Who is Jesus of Nazareth?
Who is He?
Well, whoever He is, He can't ride the fence.
Jesus of Nazareth calls for a response.
You will either deny Him,
whether that's blatant or not so blatant,
or you'll live for Him.
Everything you've got for Him.
Jesus calls for a response.
And to learn who Jesus of Nazareth claims to be,
we turn to the Gospels.
The Gospels are books of the Bible
that provide historical accounts
of the life, teaching, miracles,
death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
So, if we're going to ask,
who is Jesus?
We turn to the Gospels.
If you would open up your Bibles
and turn to the Gospel of Luke 7.
The Gospel of Luke 7.
This morning, I want to get you
to an unforgettable dinner party.
It's awesome.
It took place in the house of a guy named Simon.
And I want you there
because we learned the answer to the question,
who is Jesus?
Who is this Jesus of Nazareth?
And what we're also going to see
are two very different responses to Jesus.
First, let's go back to 1st century Judea.
So, turning to Luke 7.
I want to help you see some things.
What I'm going to do right now
is just kind of walk you through Luke 7.
I'm not going to read it.
I'm just going to kind of skip through it.
You just follow along with me.
You ready?
Let's go.
Now, if we showed up,
if we got in a time machine
and went back to Judea, 1st century,
we would find ourselves in an area
that was buzzing with news of Jesus.
Who is this guy?
There's a lot going on.
Well, we hear that Jesus has just heard
or healed the servant of a Roman centurion.
That's chapter 7, 1 through 10.
The servant was at the point of death
and we hear that Jesus just healed him
from a distance.
From a distance!
Who is this guy?
And then we hear that this Jesus,
while in a town called Nain,
you'll see this in chapter 7, verses 11 through 17,
he comes across a funeral procession
of a young man.
Well, he was the only son of a widow.
And so this widow's social security
just died with her boy.
So Jesus comes along this funeral procession,
sees the mom,
has compassion on her,
goes right up to this dead boy
and says,
young man,
I say to you,
arise.
And you know what happened?
The young man sits up.
It doesn't record what he said.
Who are you?
We don't know.
Are the Packers playing this afternoon?
It doesn't say that.
I'm hungry.
Can you give me something to eat?
It doesn't say anything like that.
What we do read about
is the response of everybody else.
There's a prophet among us.
God has visited us.
There's fear.
There's amazement.
Who is this guy
that just raised this young man
from the dead
and handed him back to his mother?
Who is this guy?
In Luke 7, 18-35,
we see a very interesting interaction
between Jesus
and the disciples of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist
sends a couple of his followers
to Jesus to ask him,
are you the one who is to come?
Or shall we look for another?
In other words,
who are you, Jesus?
Specifically,
are you the long-awaited Messiah?
Are you the promised one
who would deliver God's people?
And in 22 and 23,
Jesus gives an answer.
He says,
Go tell John, my cousin,
go tell him
the blind receive their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
the poor hear the good news
preached to them,
blessed is the one
who is not offended by me.
Sounds like Jesus is saying,
yeah, I'm the one.
I'm the one.
I'm the long-anticipated one.
And that brings us up
to this amazing dinner party.
It's just simply amazing.
Unforgettable.
Let me read it for you.
Verses 36-50.
One of the Pharisees
asked him to eat with him,
asked Jesus to eat with him,
and Jesus went into
the Pharisee's house
and took his place at the table.
And behold,
a woman of the city
who was a sinner,
when she learned
that he was reclining
at a table
in the Pharisee's house,
brought an alabaster flask
of ointment.
And standing behind him
at his feet,
weeping,
she began to wet his feet
with her tears
and wipe them
with the hair of her head
and kissed his feet
and anointed them
with the ointment.
Now 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,
for she is a sinner.
And Jesus answering,
said to him,
Simon,
I have something
to say to you.
And he said,
say it, teacher.
A certain money lender
had two debtors.
One owed 500 denarii,
the other 50.
One that could not pay,
he canceled the debt of both.
Now which of them
will love him more?
