Jonah 2

Last week we looked at the story of Jesus calming the storm and the parallels to Jonah that Jesus said were a sign to his generation. Namely that Jesus’s death and resurrection matched what happened to Jonah of being 3 days and nights in the tomb and then being resurrected just as Jonah was brought back from the dead out of the belly of the great fish.

Jonah was fleeing to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, a journey that will only take you down as we learned last week. 

Tarshish is believed to be Tartessos/Cádiz in Southern Spain, the opposite direction to Nineveh. 

The westernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 445 metres and a maximum depth of 1,500 metres (1.5 km).

Tarshish of course is a physical location in the World, but to flee from the presence of the Lord takes you finally to a much worse place.

In Greek mythology, Tartarus is not a location in the ocean but rather the deepest abyss of the underworld, used as a dungeon of torment for the wicked and a prison for the Titans.

In the New Testament, Tartarus is used to describe a specific "prison" for fallen angels, mentioned once in 

2 Peter 2:4. 

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

Peter uses the Greek verb tartaroō, meaning "to cast into Tartarus". 

There is good reason to believe that Hell is in the Earth, under our feet. There are many testimonies of people who say they’ve been there, it is terrifying. 

Jonah was heading the wrong way and it took him only downwards. If you remember the last verse from last week.

Jonah 1:17

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

3 days and nights waiting to die is a long time to be alone.

Let’s continue on… 

Jonah 2:1-10

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. 

When did Jonah finally surrender and pray? At the end of the 3 days and 3 nights. He held out against the Lord until it couldn’t possibly get any worse. 

Jonah was the original rock bottom guy, you can’t get much lower than where he found himself at the bottom of the ocean. There is the Mariana Trench in the North Pacific which is 11km deep, deeper than Mt Everest is high, but I don’t think anyone would survive sinking that low.

For some people it has to get pretty bad before they will turn to the Lord.

And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. 

In ancient Hebrew thought, Sheol is the silent, shadowy realm where all the dead reside, regardless of their moral standing during life. It is depicted as a subterranean place of darkness, dust, and gloom located deep beneath the earth.

It is not as bad as Tartarus which is for the wicked who have already been judged, but more like a waiting place for the dead prior to judgement. 

For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ 

Without Christ we are dead in our sins, separated from the Lord, unable to see him or reach him. It is often only when we reach our rock bottom, our point of despair, that we cry out to the Lord to save us that we realise that if we were to die without Christ, we would be lost forever.

The waters surrounded me, even to my soul;

Jonah is no longer talking about his physical life, about his body, he is talking about his soul. It is one thing to care about your body, it is next level of concern to care about your soul.

The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; 

See that Jonah is still sinking down. When all hope was lost, only then did he remember the Lord. He remembered what he had been taught long time ago, that the Lord is merciful, he is good. And Jonah cried out for mercy to be saved. Never forget Romans 10:13. You heard it last week but you’re going to hear it again.

Romans 10:13

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

His name is Jesus. And just like the pagan sailors on Jonah’s boat and the disciples with Jesus in the storm last week, Jonah was saved. It makes no difference who we are, we all have the same need facing death and we all have the same way out by calling on the name of Jesus.

Why should we suffer the fate of the Devil and his angels. We still have breath in our lungs. All of us can be saved when we call on the name of the Lord.

And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. “Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Acts 4:12 tells us. 

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

None of Allah, Buddha, the Hindu gods can save you, they are all worthless idols. Only Jesus can save you.

It wasn’t pretty, but Jonah called on the Lord and was saved. 

Jonah had another chance at life and this time he wasn’t going to waste it. The Lord has chosen each one of us for a special purpose, are we using our time and resources for the Lord or for ourselves?  

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;

And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ’twas worth it all”;

Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

C T Studd

The life of a Christian is not always smooth sailing, it often requires us to be brave in the storms and patient when suffering.

The Lord’s will was done in Jonah’s life but Jonah suffered a lot more than he needed to. 

When Jonah rebelled, life got very hard for him. However the Lord is merciful, we should always remember that. 

The history of God’s people is often one of stumbling, going off track. Some of us might find ourselves in that position today. Let’s finish with Psalm 136 and remind ourselves that the Lord is merciful, he’s just a prayer away. If I say the first and each alternate line and you follow with « For his mercy endures forever » will remind ourselves of the Lord’s mercy.

Psalm 136

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! 

For His mercy endures forever. 

Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! 

For His mercy endures forever. 

Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! 

For His mercy endures forever: 

To Him who alone does great wonders, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

To Him who made great lights, 

For His mercy endures forever— 

The sun to rule by day, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

The moon and stars to rule by night, 

For His mercy endures forever. 

