"What Great Things God Has Done For Me!"

Pentecost +4

Isaiah 65:1-9

Galatians 3:23-4:7

Luke 8:26-39 – New American Standard Version

Today is the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, and so far, Jesus’ life is full of excitement, well, insofar as our Gospel lessons are concerned. First, Jesus demonstrates his authority over sickness, then Jesus demonstrates his power over death, then he demonstrates his power over sin, and now, in our text, Jesus shows us his power over the devil and hell.

But there is a negative side to all this. First, Jesus talks to a Gentile, a Roman soldier, which makes him unclean; then, when he meets the funeral procession, he touches the coffin, making him more unclean; then, in the pharisee’s house, he lets himself be touched by a sinful woman, making him doubly unclean; now, here in the land of the Gerasenes, Jesus lands in Gentile territory, wanders near a cemetery, is met by and engages in a conversation with a naked, demon possessed man. UNCLEAN. UNCLEAN. UNCLEAN.

Well, I guess Jesus is entitled to his choices. He could choose not to talk with the centurion, thereby preserving his ritual purity; Jesus could have chosen to avoid the funeral procession, thus preserving his ritual purity; Jesus could have told Simon the Pharisee not to let the woman in, thus preserving his ritual purity. And now, Jesus could have told his disciples to land the boat somewhere else, for this was Gentile territory, so they would not have to be near a cemetery, so that he would not have to deal with the demon-possessed man, thus preserving his ritual purity. Would you be glad if Jesus HAD made these choices? ---

And yet, these were not the choices Jesus made. He instead chose to meet these unclean people and address their needs, thus making himself unclean in the process, because HE HAD COMPASSION ON THEM. BECAUSE THEIR SALVATION WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS RITUAL PURITY. Aren’t you glad Jesus made the choices he made?

And so, as they land on the shores of the Gerasenes, he is at once met by the demon-possessed man. We are told that the man “had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.” Why the tombs? Well, I guess demons, the devil, loves death, not life. When the demon sees Jesus, he shouts, in alarm: “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." One thing I found strange in the biblical accounts is this, that it is the demons who recognize, and confess the true identity of Jesus. Jesus’ disciples, even his detractors, seem to find it difficult to comprehend who Jesus truly is. Could that also be the reason why most times, we find it difficult to reflect Jesus’ compassion and love to others? We say that we are saved by grace. Do we see that grace here, among ourselves, in church? Do we need a demon-possessed man to tell us who Jesus is?

St. Luke describes the life of the demon-possessed man: that “it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.”

Jesus asks the man’s name, but the demon would not let the man speak. Instead, it is the demon who answers Jesus’ question: Legion, for it was not one demon but many. I do not believe Jesus was interested in the demon’s name. I do not believe that Jesus is interested in demons, whoever they are. From our previous Gospel lessons, we see clearly what it is that interests Jesus: Jesus is not interested in whether a man is a Jew or a Gentile; he is not interested whether a person is rich or poor; Jesus is not interested whether a person is ritually clean or not. All Jesus is interested in is US: and so, out of compassion and grace, he heals the centurion’s servant, he raises the widow’s son from the dead, HE FORGIVES THE SINS OF THE WOMAN. And now, he casts out Satan’s kingdom. By casting out the demons from this man. Jesus makes himself ritually unclean for these people. DO YOU THINK THAT JESUS WOULD DO LESS FOR YOU? Jesus had great compassion for these people. DO YOU THINK THAT HIS COMPASSION FOR YOU WOULD BE ANY LESS?

The demons beg, implore Jesus not to send them into the abyss. On the hillside, a herd of pigs were grazing, no doubt kept by the gentile herders of that land. The demons beg Jesus to send them into the herd of pigs. Again, Jesus is confronted by a choice: he could free this man from the demons forever, at the expense of someone’s pigs, or he could let the man continue suffering so that someone’s business might not be disrupted. Once more, Jesus shows compassion. The man, at last, is freed from the torment of hell. And it is, or should be, an occasion for joy. At least, I believe it was an occasion of joy for Jesus at the time. But apparently, the other Gerasenes did not find what happened joyful:

32Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission.

33And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country.

35The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened.

The man, who was once demon-possessed, was now sitting calmly at Jesus’ feet, had clothes on and, most important of St. Luke’s observations, was sane, was in his right mind. And the Gerasenes were frightened. Of whom? The man? But he was freed of the demons. He was calmly sitting at Jesus’ feet. He had clothes on. And he was sane. If only they had talked to him, they would know he was sane. But they had let fear overcome their compassion:

“36Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well.

