He Saw The Best In Me

Allow yourself to go back and look at moments in your life that you recognize as being sinful. What images come to mind? How do you feel when you sin? Share those thoughts and feelings with God. This is what David did in Psalm 51: 1 - 3 look at what he prays, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”

David was truly sorry for his transgressions against God, and as we read the story of David’s life we discover that the sin David was guilty of was indeed forgiven by God but not without consequences, and that’s another sermon. Our sin is why Jesus came to us in the first place; He came to set the captives (which includes you and I) free.

Conclusion

This woman was overwhelmed with the greatness of her sin and the greatness of her forgiveness. She began to cry, and the tears fell on the feet of Jesus. She dried his feet by loosening the tresses in her hair and using her hair as a towel. And out of love she kissed his feet, and anointed Jesus feet with the perfume. Simon the Pharisee, here is representative of today’s world in that he found this to be reprehensible and totally inappropriate.

Why? Because of what he saw in the woman, he saw a prostitute, a woman of the night kissing the feet of a man who claims to be a man of God of which he doubted in the first place. Here was a woman with a terrible reputation, and Jesus was allowing this terrible sinner, to wash, kiss, and anoint his feet. The Pharisee's conclusion is, "This man is no prophet! If he were a prophet he would know about this sinful woman! He would turn her away, if He knew the type of woman she is! He would turn her away? Now I wonder, are we doing this very same thing in today’s Church? Are we turning those people away who we think is not a good fit for “our” Church.

Are we evaluating whom we want and not want to be a member of our wonderful congregation? If so, we are in effect saying that our Church is only for perfect people, and if it is a Church only for perfect people it is no longer a Church, it has become a place where people come to meet for entertainment; to socialize, and has absolutely nothing to do with loving God. Because how can you say you love God, but look down on His creation? How can you look down on your brother or sister in the Lord?

In verse 40, Jesus tells Simon that he has something to say.

And whether Simon wants to hear it or not, he's polite enough to give Jesus permission to say what was on His heart. Jesus speaks of the parable of the creditors and the debtors and in this parable Jesus shows that indeed He is a prophet. He tells Simon what he is thinking.

He tells Simon that He knows that this woman is a sinner. But most importantly that eventhough she was a sinner she was forgiven. You see, the difference between the Simon the Pharisee and this woman was, she knew she was a sinner who needed a Savior. Simon did not consider himself a bad enough sinner to need a Savior! There are people in the Church today who believe that because of perceived righteousness they have every right to judge others to make them feel better about themselves. They actually feel that they are so special to God until sinfulness is for those other people and not them.