To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

And brought out Israel from among them, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

And made Israel pass through the midst of it, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

To Him who led His people through the wilderness, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

To Him who struck down great kings, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

And slew famous kings, 

For His mercy endures forever— 

Sihon king of the Amorites, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

And Og king of Bashan, 

For His mercy endures forever— 

And gave their land as a heritage, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

A heritage to Israel His servant, 

For His mercy endures forever. 

Who remembered us in our lowly state, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

And rescued us from our enemies, 

For His mercy endures forever; 

Who gives food to all flesh, 

For His mercy endures forever. 

Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! 

For His mercy endures forever.

Amen

Luke 8:22-25

5 weeks until Easter today. Today we only have a short passage to read from Luke 8:22-25 about Jesus calming a storm. It is interesting passage because it is widely understood to be intentionally connected to the story of Jonah, with Jesus acting as the "greater Jonah". 

We don’t in fact have to a theologian or scholar to recognise the parallels to the story of Jonah, in fact Jesus made the link himself.

Matthew 12:38-41

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

The link to the story of Jonah are a prediction of Jesus’s death and resurrection and our need for repentance. 

People today want evidence before they’ll repent, they want physical signs before they’ll believe, it is very similar. But God has given more than enough evidence to believe as it says in 

Romans 1:18-21

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

This is why it is a ridiculous claim for an atheist to say there is no evidence for God. They know the truth in their hearts and have to suppress it. We can be sure of that. 

After we’ve read the passages from Jonah and Luke, we can look at the similarities and the differences and hopefully discern how and when they apply to our own lives.

Jonah 1:1-17

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 

A lot of people are running away from the presence of the Lord. And when you do that, one thing happens. You start a journey down. At first you don’t realise you’re falling because the journey down is in the sunshine, it seems pleasant.

He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. 

Finally Jonah went to sleep, he didn’t realise the danger he was in. It’s a dangerous place to be once you’re away from the presence of the Lord. Jonah was a lost sheep and his life was now in danger. It took someone who wasn’t a believer to wake him up.

So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.” And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 

The unbeliever is unaware of the danger they are in until something bad happens. Life is fragile, it can be lost in a moment. But we have the hope of the Gospel that we can share and when someone is facing death, we have the message that can save their soul. Are you ready to tell someone who needs to hear it?

So he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, “Why have you done this?” For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 

They say there are no atheists in a foxhole. There aren’t too many who hold out against the only hope there is when all else is lost. 

Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?”—for the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.” 

There is a human tendency to blame ourselves when things go wrong even when there is no obvious direct link. But in this case Jonah realised that the pending disaster was his fault. He was the guilty one. 

Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, “We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 

The men prayed to be saved. Ain’t that the truth! People do cry out to God when they are close to death. Romans 10:13 tells us anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. His name is Jesus.

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

When we commit our lives to Jesus, we are making a vow to serve him all our lives. Have you made that confession? Then you’re in a good place. Now we move to the short passage on Luke.

Luke 8:22-25

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”

What are the parallels to the story of Jonah?

Similarities 

• Jonah and Jesus were asleep in the boat
• The sailors and the disciples were terrified that they were going to drown
• A great wind came
• The sea and the lake were calmed
• Jesus and Jonah went into the belly of the earth for 3 days (Jonah died when he was in the great fish)
• Jesus and Jonah were brought back from the dead
• Both Jonah and Jesus were sacrificed

Differences

• They were obeying the Lord going to the other side of the Lake
• The wind in Jonah was sent by the Lord; in Luke it came down 
• The Lord was in the boat, in Jonah he was in Heaven
• The reason for the storm was because of Jonah
• Jesus had authority over nature, no one else does
• Jesus was innocent
• The emphasis was on sin and sacrifice in Jonah, in Luke it is on faith and the safety of being with the Lord

Sometimes we need to assess where we’re at. Are we doing what the Lord asks us to do, have we got Jesus in our boat? Because if we can answer yes to that question, we have nothing to fear from the storm. But if we’re not obeying the Lord, if we are running away from the presence of the Lord, we are taking a great risk, we are vulnerable to disaster, we are vulnerable to the enemy, our very souls are in danger.

This is a message for all of us and the Church today. There many souls to be saved just like the people of Nineveh they are living in darkness. Our God is merciful but they can’t be saved without hearing the message first so we mustn’t stay safe in our comfort zones. The Lord has called us to go to the other side of the lake with him (we are not on our own), in faith, to speak a message of repentance and a call to believe in Jesus. Next week we’ll continue on with this chapter side by side with the rest of the story from Jonah.

