Do you see this woman?

Probably noticed that there has been a bit of bother going on about MP’s expenses at the moment!

A lot of outrage has been expressed as stories have come out of overpaid mortgages, islands for ducks and other strange expense claims

Love for politicians seems to be at an all time low – common to hear them spoken of as overpaid crooks – people who are only in politics for personal gain

Maybe you have joined in??

Luke 7:36-44a Do you see this woman?

Think about this question for a moment – it’s an important one!

Simon the Pharisee, the man of good reputation had secured Jesus’ attendance for dinner at his house

Simon was probably pleased with himself and would have enjoyed hosting his Pharisee friends and Jesus

Then this woman – this woman with a reputation – came into the house and created a scene

We don’t know what her sin was that earned her such a reputation – many have suggested that she was a prostitute and there is evidence that suggests they might well be right

Jesus asked whether Simon saw the woman – in one sense he couldn’t miss her and yet there is a deeper question here

V39 She is a sinner – Simon saw a sinner – but did he see a woman? Did he see a person? Did he see a fellow human being?

Remember Acts 4 a couple of weeks ago – our ability to separate our lives from those of others?

When we look at politicians in trouble over expenses it is easy to speak harsh words because we are not politicians – politician becomes their identity and we can then speak judgment on that identity

You’ve probably see the politician on your newspaper or TV or heard them on your radio – what did you see?

Did you see a man or a woman?

Did you see a husband, a mother, somebody’s child, somebody’s granddad?

Did you see someone like you – someone with some great qualities but someone who also gets things wrong?

Did you see someone whose life is in a mess and who really needs some grace, mercy and forgiveness?

Simon saw, but he saw through eyes of judgment – he saw sinner, he saw prostitute, he saw person who has done things that I have never done – sin that he could not identify with

He also missed a lot…

V44b-46 He saw her moral failure but had missed his own failure as a host

V47-50 He also missed an amazing moment of redemption – right before his eyes Jesus was transforming this woman’s life while he looked on in horror that a prostitute had gate crashed his party

What does sin trigger in you? Judgement or mercy?

Are you more likely to form an opinion about the person or look for the opportunity of redemption?

Often it will be a mixture of both but there is a real danger that the initial reaction of judgment may be far more noticeable than the message of redemption

Soldier steps on landmine – taken to field hospital – in a mess bits that should be safely hidden away inside are visible

If the doctor receiving him gives a horrified look and says to his assistant, “this one’s real bad” the patient might well give up the fight right away

If, however he is received with a calm, “don’t worry mate, we’ll soon get you patched up” the patient is likely to stick with it

The medical facilities are the same but what is received is very different

We have an amazing message to share – we have an amazing God – the Gospel message is a life transforming message of hope for all mankind!

There is no sin that is bigger than the price Jesus paid on the Cross!

But the sinner needs to know they are loved first before they can receive the goodness of the Gospel

Have you noticed that sinners sought Jesus out?

Have you noticed that sinners don’t often seek out Christians today?

What reputation do we have?

Easy option is to say that it is unjustified and that people misunderstand us – we need to examine our hearts very carefully and let Jesus deal with every bit of pride and judgment that we find there

Let’s look at the big one – the issue that is presenting a lot of problems to the church right now – homosexuality

A few shudders at the mention?

I guess most people here have got their view pretty much sorted out on this one – so let me stir a bit….

How many passages in the Bible make reference to homosexuality?

Opinions vary a little, but 8 at the most

How many passages make reference to adultery?

A whole lot more – 20 solid references found very quickly

Did you know that the New Testament has more references to anger being bad than homosexuality?

Did you know there are more than three times as many references to drunkenness being sin in the NT than homosexuality?

Did you know there are four times as many references to greed being sin in the NT than homosexuality?

NT references to the sinfulness of homosexuality are outnumbered by references to envy, selfishness, deceit, slander, gossip and quarrelling to mention a few

“Ah, but these sins are not comparable with homosexuality!”

1 Cor. 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

Yes, sexual sin can do a lot of damage, but think on these things…

Have you ever thought it odd that while Christians are getting divorced in ever increasing numbers, gay people are campaigning for the right to get married?

The biggest challenge to society at the moment is not the relatively small number of gay people threatening family life but the huge number of heterosexual people who are creating broken families and raising a generation of children who do not know their fathers

Have I turned into a liberal promoter of homosexuality?

Not at all – the Bible does call it sin…along with anger, greed, selfishness, envy and gossip!

Why do we give the person with a short temper so much more grace than the person who finds themselves attracted to the same sex?

Why does the person who is making no effort to control their gluttony find the church so much more welcoming than the person who is deeply troubled by their sexuality and who is crying out for a bit of love and support?

We have a huge capacity to show grace to those who are struggling with “my sin” and a huge capacity to judge those who commit “other people’s sin”

Maybe we could never imagine claiming thousands of pounds of public money for work in our garden so it is easy to judge the person who does so

Maybe we have never felt any attraction to someone of the same sex so we find it easy to use language which devalues those who do

Jesus lived a perfect life – he couldn’t have been more different from the sinful woman who wept over his feet and yet she came to him to receive grace – she came to him in her brokenness and received salvation

While others looked on and judged she came to the one who saw her and loved her

Jesus never compromised on holiness – he lived holy – he preached a strong message – he equated anger with murder – he said that a lustful look was committing adultery in the heart

We must never water down the Word of God – we need to be people who understand truth and live by it but we also need, like Jesus, to be called a friend of sinners

Most Christians who say harsh words about gay people don’t actually know any gay people and certainly don’t have any gay friends

No wonder most gay people think that Christians hate them!

They may hear it said that they “love the person but hate the sin” but words are meaningless without matching actions

Gay people are not for the most part dangerous any more than heterosexual people (who commits most sexual offences?)

Gay people are not all anti marriage and anti family – a gay friend of mine was very happy to attend my wedding!

Are you sitting comfortably?

Simon the Pharisee was disturbed by Jesus’ visit – Jesus does this!

All too easy to be judgmental rather than merciful

James 2:13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

Easy to sing “make me a channel of your peace” – are you willing for Jesus to do the heart surgery necessary for this to be true in your life?