Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives for Christ.
! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly, and each week I share sermons that balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ with the truth of the Word of God.
Together, we'll explore Scripture using observation, interpretation, and application.
This helps us discover practical ways to live out our faith every single day.
Let's dive in together into God's Word.
Good morning, everyone.
Today, we are going over a very unusual parable.
We've actually had the opportunity and the blessing to go over the parables of Christ, who spoke in these very simplistic parables.
We recently did the children in the marketplace.
We've done the seeds and the soil.
We've talked about the ten virgins.
We've gone over so many different simplistic messages that are full of such great spiritual and biblical depth.
And here, we find something that is a bit different.
When we focus on this specific parable, you have, well, verses 41 through 43.
But in order to understand this specific parable, you have to understand the scene that is happening.
Which is why I had Sam read the entirety of this about a sinful woman.
You have this scene where Jesus is being invited.
He's being invited by Simon, a Pharisee, into his house for a meal.
And you have this language where he's, well, he goes into the Pharisee's house and he reclines at the table.
And what's interesting is that there is this, as the text says, a woman of the city who was a sinner.
Now, it's kind of interesting you see that kind of language.
A lot of scholars, biblical scholars and commentaries, they seem to be very consistent that this woman was a prostitute.
Now, we don't know with 100% certainty, but that seems to be the typical agreement on that.
That this woman was, you've probably heard, a person of the streets, right?
Very similar language in that.
So someone that wasn't viewed upon very highly back then, or someone that's not very viewed upon highly in culture even today.
And so what happens, she brings this alabaster jar.
Or in the ESV, it's saying an alabaster flask of ointment.
And it says that she weeps.
Now, what's very interesting in this is that typically when there was going to be the washing of feet, you would use water, not tears.
And so this woman is in such grieving, such sorrow of this idea of who Christ is.
That she is weeping towards Christ.
And when we read this language, it seems very strange to us.
Because, of course, there is a cultural difference that exists back then that we may not understand.
Like, example is, if you go, if you can put this on the screen, the verse 46.
If you could put that up there real quick.
I want to show you something here.
Because when you're reading this, and it's talking about the woman, she's weeping.
She wet his feet with her tears, wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with ointment.
You actually see within the text what was more accustomed back then.
I entered your house.
This is what Christ is saying.
I entered your house, and you gave me no water for my feet.
But she has wet my feet with her tears.
So it's important to know what was customary and how this woman is going above and beyond, having this sense of mourning and grieving in front of Christ.
Now, again, when you read this, you're like, I don't understand what is going on because of our own modern context.
You think of someone crying and cleaning someone's fink.
You think, what a weirdo.
But we got to understand back then that this was more of a sense of reverence.
She has wept my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
You, Simon, gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
Some of you may have seen, I'll give you an example.
There are a lot of films out there.
I can think of Robin Hood, other films.
Kiss my ring, right?
You've probably seen or heard that expression.
Or if you have kissed the ring of a king, that goes to show the amount of reverence that you have to do in front of an authority figure.
And in other cultures, there's bowing.
There's many different ways that someone shows reverence to someone in authority.
And to kiss someone's feet is, again, not something that we would think of.
But it's this sense of showing regret and sorrow for the Lord.
Now, this is not really common, at least that I know of in America.
Do you greet one another with a kiss?
Now, some cultures do that, but it's not as common nowadays.
I think of Italian families, right?
They give hugs and kisses and whatnot.
And certainly there are some families that do that.
So this is one of those times in Scripture where we read it and we may not understand.
But here we can see what was more common.
You gave me no kiss, which would indicate you didn't greet me with a kiss, perhaps.
But from the time I came, she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
And it's showing for a second, okay, Simon is inviting Christ to this party, but there's no...
Christ being the honored guest.
There's nothing that's happening beyond them.
But yet this woman who is a sinner, someone who is viewed upon as scum of the earth,
the misfit of society, is going above and beyond in reverence to the Lord.
That is what is very important that we can see within this text.
And you could...
It has been debated that while Simon...
Well, we could actually see this in the text that Simon is judging Jesus for allowing a sinner to touch him.
If you go back to the text, it is...
Let's see here.