Luke 8:1-21

We heard that Ramadan has started this week. Lent started this week, so we are now counting down to Easter, 6 Sundays from now. Just be aware that this is a very spiritual time, as we have heard, there are enemies of the Cross also fasting and praying at this time. This weekend we’ve had our friend Simon come to stay with us who visited PCC last year and taught us about healing. He is in Auckland by invitation from one of the churches to preach the message of the Gospel and pray for people for healing, mostly though to impart to other believers the same ability to do what he’s doing. The whole of the last year he travelled from place to place doing the same thing. Last night he was at Sylvia Park with a group from Pioneer Ministries and he did that his little team led 6 people, all foreigners, to the Lord. He flies back to Palmerston North on Tuesday and back to his home in Germany in May. He is certainly a good example of someone who fits the category of a true believer that we read in today’s passage on the Parable of the Sower.

Luke 8:1-3

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. 

The women who provided for him had been truly saved from sickness and demons. The contrast in their lives before and after meeting Jesus could not be more stark. They now followed him around and gave to Jesus the things he needed to continue his ministry. Every ministry needs support to be able to continue whether that be money, food, accommodation or friendship. 

Luke 8:4-8

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” 

If you can understand the message, if it seems obvious to you, it has been revealed to you, you are very privileged because not many people can understand it.

Luke 8:9-10

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’ 

That might seem very hard, that the Lord hid his message by way of parables. Why didn’t he spell it out in plain language? In some ways it’s mercy if you don’t understand. If you do understand and rebel against the message you are far worse off.

Luke 8:11-12

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 

The wayside is hard ground. Many people today are hard. They might have been abused, lied to, let down, cheated on and their way of coping is to become hard. They don’t trust or believe anybody. Or alternatively, they might be proud of their achievements, the life they’ve built. There’s no room for God in their hearts just like the footpath where no flowers can grow. They believe this life is all there is and to live it to the maximum before you die. What happens? One day they hear the Word of God being spoken but immediately they switch off or get distracted by something or someone else that interests them. The Word of God gets taken away, eaten by the birds. 

The truth is that to be saved only requires us to believe. However, there is  a very real threat to us. There is a predator who quickly comes to make you forget the message you heard, he’s called the Devil. He will throw every discouragement and doubt at us to try to prevent us from simply believing. 

Luke 8:13

But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 

Others are like rocky ground. The earth that sits on top is shallow with rock mixed in and underneath. Plants grow there but they need constant watering. People like this judge by emotion, how it makes them feel. If something feels good they’ll go with it. They hear the Word of God and they love the message, and the blessings, the friends they make in the church. But then life throws a curve ball at them. They have trouble at work because they are a Christian, the boss wants them to work on Sunday. Or else someone comes along who is attractive but not a believer and they quickly get pulled away because that person makes them feel good. They fall away because they have no depth just like the rocky soil. I’ve seen that a few times in my life. In church one week then gone suddenly the next without any explanation. 

Luke 8:14

Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 

This type makes me scared because it’s so easy to get distracted by the things in this life. In the parable, the seed turns into a plant but it’s growing up amongst weeds. In our world today there are so many things that scream for your attention and take your time 24 hours a day. You got mobile phones , you got sport, you got music, you got money, you got TV. It takes your time and money. You find so little time for God, that you produce no fruit. There is no evidence to convict you of being a Christian, your life looks just like everyone else in the World.

What a tragedy to believe, not produce any fruit and waste your life. One day time will be called on each one of us and we will each have to give an account of what we did with our lives. The Lord will examine us for fruit, for evidence that we truly believed.

Luke 8:15

But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. 

Many people think they are a good person, not just Christians. But are they bearing fruit (Galatians 5:22), are they bringing others into the Kingdom of God?

The command to bear fruit has been there from the beginning.

Genesis 1:28

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Many people wonder why they’re here. We’re here to bear fruit for the Lord. He’s invested in each one of us. We owe him a return but what will we bring? Will it be acceptable like Abel or unacceptable like Cain?

You know Auckland is built on 40 volcanoes. Volcanic soil is different to rocky soil. Because volcanic materials are often porous, they break down faster than other rocks, turning into nutrient-rich soil more quickly. It is exceptionally fertile because it is young and rich in volcanic ash and weathered rock (basalt, pumice) that release essential minerals—potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and iron—as they break down. These soils have high water retention, high porosity for roots, and form unique clay minerals (allophane) that boost nutrient uptake. 

