Welcome to Redemption Church in Plano, Texas. My name is Chris Fluitt and I am glad to welcome everyone. Thank you for joining us in worship.

Nobody Left Out

We are in the 3rd week of our sermon series “Nobody Left Out.” We are inviting you to read along in a 40 day devotional with the same title by author Michael Murray.

Available here: https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Left-Out-Messes-Devotional-ebook/dp/B08MY583G8

You can catch the 2 previous weeks on redemptionplano.com.

Tonight, I want to talk to you about the unwelcomed dinner guest.

The Unwelcomed Dinner Guest.

Have you ever walked into a room and felt unwelcome?

It was 1998. My great friend Terrell Wooden and I were in our hometown of Waco Texas. We were hanging out after a Sunday evening Church service, and we decided to stop by Katie’s frozen custard stand. This is a popular hangout spot in Waco. A lot of Baylor University students and middle to upper class families hang out here.

On this Sunday night it was no different, there was a group of about 50 people hanging out on the patio of Katie’s. Imagine 50 people all talking and laughing loudly.  Now imagine it going from that atmosphere to complete silence when I walk up with Terrell.

Terrell Wooden

Terrell is a black guy. When he walked into a patio that was filled with the white upper-crust, people looked over and a silence overtook the patio. The silence was so noticeable that it made me flinch.

Terrell and I made our way up to the custard stand and we ordered and left. When we got back to the car, I felt I needed to clear the air… I said “Terrell, I am sorry that it seemed like your presence startled some white folks back there.”

My friend Terrell took it in stride. He said with a funny voice “Those people were behaving like ‘He’s Here!”

To this day we take turns telling each other “He’s Here” and disarming the soft bigotry with laughter.

We laugh now… but at the time my friend was less than welcomed.  He was unwelcomed.

The Unwelcomed Dinner Guest.

Have you ever felt unwelcome?
Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong?
Have you ever walked into a room and felt out of place?
 

That same unwelcome feeling is the setting of our story found in Luke 7:36.

Luke 7:36-39 (NIV) 36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “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.” 

Jesus is invited to a party. Jesus is invited into the home of a pharisee.

Pharisees are well to do… upper class and well respected.
Pharisees prided themselves on being righteous.

Jesus is reclining at the table when “a woman who lived a sinful life” came to the party.

Uninvited Undignified & Unable

The woman was uninvited.

 Whatever the criteria were to make the guest list, she did not make the cut.

The woman was undignified.

Her lifestyle was known as sinful. It is likely she was a prostitute. Given her past she was not honored at this party, instead you can imagine she was sneered at by the other party guests.

The woman was unable to change.

The ancient world culture stacked the deck against women. Women were not educated. The phrase career woman did not exist. There was no talk about breaking through a glass ceiling, because woman carried far fewer rights than men.

If a woman were without a husband, she had few options. She would likely live in poverty and starve… or she would become a prostitute.

Once a prostitute, she was likely disowned by her family, and it would have been unlikely that she would ever become married.

She was unable to change the culture and unable to change her situation.

The woman was uninvited, undignified, and unable… BUT she had heard that Jesus was nearby.

Party Crasher

When sneaking in without a ticket, you need to learn to blend in. You don’t want to do anything to stand out, you aim to look like you belong.

Does this woman blend in?

Use your imagination.  They are reclined at a dinner table.  They are eating and talking when this happens…

38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

This is exactly how NOT to blend in.  I can imagine the entire party looking on in awkward silence and disbelief. Someone was probably screaming in their mind, “someone make her stop,” “someone make her leave,” “someone should do something… she is ruining everything.”

Simon was doing this silently in his mind.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “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.” 

Often in the gospels, Jesus is judged because of his association with sinners. In week one we saw the crowd judge Jesus because he was associating with the sinful tax collector Zacchaeus. Now Simon is questioning if Jesus really is a prophet, because of who Jesus is allowing to touch him.

Our association with Jesus, is a win for us… and a loss for him.
Still today we hear people say that they won’t have anything to do with Jesus because of all those sinning hypocrites in Church.

I must say it again… Our association with Jesus, is a win for us… and a loss for him.
 

40Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.

Now notice that Jesus is reading Simon’s mind.  Simon had said to himself that the woman was a sinner… but Jesus answers a question that Simon never articulates. Jesus answers with a parable story.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,”Jesus said.

Jesus gives Simon a parable of debt forgiveness.

Debt Forgiveness

There are 2 debtors in the parable. One debtor owes 500, and the other debtor owes 50.
How many debtors are there in the parable?  2
How many are forgiven? They are both forgiven of their debt.
But which forgiven debtor loves more?  The one forgiven of the bigger debt.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

The Unwelcomed Dinner Guest.

Do you know who the unwelcomed dinner guest is in this story?

There are lots of discussions over what the name of the sinful woman is… some think it is Mary Magdalene, but there are reasons why that is not likely.

But today after a lot of study I want to reveal to you by divine revelation the name of the unwelcomed dinner guest.