In verse 39, when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself,
if this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him.
She is a sinner.
Talking about cleanliness and uncleanliness, which was very common with the Jewish understanding.
You didn't want someone who was unclean, as it were, to be touching that which was important or that which was clean.
And so, what's very similar...
Before I go into the parable, there's actually a very similar connection with another parable.
If you remember the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector,
you had this scene where the Pharisee felt that he was giving 10% of everything that he owned.
He went to the temple, he lifted his hands, and he went home.
And you had this other person who was the tax collector, more of the misfit of society,
who would not lift his head before the Lord.
And he would bang on his chest saying,
God, forgive me.
Have mercy on me, a sinner, essentially.
Very similar to the language that we find here with the two debtors.
That this woman was showing sorrow and grief for her sin.
And so, we go then into the parable of the two debtors,
where two people owe money.
And I had Sam ask this question.
How many of you have ever had a debt that was paid off before?
Maybe, maybe not.
Maybe you have experienced where someone paid it forward.
Or maybe you've had an experience where someone cut a check,
and whatever it is.
In those moments where, even if it's a small, you know,
your cup of coffee that someone covered for you.
I remember one time, my wife and I, we went into Boise.
We had breakfast.
It was a Saturday.
And someone paid for our entire meal.
And I'm telling you, when you take an entire family of seven out,
that can go, that can be a very expensive check.
And I remember, I thought, I asked the cashier there,
I said, do you know who this person was?
They do not want to tell you.
I'm like, well, excuse me.
I want to know who gave this.
I can thank them.
And the bill was like $60, $70.
I mean, going out for breakfast is expensive.
And I just thought, well, gosh, what am I going to do?
So we ended up paying for someone's meal to continue that.
And that's in those moments,
you appreciate when someone pays off a debt.
Now, this is just an everyday example that you can think of.
And in the text here, you have that there are two people who owe money.
One owes 500 denarii and the other owes 50.
So there's a 10 times difference.
It's important to note that both of them were unable to pay the debt.
And the lender cancels the debts for both of the debtors.
And so Jesus is asking Simon the question.
Jesus is telling Simon this parable.
He asks the question, now, which of them, when they could not pay,
he canceled the debt of both.
Which of them will love him more?
And Simon answered, the one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt.
And Christ said, you have judged rightly.
And so we see that there is this parallel with recognizing the significance of Christ,
but also recognizing the debt that is owed.
And we can think as Christians, how we have a debt that we cannot pay.
Now, at the end of the day, you might owe 50 denarii.
You might owe 500 denarii.
But at the end of the day, both debtors could not pay off the debt.
And when we think of how we are sinners that are in need of a savior,
it is Christ who redeems us, who pays the debt by his death, burial, and resurrection.
By his very life, his ministry.
And so that's remarkable that we can see within the text that this woman,
this sinner, this person you would not expect to show such humility to Christ,
she is showing great humility and gratitude for the Lord
and this sense of, much like the other parable,
recognizing the need for Christ.
And Jesus, later on in verse 50,
your faith has saved you.
Go in peace.
Now, I don't know about you, but to hear that from Christ
would be the most wonderful thing to hear
and to be in Christ's presence.
And so what's interesting about this specific parable,
it's only a few verses.
It's not commonly seen.
And for those of you who maybe have grown up with a lectionary,
it only shows up once out of all three-year cycles,
which that's very interesting.
And so there's a controversy that exists in this text
because it's very,
I guess the word intimate can be used.
But see, unfortunately,
we live in a culture where the word intimate,
we automatically think something else.
And that's not what is happening here.
It was showing,
the woman was showing with intentionality
the amount of sorrow that she had for her sin.
It's nothing sinister in there.
It's showing that she is showing reverence to the Lord.
And so I think that's a big reason why
that scripture is not really preached on
or mentioned a lot of times.
We then go into,
let's go into the symbolism that we can,
that slide.
Oh, is it stuck?
That's okay.
With all of this in mind,
we can now go into,
well, what can we learn then from the text here?
The first thing that we can learn,
you can follow along in your notes,
is that we all owe a spiritual debt to the Lord.
It's a debt that we cannot pay on our own.
