The Woman Views the Cross 2

Luke 7:44-50

Our previous church had many outreach programs and mission projects that members could support or be involved with. But there was also a woman – a member of the church, but not well known – who had started her own ministry outside the church selling used books to raise money to help needy children. The question came up – should the church support this since it is not a program of the church?

As we continue in the encounter with the sinful woman, we have seen that Jesus has accepted her in spite of her sins. What does he point out to his host? What does he say to her? What is the response? How does Jesus clarify the matter?

Of course we were supposed to support the ministry of the woman in the church, even if her idea was not the idea of church leaders. What was important was that service was being done. Good and holy efforts were made to serve God’s kingdom.

Sometimes Christians get caught up in the organization and order of the church, failing to see what goes on outside the walls of the church. Activities conducted outside the congregation may seem foreign to us, and often suspect. But, are we as “good Christians” actually doing any good work, or just sitting in judgment of others?

Although we are sinful we are accepted by Christ, and being accepted we are called to serve the kingdom of God. If we wait until we are good enough to do the work of the Lord we will never do anything. We must act in faith, trusting that we are accepted and forgiven.

And that should be our attitude toward others. We cannot judge them and turn others away. But we should accept them as Christ does, accept them as they are, and invite them to join us in the work of God, or offer to join them in their good work.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you accept he work of others without judging them?

The Woman Views the Cross 1

Luke 7:37-43

When I taught junior high school there was a particular student who did not do well; he had poor grades and a bad attitude. He did not do well in most classes, that is, but he was fine in mine. When I suggested to another teacher that we all may want to work with this student I was told that he was a hopeless case. But at the end of the year the young man wrote me a note thanking me for my encouragement.

It was the same student in all the classes, the difference was that I would not let his reputation color my perception of him.

In Luke 7 we have the first part of Jesus encountering a sinful woman. What did the woman do for Jesus? What did the Pharisee think? What was the point of the parable?

The issue of sinfulness came up the other day in a discussion among clergy. How much sin is too much sin? The question arose from church members trying to decide if a sinful person should be allowed to take part in their worship service. I responded with this story of the sinful woman.

She knew she was sinful, but she also knew she needed to be forgiven. With this awareness and this powerful drive to find salvation she wordlessly offers praise and adoration to Jesus.

Did Jesus know who she was? Yes, of course. But her past was not important. What was important was that she was seeking forgiveness, and knew she needed a great debt forgiven.

We are all sinful, and to attempt to rank our sin with others – I’m not as sinful as you, my sin is not as bad as yours – is absolute foolishness. To reject another because we view them as sinful is to take the position of the Pharisee. We sit in judgment and reject the very people that Christ came to save and that the church should work to rescue.

We should each be willing to accept other people in spite of their sinfulness, because we have had a great debt canceled. Perhaps it would help us to accept others when we remember we have been accepted by Jesus.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do to remember the size of your cancelled debt?