Simon answered,
the one,
I suppose,
for whom he canceled
the larger debt.
And Jesus said to him,
you have judged rightly.
Then turning toward the woman,
he said to Simon,
do you see this woman
I entered your house?
But she has wet my feet
with her,
excuse me,
I entered your house.
You gave me no water
for my feet,
but she has wet my feet
with her tears
and wiped them
with her hair.
You gave me no kiss,
but from the time
I came in,
she has not ceased
to kiss my feet.
You did not anoint
my head with oil,
but she has anointed
my feet with ointment.
Therefore I tell you this,
her sins,
which are many,
are forgiven.
For she loved much,
but he who is forgiven little
loves little.
And he said to her,
your sins are forgiven.
We'll finish off the rest
in a little bit.
Now you've got to understand
some things culturally
about first century Judea.
Typically when a dinner guest
showed up at the home
of someone in the first century,
the guest would either
be given water
to wash his or her feet,
or there would be
a servant there
to wash his or her feet.
It was a nasty thing
walking around in sandals
in the first century.
It was pretty gross.
And so they would come in,
they would have their feet
cleansed.
It would have been
very refreshing.
It was just common courtesy
of the time.
But it didn't happen
to Jesus in Simon's house.
Typically a guest
would be greeted
with a kiss from the host.
Common courtesy.
The host is saying simply,
welcome,
you're at peace here.
We didn't see that happen
from Simon to Jesus.
And typically a guest
would be given a dab
of olive oil
on their forehead.
It was fragrant,
a gesture of welcome,
common courtesy,
but it did not happen
in Simon's house.
When Jesus showed up
to Simon's house,
it was kind of icy.
No common courtesy is here.
Simon did not welcome
Jesus into his house.
Simon's self-righteous pride
was suspicious of this Jesus.
There was a power play going on
around this table.
Simon was guarded towards Jesus.
Simon was distanced towards Jesus.
And it was not an uncommon response
to being in the presence
of Jesus of Nazareth.
But you could cut the tension
with a knife.
Now when Jesus took his place
at Simon's table,
he did not pull up a chair.
At Thanksgiving this Thursday,
probably you'll be sitting
in a chair.
Not in the first century Judea.
What they would do is
there would be these
lowered tables
and you'd walk in
and they would recline a table.
So you'd recline
on your left hand
and then you would eat
with your right feet
out away from the table
because they're usually
kind of stinky still.
And so when Jesus comes,
he takes his spot
at the table
with his feet still dirty.
Then the real controversy
breaks out.
And you thought
it was already tense.
In verse 37,
we read about someone
walking in.
She's called
a woman of the city.
Most likely
a prostitute.
She walks into the room
carrying an alabaster jar
of perfume.
She must have
already heard
Jesus preach.
She must have already
been convinced
of who this man is.
Because she comes
into this room,
Simon's house,
already believing.
She's already convinced
of this one
reclining at table
across from Simon.
She already knows
something about him.
She's already been forgiven.
She's a changed person
already.
You can see that
in what's about
to take place.
For this woman
to walk into
this man's house
was courageous.
We have a prostitute
in a Pharisee's house.
Two very different people.
very different people.
Her faith
in this man
with the dirty feet
was the reason
why she had been
cleaned from her dirt.
She was coming
to see Jesus.
She was drawn
to him.
She wanted to be
with him.
She knew something
about him
that obviously
Simon did not.
She comes in
and she stands
behind Jesus
and starts weeping.
Now it seemed
as though she walked
in with this
alabaster jar
of perfume
and her intention
was just to simply
anoint Jesus.
And so she comes up
and she comes up
behind Jesus
and she loses it.
She loses it.
She starts weeping
uncontrolled.
She loses it.
She goes to plan B.
Her big tears
are dripping
on Jesus' feet.
She's overwhelmed.
She's overwhelmed
with gratitude.
And so then
she does something
amazing.
She lets down
her hair.
Simon would have
been aghast.
What?
What is she doing?
Here's why.
First century Judea
only wives
let down their hair
for their husbands.
It was a
demonstration
of intimacy.