And I know we live in a culture where
we like to work and work harder
and work even more, right?
Get a second or third job to pay off a,
you know, a financial debt.
Well, why can't we do that with spirituality?
But that's not how the Lord works.
It's about believing in him.
It's about believing in the risen Christ.
Everyone owes a spiritual debt
that we cannot pay on our own.
And like the debtors,
we depend entirely on God's grace
and his mercy for us.
We can think of so many scriptures, right?
For by grace you have been saved,
not by works.
It goes on in Ephesians,
talking about that we are made
so that we can do good
in the name of Christ.
We're not saved by what we can do.
We are saved by what has been done for us.
And because of this,
we do good
in God's name.
Is that song Sherry, by the way?
It sounded like,
I was like,
that's all right.
No, we could have gone off into song,
but no, that's okay.
That's all right.
With that,
you got to have a little humor, right?
The second thing then is
the woman saw the debt clearly.
And because of the amount of debt
that she owed,
she recognized
having the sense of gratitude
and sorrow for the Lord,
recognizing that she needs Christ.
Well, we can think for us
and how important it is
for us to know Christ
to begin with.
We have the symbolism up here.
The money lender
representing God
and the two debtors,
us all in spiritual debt.
And what is the debt?
It is sin.
And that awareness
is understanding,
well,
how much debt
do you actually have?
Some of us are more
sensitive, as it were,
to the amount of sin
that we have.
But in being aware,
it should point us
to how much we need the Lord
and how much we appreciate
in gratitude
our Lord and our God.
And the forgiven debt,
when you believe in Jesus Christ,
it's showing God's grace
and mercy
to know that you are going
to be saved,
saved by grace through faith
and recognizing that
I am secure
in the arms of the Father.
And so the second thing,
yeah,
is to how the woman
recognized the amount of sin.
And because of this,
there was action.
There was faith
and there was action.
And that's so important, right?
When we believe in Christ,
right,
we're saved.
And that's the foundation.
That is the beginning.
Because of that,
there is continued growing
and action.
In other words,
we can think of how
as we grow,
as we believe in Christ,
and how many of you
have met a brand new Christian
and you see how excited they are
about how Jesus saved them.
And sometimes it makes you wish,
man,
I wish I was on fire
for the Lord like that
when,
like how this Christian
is first began.
But we continue to grow
in the Lord.
we continue
in the words
that we speak,
us being present
with other people
and the actions
that we do
should be a reflection
of Christ's love,
grace,
and mercy.
And so the woman,
her actions
were reflecting
appreciation
and need
for the Lord.
which then leads us
into
the application
and what do we do
about this?
All right,
pastor,
you're talking about
this woman
who is basically
a prostitute
who's coming to the Lord
and she's letting down
her hair
and she's cleaning
his feet.
What does that have
to do with me?
When we think about it,
it's so important
for us.
We have Scripture
as our source,
the divine inspiration
from the Lord.
And when we go
into the interpretation,
that is the lessons
that we can learn
on our spiritual walk,
which leads us
to how we live this out.
The first thing
for us
is to recognize
the debt
that we cannot pay
on our own.
Understand that,
well,
try doing life
on your own.
I know I have.
It didn't turn out
very well.
And it's recognizing
we need God's grace.
We need His forgiveness
and His love.
And it's important
for us to recognize
what God has done
for us.
It's just like
when we take
of communion,
that we are
to examine
our hearts
and we are
to focus
on what Christ
has done
for us.
And remember
that you were
once in debt
and that Christ,
it's just like
that song,
Jesus paid it all.
Right?
It's very important
for us to never
forget that.
The gravity,
the amount
that God
has done for us.
So recognize
the debt
and respond
to Christ
in faith.
Now,
for some of us,
we already know
the Lord.
if you are
not a believer,
recognize
your debt
and respond
to Christ's call
by believing
in Him
and being saved.
For those
who have been
saved,
you continue
to respond
to God
molding you,
to God
leading and
guiding you
on your
spiritual walk
in Him.
Just as I've
mentioned so many
times about how
God is the potter
and we are
the clay,
understand that
when you put on
the new self,
when you are
saved by grace
through faith,
you are setting
aside the former
life and the
former things.
