Sermon – “Here Is Your Brother”
Scripture: Luke 7:36-50
‘Tis the season for parties. They might be parties which people look forward to all year, or they might be parties that we dread. It might be a large work-related party where the political thing to do is show up, or it might be a large family gathering. Whatever type of party it is, it seems that the larger the party, the more chance there is that there will be someone attending the party which I call an “Irregular Person.” The Christmas season seems to bring “Irregular People” out of the woodwork! When I talk about “Irregular People” I’m saying nothing about their gastro-intestinal tract. That would be too easy! When I’m talking about “Irregular People,” I’m talking about someone who cannot be avoided; someone who will be at everything you go to; and someone who always makes life miserable for you when you are at the same function together! This person might be a close work associate that grates on your nerves; or he or she might be a close relative: a parent, an in-law, a brother, sister, or cousin. It doesn’t matter who this person is. It’s just enough to say that this person will be there and you or I would rather not have anything to do with them. That’s because they’re “irregular!”
“Irregular People” are everywhere spreading their own particular irregularity wherever they go. It’s tough to deal with because it seems that each of us has a touch of irregularity within us as well!
As we have been going through C.S. Lewis’ enchanted land of talking animals and of Aslan, the Lion and Son of the Emperor across the eastern sea, we’ve seen that Narnia had been in the grasp of the White Witch and she made it to be a place of “always winter and never Christmas.” We also saw that she wasn’t pleased to learn that four children (two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve) had come into the land which she held in her frozen grasp. She knew the ancient prophecy which foretold that when four human children came into Narnia her icy clutches would be loosened and Aslan would be on the move and would appear to take her place. Then we saw that in order to insure that didn’t happen, she enticed Edmund, the youngest of the brothers, with Turkish Delight, a confection that sweetened his tooth and tightened her grasp on him. He was about to give over his three siblings to her with the empty promise of never-ending supply of Turkish Delight and the promise of a throne.
When Edmund finally came to his senses and he returned to the protection of Aslan the others weren’t accepting. He had turned traitor and was even willing to give up the other three for his own selfish ambitions!
It’s hard to know what to do with someone like that. The Ancient Church had problems with Christians who had denounced their faith and offered the pinch of incense on the Emperor’s altar to save their skins from execution. When the age of persecution was over and the Emperor himself became a follower of Christ, those who had given in to the tyranny of persecution wanted to return to the fold. The church was left with the problem of what to do with them. Should they be readmitted into the faith without consequence while other fought and sailed bloody seas and when they had so easily turned on their fellow brothers and sisters in the faith? We shouldn’t be too quick to judge them when we have no idea how we might respond in just such a situation. We have never been forced to make a decision between our belief in Christ and our own lives. That’s the tyranny of persecution and why the devil has not given up using that tactic and why it works so well! True persecution is not whether or not a store employee will wish us a “Merry Christmas” instead of saying “Happy holidays.” That’s nothing more than a minor inconvenience. True persecution comes when unbelievers force you to choose between your faith or your family; your faith or your job; your faith or your very life!
In Lewis’ story Edmund had to face that very question: would he give up his siblings into the hands of the White Witch or face terrible consequences? But when he chose the path of righteousness and it came time for him to meet Aslan, Lewis quotes the great Lion as saying to the other three siblings: “Here is your brother and – there is no need to talk to him about what is past.” Because he was repentant Aslan was reintroducing Edmund to his brother and two sisters but in their meeting him they saw him as nothing more than an “Irregular Person;” a traitor, and someone who wasn’t trustworthy.
When we think of Irregular People we have to be careful whom we call “Irregular.” The Woman who anointed Jesus was highly “irregular” in her actions. Who was this woman? The gospel account doesn’t give us the privilege of knowing that information. All that we know is that she was a notorious sinner. This made her very irregular in the eyes of Simon the Pharisee. She must have been a very bold woman, especially for her day! She took several irregular steps at that evening meal: (1) she made a public appearance at a very public dinner. This was unheard of. The place for women in that day was in the background cooking meals and taking care of children. (2) She was in the presence of a Rabbi. This was also very irregular. Rabbis would not tolerate being in the presence of a woman, even if the woman was his own wife! (3) She touched Jesus. This was also a very irregular activity. It was an even stronger taboo than a man being in the presence of a woman. There were very strong guidelines regarding mixing genders in the public arena. (4) She let her hair down in public. This highly irregular action was reserved for the bedroom and then only in the presence of your husband. A woman, when she married, bound her hair up and left it that way until she died. Any one of these four irregular activities would be enough to set the Hebrew tongues wagging. And wag they did! But did Jesus call these actions irregular? No! In fact he applauded the woman for her genuine display of love!
We’re usually quite different from Christ. When we see irregularity, we like to point it out; we like to talk about it; we like to laugh about it behind people’s backs. We have our own set of rules that apply to irregular people, and those rules are usually more similar to Simon the Pharisee than they are to Jesus!
