The Uninvited Guest Who Crashed the Party

I love parties! Let’s go on a journey together to a famous party that happened years ago. Come on in. Your invitation is in Luke 7:36-50 in the Scriptures. Let me set the stage for you. Two participants in this party are the center of attention. They are opposite, and both very needy. 

One participant is a high-performance religious leader whose followers respect and admire him. Meet Simon the Pharisee, everyone’s favorite teacher and party host. Tonight's party is for his guest of honor, Jesus of Nazareth. There’s a buzz in the place, and the vibe is good.

But tonight, the other participant crashes Simon's party. She wasn't invited to the party. She is a prostitute. She bursts into the party and falls on the floor at the feet of Jesus. She is sobbing. She washes Jesus' feet with her hair. She anoints his feet with expensive perfume. She breaks every protocol of the day to find what she needs: real forgiveness.

The crowd is hushed in shock. A prostitute in the holy house of Simon? May it never be! Author Max Lucado describes this awkward moment for us. 

Simon is looked up to. Mary is looked down on. He is a church leader. She is a streetwalker. He makes a living promoting righteousness and standards. She makes a living breaking them. He is pious. She is a sinner. He is a student of the Word. She is a student of the world. He invited Jesus to advance his status among his peers. She crashed into the party because of her need. Simon didn’t offer Jesus water to wash His feet. Mary washed his feet with her tears. 

Simon didn’t give Jesus a kiss of greeting. Mary kissed Jesus's feet over and over. He neglected the traveling courtesy of olive oil to anoint Jesus's head. She anointed His feet with rare perfume. He was concerned about what others might think. She didn't care what others thought. Simon used Jesus. Mary loved Jesus. He is a type of the ‘law.' She is the type of person who needs grace because she knows she has broken the law. 

Imagine what Simon is thinking. “Just look at her, groveling at Jesus’ feet, kissing them, nonetheless. If Jesus were who He says He is, He would have nothing to do with this woman.” Simon thought, “It’s my party, and I’ll judge if I want to; you would have judged too if it happened to you."

Why did Simon and the prostitute respond to Jesus so differently? Simon was light years ahead of the prostitute in stature and education, yet she was light years ahead of Simon in one very important area. She knew she desperately needed God's love and forgiveness, while Simon didn't. The depth of her need determined the depth of her response to Jesus, and the depth of Simon's need determined the depth of his response to Jesus. 

That’s the problem with the law. It puffs you up, making you feel holier than others. Often, the law makes churches and people religious. Max Lucado says, “People like Simon don’t need grace; they analyze it. They don’t need mercy; they debate it. They have trouble knowing God because they know too much about God.” You see, judging and arrogance are sins, too.   

Meanwhile, Jesus uses the occasion as a teachable moment for Simon and us. “Simon, I tell you, her sins – and they are many – have been forgiven. As a result, she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows little love.” 

When we realize our need for forgiveness is great and receive it, our response will be love. If we recognize our need for forgiveness little, our love for Jesus and others will be little. Simon felt beyond his need for forgiveness, which caused him to love little. Simon types don't recognize that every sinner has a future and every saint has a past. 

Jesus said that people’s love would grow cold in the last days. Why? Few people today, whether churched or unchurched, comprehend their need for forgiveness. As a result, many become judgmental of others, loving very few and then only conditionally and hesitantly. 

Understanding our need for forgiveness before and after our salvation silences the Simon inside us, who often becomes us. It would also open the hearts and minds of others to Christ, who consider Christians too judgmental.

Here’s a better approach I suggest to everyone today. It’s from an article entitled I Am a Christian. 

When I say, “I am a Christian,” I am not shouting, “I am clean living.” I whisper, “I was lost, but now I’m found and forgiven.” When I say, “I am a Christian,” I don’t speak of this with condescending pride. I’m confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide. When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not bragging of success. I admit I have failed and need God to clean up the messes I have caused in the past, present, and future. When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are too visible, but God believes I am worth it. When I say, “I am a Christian,” I’m not holier than thou. I’m just a sinner who received God’s grace.

Did you notice how Jesus changed the party's climate to, “It’s MY party, and I'll love the contrite if I want to"?

Here’s your takeaway: Make sure you are disgusted by your sin as much as you are about others.