That is the
beginning of your
life,
to continue
to be transformed,
to continue
to be molded,
where God
will change
your mind
and to change
your heart.
I'm sure
for some of us,
you may have
known someone
who had
a hardened
heart,
someone who
was bitter
or angry
and resentful
to the Lord,
the God
working in
them and
changing them
is part of
that transforming
process or
even how
sometimes we
get convicted.
I remember
many years
ago,
my wife
and I,
when we
were first
dating,
if someone
was asking
for a
conversation
or money
on the
street,
I would
walk past
them.
It was just
very common.
I just tuned
it out.
But I remember
one time
that God
convicted me,
you need to
talk to this
person.
Praying with
them,
offering them
a meal.
It was
inconvenient,
absolutely.
But in
those moments,
God will
pull at
your heart.
Consider
the least
in our
society,
consider the
least in
our culture,
much like
how,
isn't it
fascinating
that Christ
is talking
about how
the
prostitute,
this sinner,
this faith
has saved
her.
And she's
the scum
of the
earth,
according to
their
culture.
That's
something that's
powerful.
And us
as Christians,
we are to
focus on
those who
are also
sinners,
expanding the
kingdom of
God and
sharing the
gospel message
with others.
Absolutely,
it can be
inconvenient.
We've got
places to
go and
people to
see.
I
understand
that.
But there
are some
times when
God's like,
stop for a
moment.
Pray for
this person.
Have a
conversation.
Offer them
a bottle of
water or
a meal.
Because you'd
be amazed at
how your
life can have
such a
profound impact
on people,
even when you
don't realize
it.
You'd be
amazed by
that.
And finally,
we have to
live and
love like
Christ,
right?
It's being
grateful.
to live
and love
like Christ,
being an
ambassador for
him.
In the
words that
we speak to
other people,
in the
actions that
we do,
and I
would even
add a third
thing,
your presence
with people
can speak
miles.
Allow your
relationship with
Christ to
let God work
in and through
you, let the
love of Christ
pour out
through you.
Which is why
it's so important
for us to
exhibit the
love of
Christ,
kindness,
generosity,
devotion to
him.
It is living
intentionally,
letting Christ's
example guide
us in what we
say and in
what we do.
And so let us
consider that
Jesus forgives
us large and
small debts.
But what
matters is how
we respond.
What matters
is if we
are ready
to recognize
the debt and
to respond to
Christ in
faith by
believing in
him or
returning to
him or
being wholly
devoted to
him.
Let God
work in your
life,
continuing to
transform your
mind and your
heart and
consider, I
want you to
think about
this before we
close here.
Who do you
identify with?
Do you
identify with
Simon?
And you
think, what a
wicked woman
who's wanting
to be by
Christ.
Or maybe you
identify with
the woman,
someone who
recognizes their
need for
Christ.
For some
of us, we
may identify
with one or
the other, but
in any case,
let us choose
to believe in
Christ, to
respond to
him, and be
grateful for
what the Lord
has done for
us.
Let's pray
together.
And Father, we
thank you for
your word.
We thank you
for your son,
Jesus Christ,
the way, the
truth, and the
life.
And we
pray that
we may
have a heart
of devotion
and understand
our need, our
continual need
for the Lord.
May we
recognize that
we are saved
by what the
Lord has done
for us.
May we have
the faith like
this woman who
is a sinner.
May we have
faith and
devotion to the
Lord, showing
hospitality to
others, devotion
to him.
Father, we
recognize that
even though this
parable and
this scene here
may be difficult
for us to
understand, may
it still work
in our mind
and in our
hearts and
transform us,
recognizing our
need to invite
Christ in and
to respond to
him.
May we be
devoted to
you.
We love
you, we
praise you, we
glorify you, and
we honor you.
It is in the
name of Jesus
Christ that we
pray and we all
say together, amen.
Amen.
Thank you for
listening for this
week's message from
Ontario Community
Church.
I pray that you
are encouraged and
strengthened in your
walk with Christ.
For more sermons and
resources, visit
OntarioCommunityChurch.org.
May God bless you as
you live out his
grace and truth
every single day.
Amen.