This woman
was just reaching
for whatever
she could grab
in order to wipe
the tears
and clean the feet
of her savior.
She had no
sexual intent.
None whatsoever.
She was using
the only thing
she had
to wipe
the dirty feet
of her savior.
Something that
Simon wasn't
intent on doing.
And then she
starts to kiss
his feet.
Keep on kissing
his feet.
Then she pours
out some of the
perfume on his
feet.
The room
would have been
filled with
the fragrance.
this woman's
overwhelming
gratitude
for what
Christ
had done
for her
brings
an
atmospheric
change
to
the room.
It's got
everything to do
with this person
Jesus.
It's got everything
to do with him.
Was this like
overly extravagant?
Was this woman
kind of over the top?
Not at all.
This was the
right response
of a woman
who knew
what she
had been
forgiven of
and knew
who with
some inclination
of who this
man must be.
verse 39
Simon is
taking all
of it in.
And he's
thinking to
himself
if this
man were
a prophet
he would
have known
who and
what sort
of woman
this is
who is
touching him
for she
is a
sinner.
In other
words
he should
have no
business
with her.
The irony
is in
verse 40
Jesus
knows
exactly
what he's
thinking.
He is
a prophet.
He's
more than
a prophet.
Because not
only does he
know what
this man's
thinking
he knows
everything
about this
woman.
And he
welcomes
her.
He does
not flinch
as she
cleans
his feet.
He welcomes
her.
Who is
this guy?
Who is
he?
Well
Jesus
seizes
the moment
as Simon
is
Simonizing
and he
says
hey
Simon
I have
something
to say
to you.
Go
right ahead
teacher
Simon
says
to which
Jesus
shares
a parable.
A
parable
designed
to explain
the overwhelming
gratitude
of this
woman
and it's
designed
to expose
the hardness
of heart
of Simon.
His heart
was about
as hard
as the
table
that
separated
him
from
Jesus.
Here's
the parable.
A certain
money lender
had two
debtors.
One
debtor
owed
the equivalent
of 20
months of
pay.
The other
two months
of pay.
One
owed
ten times
as much
as the
other.
To put it
in our
day
figures.
Let's
say
one
owed
$60,000
and the
other
owed
$6,000.
That's
quite a lot
of money.
60
grand.
That's
a lot
of money.
But what
we see
in verse
42
is a
very
important
point
Jesus
makes.
Both
couldn't
pay.
Both
were
insolvent.
They
didn't
have it.
They
didn't
have
the
capacity.
They
couldn't
pay
this
debt.
So
Jesus
goes
on.
He
goes
on to
share
that
the
money
lender
goes
on
to
forgive,
cancel
both
debts.
In
other
words,
debts
are
forgiven.
And
then
Jesus
in a
stroke
of
brilliance,
he's
a
teacher
unlike
any
other.
In
a
stroke
of
brilliance
he
says
to
Simon,
asks
him,
now
which
of
the
two
debtors
will
love
the
money
lender
more?
Both are
canceled.
Which one
will love
him more?
Simon responds
and you can
hear his
guardedness
in the
response.
The one,
I suppose,
who owed
the larger
debt.
That's right,
says Jesus.
And then he
turns to the
woman and
says to
Simon,
when I
walked into
your house
you gave
me no
water for
my feet
but she
wet my
feet with
her tears
and wiped
them with
her hair.
You gave
me no
kiss but
she hasn't
stopped
kissing
my feet.
You did
not anoint
my head
with oil
but she
anointed
my feet
with perfume.
Simon,
there is a
clear difference
in the way
that you
have treated
me and
the way
that this
woman has
treated
me.
So this
morning I
want to ask
you this
question.
How do you
account for
the difference?
Why did
this Simon
respond to
Jesus his
icy hard
way and
this woman
respond to
Jesus overwhelmed?
She didn't
care who was
around.
This is
he.
Jesus spells
it out for us
in verse 7.
He says,
therefore I
tell you her
sins which are
many are
forgiven for
she loved
much but
he who is
forgiven little
loves little
Simon.