37And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.”

They were probably afraid that Jesus would, by his casting out demons, put them all out of business. Possibly they were superstitious people, fearing that Jesus would, by his casting out demons, invite other demons to their land to do battle with Jesus. The reasons, we could say, are Legion. But, the most important thing here is that by their fear, they refused God’s grace. By their fear, they have effectively prevented Jesus’ compassion from reaching them. By their fear, they had effectively driven Jesus, and his compassion and his grace, from their midst : “and He got into a boat and returned.”

BUT NOT EVEN THEIR FEAR COULD PREVENT JESUS FROM LOVING THEM. AND SO EVEN AS HE WAS HANGING ON THE CROSS HE WAS HANGING, DYING ON THE CROSS FOR THESE GERASENES WHO DROVE HIM AWAY. HE WAS DYING FOR US, WHO CONTINUALLY DRIVE HIM AWAY BY OUR LACK OF COMPASSION. BUT IN SPITE OF OUR LACK OF COMPASSION, IN SPITE OF OUR REJECTION, JESUS STILL COMES TO US AND OFFERS US FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND LIFE – THROUGH HIS WORD AND SACRAMENTS. AND BY HIS DEATH, SATAN’S KINGDOM IS UNDONE. SATAN IS DRIVEN OUT, AND LIKE THE DEMON-POSSESSED MAN, WE END UP SITTING AT JESUS’ FEET, GATHERING AROUND HIS WORD AND PARTAKING OF HIS SACRAMENTS.

But one last thing: why does Jesus refuse the offer of the man to become his disciple? Isn’t the principle, THE MORE THE MERRIER? Wouldn’t that be proof that the kingdom of God is indeed increasing? Instead Jesus sends him home. Why? BECAUSE FOLLOWING JESUS AND RETURNING HOME AND TELLING PEOPLE HOW MUCH GOD HAD DONE FOR HIM WAS ESSENTIALLY ONE AND THE SAME THING. THAT FOLLOWING JESUS IS RETURNING HOME TO TELL EVERYONE HOW MUCH GOD HAS DONE FOR US: TO PEOPLE IN OUR HOMES, IN OUR SCHOOLS, IN OUR WORK PLACES, IN THE GYM.

Here now we have been forgiven. Jesus, the Lord, has given us freedom from the devil through his word and his sacraments. And so, at the end of this service, as we go back to our daily lives, once more we hear the words of our Lord: “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.”

TODAY HIS MERCY CALLS US (Just As He Called Simon)

The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

(Sermon for Sunday, June 24, 2007)

Text : Luke 7:36-8:3

Sometimes the Lord Jesus does some things which we find hard to believe. Our Gospel lesson for this Sunday is about Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman. One thing I found interesting in our Gospel lesson is the lack of significant conversation between the people involved. The woman does not speak, Simon does not utter anything important. And yet, their actions speak louder than their words.

A Pharisee, Simon by name, invites the Lord to eat at his home. Now, we have to realize that in Jesus’ time, the Pharisees were the good guys. The Pharisees were given the task of protecting and preserving the LAW so that the Israelite nation may be preserved pure before God. The Pharisees were the religious guardians of God’s people.

Well, St. Luke tells us that a certain woman, a sinner, got wind of the fact that Jesus was having lunch at the house of Simon the Pharisee. The NIV says that the woman was a SINNER. It is important for us to understand the term SINNER as used by Jewish society. SINNERS, according to Jewish society, were those people who did not go to synagogue to worship. People who neither have the time nor the inclination to go to synagogue on the Sabbath. But not only those who did not go to synagogue. SINNERS in Jewish society included lepers and people who had communicable diseases, tax collectors, gentiles, PROSTITUTES. The woman in our story, that St. Luke calls a SINNER, was a prostitute. Well, this woman goes to the house of Simon the Pharisee bearing an alabaster jar of perfume. The fact that the perfume was in an alabaster jar suggests that the perfume was expensive. How was she able to afford this? Well, she was a prostitute, where do we think she got the money? She manages to get into the Pharisee’s house (I wonder: does Simon let the woman in on purpose to trap Jesus?). So, in Simon’s house she sits at the feet of Jesus. She is weeping, probably in remembrance of her many sins. She wipes the Lord’s feet with her hair, kisses his feet, and pours perfume on Jesus’ feet.