The Unwelcomed Dinner Guests name is…. (pause for dramatic effect) Jesus.

Jesus is the dinner guest that came into Simon’s house but was not offered water to wash his feet by Simon.   …and yet the sinful woman washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

Jesus is the dinner guest that Simon did not greet with a kiss on the cheek.  …and yet the uninvited woman has kissed the feet of Jesus.

Jesus is the dinner guest Simon ignored with the custom of placing oil upon his head. …and yet the undignified woman took her perfume and anointed the feet of Jesus.

Jesus is the dinner guest that is in Simon’s house yet unwelcomed by Simon.
…But Jesus is welcomed by the outcast woman.

Uninvited Undignified & Unable

The woman is uninvited, undignified, and unable to change, and yet watch what Jesus does in verse 44.

*44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?

Jesus turns to the woman… and says to Simon “do you see this woman?”

The woman that everyone looked past… The culture looked past her… the religious people looked past her… her own family looked past her… BUT JESUS TURNS TO HER.

“Simon do you see this woman?”

Jesus sees better than we

Jesus sees the woman better than Simon sees the woman.
Jesus sees Simon better than the woman sees Simon.
Jesus sees the woman better than the woman sees herself.
Jesus sees Simon better than Simon sees himself.

Jesus sees you better than your enemy sees you.
Jesus sees your enemy better than you see your enemy.
Jesus sees you better than you see yourself.

Jesus sees better than we.

Simon may not have seen the woman… but Jesus did.
I don’t know who does not see you… but Jesus does see you!

Simon the pharisee was quick to point out the sin of the woman… Jesus is quick to point out her heartfelt worship.

If Simon sees anything… it is judgment for sin.
Jesus, who is the lamb of God who will pay for the sins of all humanity, He looks and sees love.

Christian, what do you see? Is it easier for you to judge people or to love people?

Simon assumes 3 things.
-Simon assumes… Jesus doesn’t know who this woman is.  Wrong. Jesus does know.
-The woman is unloved and unvaluable.  Wrong. The woman is loved and so valuable that Jesus lays down His life for her.
-He’s a better person.  Wrong again.

Do we make the same assumptions about people?

Debt Forgiveness

In the parable of Jesus, he teaches us about 2 debtors. There are 2 debtors at the heart of this dinner party story. Both Simon the Pharisee and the un-named woman are debtors.

We are all debtors. We are all sinners.

In the parable one debtor owes more than the other debtor. One owes 500 and the other owes 50, both are unable to pay their debt.
In the parable both debtors are forgiven their full amount… but there is a difference in their response.

47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Forgiven Much = Love Much
Forgiven Little = Love Little

The woman’s extravagant worship of Jesus… her great love… is from a realization of her many sins and how Jesus has forgiven them.

Simon’s lack of love, his lack of attention to Jesus, his absence of worship… is from an ignorance of his many sins.

Forgiven sinners make the best worshippers.
Those who understand they don’t deserve his presence and provision…
Those who understand they have fallen short of His glory…
Those who see how great Jesus is are willing to pour out the most costly praise…

The woman & Simon were equal sinners… But they were not equally aware.

• They were not equally aware of who they were as sinners.
• They were not equally aware of who Jesus was.

I want Redemption church to be filled with people who realize they are sinners and realize how wonderful Jesus is. I want this church filled with those who are forgiven much and who love much.

musician

48Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Uninvited Undignified & Unable

That woman who walked in uninvited, undignified, and unable… she was forgiven.

Jesus invited her to be forgiven. And Jesus says, “your faith has saved you.”
Jesus gives her dignity.
Jesus was able to liberate her from her sin when she was unable to free herself.

Sadly, we don’t read that Simon the pharisee had any parallel experience.

We are about to come pray… which debtor will you be like in the story today? The woman or Simon?

 

You know what it is like to feel unwelcomed. You know what it is like to walk into a room and feel the stares and hear the faint whispers. We can focus on these stories of rejection, or we can focus on the one who welcomes us.

Jesus is the unwelcomed dinner guest.  His association with sinners like us has always cost him pain.

Yet this Jesus, the very king of Heaven, approaches us and changes us.

Invited, Dignified, & Empowered

Jesus says, “Come to me all you are weary.” (Matthew 11:28)
Jesus calls out to lost aimless people like us and says, “Come and follow me.” “Come and see.” (Matthew 4:19, John 1:39)

Because of Jesus you are no longer uninvited, BUT INVITED.

 

Jesus looks past all our sin and He gives us dignity. Scripture says He crowns us with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:5)

Because of Jesus you are no long undignified, BUT DIGNIFIED.

 

Jesus comes to the weak, hurting, dying. Jesus comes to the depressed and confused. Jesus comes to those that are unable. This same Jesus gives us power through His Spirit. (Acts 1:8)  You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13)

Because of Jesus you are no longer unable, BUT ABLE.

These altars are open.

Fellow sinner, because of Jesus you are welcome – nobody left out.