And then
Jesus says
to the
woman,
your sins
are forgiven.
Your sins
have been
forgiven,
sister.
To be
forgiven
much results
in loving
much.
To be
forgiven
little results
in loving
little.
Being forgiven
much results
in great
gratitude,
great
thanksgiving.
To be
forgiven
little results
in not
much
gratitude,
not much
thanksgiving.
You see
the issue
here is
forgiveness.
Specifically,
the realization
that you
need
forgiveness.
The realization
that you
are a
sinner.
This woman
knew she
was a
sinner.
That she
needed to
be forgiven
of her
many sins.
Simon,
not so
much.
If Simon
needed to
be forgiven,
he didn't
need to be
forgiven that
much.
And he was
probably thinking
his own
righteousness
should cover
that anyway.
He didn't
see himself
as a
sinner.
What Simon
failed to
recognize was
that he
was in
debt to
God and
incapable of
paying it.
And it
showed up in
the way he
treated Jesus.
Simon didn't
need a
Savior.
He didn't
see himself
as one
needing to
be saved.
He didn't
see himself
as one who
is in debt
to God
and in
need of
God's
mercy.
His
confidence
was in
his own
self-righteousness.
If you
don't need
forgiveness,
you don't
need Jesus.
And if you
don't need
Jesus,
you treat
him like
Simon did.
You keep
him at
a distance.
Simon was
blinded to
Jesus by
his own
self-righteousness.
He who
is forgiven
little,
loves little.
But if
you know
you are a
sinner,
you know
you need a
Savior.
because you
know you
can't pay
your debt.
You need
Jesus.
And when
you experience
the forgiveness
of Jesus,
the cancellation
that he can
only provide
through his
death on
the cross,
when you
experience that,
you start to
love Jesus
like this
woman,
this prostitute
loved Jesus.
Overwhelmed
with gratitude.
You don't
care what
other people
think.
where Simon
was blinded
by his
self-righteousness.
Those who
are forgiven
much are
blinded to
what other
people think
because your
gratitude of
what Jesus
has done
for you.
You don't
give a rip.
I'm
praising
Jesus.
The one
who's forgiven
much,
loves much.
How do
we respond
to this?
How do
we respond
to God's
word this
morning?
Well, we
need to
realize three
things.
The first
is this.
We're all
debtors.
We're all
debtors.
Debtors to
God.
Incapable
of paying
our debt.
Our sins
accumulate
like debt
in God's
eyes and
we can't
pay for
it.
We all
need to be
forgiven of
our sins
and we've
all sinned
much.
So let me
ask you a
question this
morning.
How great
is your
debt?
Are you
like Simon
the Pharisee
who didn't
think he was
in debt to
God?
He didn't
think his
sins amounted
to much so
therefore there
was really no
need to be
forgiven?
Showed up in
his coolness
towards Jesus?
Or are you
more like the
woman of the
city?
Are you more
like the
prostitute?
Are you
more like
this woman
who was
thoroughly aware
of her
many sins?
She knew
she racked
up so
much debt
that there
was no
way she
could pay
it.
Her
many sins
made her
desperate.
Desperate
for a
Savior.
Desperate
for Jesus.
Her only
hope for
forgiveness
was Jesus.
He had
forgiven her
and there
he is
sitting at
the table.
Jesus
graciously
forgave her.
Your sins
have been
forgiven.
Jesus did
not forgive
religious
Simon
because Simon
didn't think
he needed
to be
forgiven.
Jesus
pronounced
forgiveness
for the
sinful
prostitute
because she
knew that
only Jesus
could forgive
her.
What about
you?
are you
aware this
morning of
your many
sins?
Do you
need to
be forgiven?
We are
all in debt
to God.
Only Jesus
can forgive
you.
It's only
through his
payment on
the cross
that can
pay the
debt of
our sins.
This
morning I
want you
to know
if you
are in
here and
you're
realizing
I have
not been
forgiven.
My sins
stand against
me.
This
morning
the Savior
who died
and then
was raised
is offering
you
forgiveness
in full.