Jesus was telling Simon that the woman before them was a sister and there was no reason to talk to her about her past. But we like to do that, don’t we. We like to remember everything that has happened before and then drag it up at the most opportune time so that we can make the most of a situation. Jesus was telling the Pharisee that because I forgive her, you should too. And then he told him how she had been more regular in her actions than he was!
1. You didn’t give me water for my feet – she’s been washing my feet with her tears.
2. You didn’t give me a kiss – she’s been kissing me non-stop.
3. You didn’t give me oil for my head – she’s poured perfume on my feet.
Throughout this story it becomes more and more evident that the woman is not the irregular one in Christ’s eyes, but it was Simon the Pharisee who could claim that distinction! Jesus regularly accepts people who know they’re in desperate need. He regularly accepts those who are overwhelmed with love for him. He regularly accepts those who ask for forgiveness! But Simon was not conscious of any need within himself. He was not feeling love for anyone but himself. He was not ready for forgiveness because in his eyes he was a good man both before men as well as God. But rather than being the good regular person he thought he was, HE was the irregular one! Those who love much receive much, but those who love little receive little. “There’s no need to talk to her about what is past!”
Simon had reached an illogical conclusion about both the woman and about Jesus. The problem with logic is the same as the problem with computers: your output is only as reliable as your input. Because Simon’s logic was based on false assumptions it lead him to false conclusions. He thought that if Jesus was a prophet he’d certainly know that this woman was a woman of ill repute. What he forgot was that if Jesus were a prophet he’d also know what was going on in Simon’s irregular brain! By letting Simon know that he knew what was going on inside his head and unspoken to the rest of the world Jesus proved that he was indeed a prophet!
Now there’s something in the text that we must not miss. Look at verse 40. There we read that Jesus said to Simon, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” How many times throughout the week does Jesus tap us on the shoulder and say to us, “You and I have something to talk about”? There are two types of people and everyone of us falls into one of the types: (1) There are those who know that they are sinners and (2) there are those who know not, and know not that they know not!
Those who know that they are indeed sinners know the extent of their sins. They know that there’s nothing good in and of themselves. They know that their debt is so great that there’s no way that they could ever repay it by themselves. They know that their gratitude must be as great as the forgiven debt. No one can walk away from a forgiven debt without some gratitude evident!
The woman wiping Jesus’ feet had a multitude of sins which must be forgiven. Her faith was such that it forgave deeply. Her gratitude was such that it was very expensive.
Flip Wilson was a popular comedian several years ago, and one of his characters was a Preacher at the “What’s Happening Now Church.” Flip did a Skit where he told about this preacher. He’d shout out: “If this church is going to serve God it’s got to get down on its knees and crawl!” which prompted the audience to yell back to him, “Make it crawl preacher, make it crawl!”
“And once this church has learned to crawl, it’s got to get up on its feet and walk!” and the audience moaned: “Make it walk preacher, make it walk.”
“And once this church has learned to walk it’s got to begin to learn to run!”
“Oh, preacher, make it run, make it run!”
“And in order to run, it’s got to reach deep down into its pockets and learn to give!”
(Pause) “Make it crawl preacher, make it crawl.”
We don’t like irregularity, especially when that irregularity cuts into our own idea of value! The reaction to the woman’s gift was one if indignation, of incredulous disbelief. “This is highly irregular. This gift is far too costly to give to someone, especially when it will wash off the next time he takes a bath! There are far more appropriate ways to spend that kind of money! Let’s make a little sense here! If this man is indeed a prophet he should have a more profit-guided sense of value! The way this is going we’ll be part of a non-profit organization!”
That’s how many of us would feel even if it came as close to home as our own families whom we love. We wouldn’t think of spending over a year’s wages on perfume on our spouse let alone throw it away at church! A thirty-five to forty thousand dollar bottle of perfume is just too costly and is really way too irregular!
After being away on business, a man thought it would be nice to bring his wife a little gift. “How about some perfume?” he asked the cosmetics clerk.
She showed him a bottle costing $50.00. “That’s a bit much,” he said, so she returned with a smaller bottle for $30.00. “That’s still quite a bit,” he complained. Growing annoyed, the clerk brought out a tiny $15.00 bottle. “You know,” he said, “What I mean is that I’d like to see something really cheap.” The clerk handed him a mirror.
How many of us mirror the grateful woman? Or do we mirror those who were indignantly critical of her? Being faithfully irregular usually costs quite a bit. Jesus’ asks each of us who would be indignant of someone’s extravagance, “I have something to tell you. Here is your brother. Here is your sister – there is no need to talk about what is past!” Our sins are forgiven when we love much. For those who love little, little will be forgiven.
Christmas parties come and Christmas parties go. And at every one there will regularly be irregular people among them. Pray that we’re some of them. Amen.