Meanwhile, Simon looks at the whole scene, and thinks: “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.” In other words, Simon was expecting that Jesus, being a prophet, would be able to read the woman’s mind, and therefore know what kind of woman she was. But it was not the woman’s mind that Jesus was interested in. It was Simon’s heart. So Jesus tells him: “Simon, I have something to tell you.” Simon, ever confident of himself, answers: “Tell me, teacher.” And Jesus tells Simon the parable : “Two men 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 cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answers, “Well, I suppose, the obne who had the bigger debt cancelled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus says. And then Jesus proceeds to apply the parable to him and the woman. “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me 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 – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Now, the NIV is a bit unclear here. The Greek text, however, is clear: the woman loves much BECAUSE she was forgiven much. In other words, she is doing this now to Jesus because she has been forgiven. Her acts of love, her tears, the perfume, were only proof that she was forgiven, not the condition. And then Jesus proclaims to the woman the absolution that she has already received.

Well, if I were to pose the question, “With whom would you identify in the story?” No doubt most, if not all of us would say that we would identify with the woman. I doubt if any of us would identify with Simon the Pharisee. But I would maintain that we cannot identify with the woman, well, because we are not prostitutes. But can we be like Simon the Pharisee? Well, what kind of person was Simon the Pharisee? Well, being a Pharisee, Simon regularly worships. He attentively listens to God’s word and zealously protects God’s word so that it will be preserved for God’s people. Being a Pharisee, Simon believes that he is good and deserving of God’s mercy; Simon also believes that gentiles and sinners (especially, heaven forbid! prostitutes!) deserve only God’s wrath. Simon believes that these people are bad, being sinners, and do not deserve to be forgiven. These people do not deserve to be counted among God’s people, do not deserve to be included in God’s kingdom. And Simon believes he is right to think this way. Simon believes he is right to feel this way. When Jesus confronts Simon with the LAW, when Jesus tells Simon what he failed to do, in contrast to what the woman does for Jesus, what does Simon do? Simon does nothing.

Well, what about the woman? She wept, didn’t she? She poured perfume on the Lord’s feet, didn’t she? Lest we think that the woman did something to merit her forgiveness, let’s go back to our text. What does Jesus say? In verse 47, Jesus says, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much.” Meaning, her many sins were forgiven – THAT IS WHY SHE LOVED MUCH.” What the woman did for Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee was only proof of the forgiveness she had already received.

But what about Simon? Is there no GOSPEL for Simon the Pharisee? Well, you may say, none, because he was puffed up with pride. But aren’t we all, at one time or another, proud? Aren’t we all, at one time or another, like Simon the Pharisee? YES. But isn’t the GOSPEL for ALL people? Again, YES. And so, it would be well if we read the parable again. In the parable, who was forgiven? Only the one who owed 500 denarii? No, Even the one who owed a mere 50 denarii was also forgiven. And so, if we apply the parable, we would say that the woman corresponded to the one who owed 500 denarii, while Simon the Pharisee would correspond to the one who owed only 50. BOTH WERE PARDONED.

And so, in the final analysis, there is no difference if we identify with the woman or with Simon the Pharisee. For both were forgiven.

And so, our sermon hymn today serves us aptly, TODAY HIS MERCY CALLS US. Not to make a decision. One of the most pernicious thoughts in Christendom is the idea that promotes that “you have to accept Jesus in your heart as your Savior and Lord.” WRONG. It is not we who accept Jesus. It is Jesus who accepts us. Because Jesus has accepted us, he died for us. None of us wants to accept Jesus. None of us wants to do what God commands. O, so great is our debt! And because of this what does Jesus do? Does he condemn us? Does he punish us? Does he force us to pay him what we owe? No. Instead, JESUS FORGIVES US. JESUS DIES FOR US. JESUS ACCEPTS US. WITH NO MERIT OR ACTION ON OUR PART. This is most certainly true; THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY GOOD NEWS.

Today his mercy calls us. Jesus calls us today NOT SO THAT WE CAN DECIDE TO FOLLOW HIM. HE CALLS US TODAY BECAUSE HE HAS ALREADY FORGIVEN US, HE HAS ALREADY ACCEPTED US, HE ALREADY DIED FOR US. HE CALLS US BECAUSE THE TABLE, THE BANQUET, IS READY. REJOICE IN THAT FORGIVENESS. REJOICE IN THAT ACCEPTANCE. REJOICE IN THAT GRACE, OFFERED TO YOU NOW WITHOUT MERIT OR ACTION ON YOUR PART. TODAY HIS MERCY CALLS US, JUST AS HE CALLED SIMON THE PHARISEE. TODAY, JESUS CALLS US TO REJOICE.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

Pentecost +3