All of
it.
Paid.
He's
offering it
to you.
You know
how you
respond?
You just
say I'll
take it.
I'll
take it.
There's
no way
you can
earn it.
You
receive it
by faith
and then
you
experience
the
peace
of being
forgiven
much.
All you
need to
do is
receive
this
gift
by
faith.
The
second
realization
is for
those who
have already
been forgiven.
For those
of us who
have already
received
this gift
by faith.
For those
of us who
have
recognized
our
sinfulness
and realized
we needed
a Savior
and maybe
a month ago
or years ago
you put your
faith in
Jesus.
You were
forgiven
much.
But I don't
know about
you.
But there
seems to
be a
tendency
for those
who have
been
forgiven
to get
forgetful.
Those
of us
who have
been
forgiven
we can
slowly
become
like
Simon
trusting
in our
own
righteousness
while
cooling
towards
Jesus.
Because
what can
happen is
we start
thinking we
don't need
Jesus
anymore.
He's
forgiven
us.
Big thing
done.
There can
be this
subtle yet
gradual
shift
after you're
saved.
A shift
from the
focus on
being on
Jesus to
coming off
of Jesus
and coming
on to
yourself.
Oh
forgiven
brother and
sinner who is
forgetful.
And I'm
preaching this
to myself
as much
as anybody
else in
this room.
You need
Jesus just
as much
today as
you did
the first
day you
believed in
him.
You need
him.
You'll
never outgrow
him.
You've been
forgiven.
That's where
you live.
In his
forgiveness
of you.
It's all
about him.
he is
the vine.
We are
the branches.
Apart from
him we can
do nothing.
We need
him.
And so
if you're
in the
room and
you've been
forgiven but
you get
forgetful,
remember how
much Jesus
has forgiven
you.
Do you
remember what
he's forgiven
you of?
How much
he has
forgiven you?
Maybe you're
in the
room and
you've been
raised in a
Christian home
and you're
like I
became a
Christian when
I was
four.
I don't
remember
that.
Turn to
Ephesians 2
1-3 and
ask God to
impress upon
you what
you've been
forgiven from.
What he's
delivered you
from.
Remember how
much Jesus
has forgiven
you and
then express
your gratitude
to him.
You see
gratitude is
the result of
being forgiven
not because.
There's one
more thing I
want you to
see here.
It's this.
The third
realization is
who this
Jesus of
Nazareth is.
Look at
verse 49.
After Jesus
says to the
prostitute your
sins are
forgiven,
have been
forgiven,
those around
the table
began to
say to
themselves who
is this
who even
forgives sins.
You see
what the
people around
the table
knew that
you may
not know
is this,
that only
God can
forgive people
of their
sins.
Ultimately
when we
sin,
we sin
against God
and only
God can
forgive our
sins against
Him.
So when
Jesus says
to this
woman,
your sins
are forgiven,
do you know
who he's
claiming to
be?
He's
claiming to
be God.
He's
more than
a prophet.
He's
God in
the flesh.
And he
died for
sinners like
you and
me.
His
death on
the cross
is the
only way
our debt
can be
paid in
full.
And his
resurrection
proves his
payment was
accepted.
Who is
Jesus?
He's God
in the flesh
and he's
the only
one who
can forgive
your sins
because he
is God.
It's all
about him.
We've
much to be
grateful for
this Thanksgiving,
don't we?
We live in a
wonderful country.
We've got
wonderful freedoms.
But this
Thanksgiving,
when you sit
down for
dinner,
think about
the one who
reclined a
table.
we've got a
wonderful country.
We have a
more wonderful
Savior.
We have
many freedoms,
but the
greatest freedom
of all is
being forgiven
of all your
sin.
And the
result,
gratitude.
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus,
you are
awesome.
like the
prostitute,
God,
we rejoice
in you.
And we are
drawn to you,
Lord Jesus.
We want to be
around you.
God,
would you
continue to
stir up
gratitude in
our hearts?
Would you
remind us
over and
over of
being forgiven
much?
It's in your
name we pray.
Amen.