhaps seeing Jesus treated so rudely moved her to weep, perhaps she was just deeply moved by being in Jesus presence, like crying at a wedding. We don't know. Her tears fell on Jesus' feet: perhaps accidently at first. Then embarrassed she looked for something to wipe them dry. All she has is her hair. So she let it down and began to dry his feet. The more she dries the more she cries and soon the messy mixture of dust and tears turned to mud, and hair just make a fine gnarly mess.
Don't you suppose that was the peak of Simon's disgust? He thinks to himself. Look at that mess. If he knew what was what, he wouldn't let that woman TOUCH him like that. The word that we translate "touch" is a word that might be used for a sexual touch, but in this case, it is just an improper touch.
All Simon can see is the gaudy, aqua colored frame… all he could see is that Jesus let this filthy animal touch him.
Jesus looked right through the gaudy, filthiness and all he saw was love, and gratitude and worship.
Notice, in Jesus' story about the two creditors there are three characters: one who is the forgiving creditor, and two debtors. Notice that there is not a forgiving creditor, a debtor and a judge. Jesus is casting Simon as one of the debtors.
Basically, Jesus is saying, there are two kinds of sinners in the world and everyone here fits into one of the two categories. There are sinners who know they are sinners (like the woman) and there are sinners who do not know that they are sinners. (Like Simon)
The woman is a sinner. We all know that. Jesus is saying that to some greater or lesser degree so is Simon.
And so am I. And so are you.
That is one lesson from this story. None of us is sinless. Simon would have said he was, but he wasn't. You might think, "Thank God I am not as big a sinner as Terry!" But let me tell you, you are still a sinner. We are all in the same boat, and I am sorry to say, we are sinking. No matter how far away from the woman, Simon stands, he is still in the same boat, and he is still sinking. No matter how many life jackets he thinks he has put on by his efforts to not sin. When all is said and done, he will be just as cold and wet as the woman will be. No matter how much he may protest about THAT kind of woman coming into his house, when the boat finally sinks, he is just as far from shore as she is. And so are we. "All have sinned and fallen short." Maybe some of us shorter than others, but all have sinned.
That is where the miracle comes in.
I want to know what bank this guy in Jesus' story works for, because I want to do business with this guy. I have never known a banker who so easily and willingly wrote off debts just because the customer couldn't pay. If you have ever had a bill collector on the other end of the phone, you know that would surely be a miracle, wouldn't it? Yet, that is the miracle that happens every day in God's economy.
With God at the drive up window the woman's debt, as great as it is, is completely forgiven. With God doing the accounting Simon's debt, however large or small that may have been, is forgiven. Through Jesus Christ, my sins are forgiven. And in Jesus Christ your sins, remember you are a sinner too, … your sins however great or small they may be, no matter how ugly they may be, are peeled back to reveal the brilliantly beautiful child of God that you are.
That is the miracle. That is the greatest miracle of all time.
That is the wonder of wonders that draws us to worship
That is the astounding, astonishing, amazing grace of God.