They say a good heart is hard to find. You probably know someone like that in your life. Someone different from the rest. The person who is truly following Christ is like a light to the World. 

Luke 8:16-18

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” 

We need to take heed how we hear. This means to notice our own response when we hear the Word of God. How does it react inside of us? 

• Do we quickly disregard it?
• Are we put off by it’s difficulty?
• Do we easily give up when the going gets harder
• Do we even try to bear fruit?
• Do we know it’s true but have many other things that keep us busy?
• Are we putting our faith into action?
• Are we sharing what we’re learning with others?

Luke 8:19-21

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

When you become a Christian, you become part of the family of God the World over. Wherever you go, you can find believers and when you meet them you find so much in common because they are family. They are even more your family much as you love your blood family. 

The parable of the Sower is about spiritual life, it reveals the types of responses to the Gospel. Ultimately it calls the listener to produce a crop. In the parable, only one out of four of the listeners that heard the word kept it, and bore fruit to maturity. The remaining three had heard it more or less in vain. What made the difference? It was the soil where the seed fell. The soil which produced the crop had been been broken up, turned over, rocks and weeds removed. Our hearts need to be soft, need to be free of sin and focused on the Lord, then we will be like the good soil and produce a crop for him. 

Luke 7:36-50

The last messages I gave in December were from Vannes where we were enjoying the lead up to Christmas with our boys and Hannah.

As it turned out it was a white Christmas, something of a rare event captured in these photos I took on Christmas morning, it felt a special gift from the Lord.

The December messages from Luke 7 were firstly on faith - the Roman Centurion who needed his servant healed, the widow who needed her son raised from death. And secondly in the same chapter a message on the doubt of John the Baptist. Yes even the greatest of believers can go through a period of doubt. Doubt is not unbelief.

Maybe not to the extent of John the Baptist but our faith is tested by trials, God turns up the heat to bring the dross to the surface so that we can be made into pure gold.

Today we move to the last part of Luke 7 to a woman whose great sins were forgiven. The message is about repentance, love and forgiveness. You might not know too many people living the kind of life she was living. If someone as rotten as her can be saved, then there is hope for us all !

Luke 7:36-40

Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” 

Who was the woman? Who was Simon? There is this passage in John;

John 12:1-8

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”

If the 2 passages are in fact the same story, then Mary would be Mary Magdalene, whom the Lord cast 7 devils out of which is mentioned in the next chapter of Luke. 

Luke 8:1-3

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

It would also explain some of the motive that Judas had in betraying Jesus if he was angry at the rebuke Jesus gave both to his father Simon (Luke 7) and Judas himself (John 8). The Lord chastens the ones he loves but how we respond to his chastening can determine our eternal destiny. Think of Cain, of Esau, of Saul.

But that’s just by the way, it doesn’t matter if they are the same story, the point being made is the same.

Back to our passage today, the Pharisee said that if Jesus was truly a prophet, he would not allow her to touch him as that would cause Jesus to be defined by her sin. The World and the Devil will try to define you by your sin. But this story of the woman is not about her sin but about her repentance and love for the Lord. 

The Pharisee was exactly right by the the law but he was missing the point of what was happening right before his eyes. There is mercy from the law and for the most surprising reason. Repentance. 

Our stories get rewritten when we truly repent. For the first time the Pharisee is named. He was Simon. Jesus told Simon this.

Luke 7:41-47

“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” 

Where does our love for the Lord sit on the sliding scale? Is it some where near zero like Simon or is it somewhere near ten like the woman? Jesus said that our love for him is directly proportional to how much we’ve been forgiven. The trouble for a so called good person like Simon is that they don’t think they’ve done much wrong. Whereas the woman was fully aware of the magnitude of her sins. Would to God that we would all realise how great our debts are!

There is something important here about repentance. See the woman was weeping. It’s not always easy to tell just from someone’s tears if they are truly sorry. Some people are only sorry that they got caught or for the mess they are in. In truth, they would do it again if they could avoid the consequences.

Genuine tears produce repentance that results in a change in eternal destiny. It is hard to repent and it’s hard to confront sin. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the terrible sin in their Church;

2 Corinthians 7:8-11

For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

The woman was a sinner and by the law deserved death and Hell. How did Jesus judge her? Jesus could see her heart. This woman was genuinely sorry for her sins, she was changed on the inside. 

Luke 7:48-50

Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Notice this, to others Jesus said go and sin no more but to this woman he said go in peace. If someone loves Jesus as much as this woman, there is very little possibility that they will sin again.

Can love alone stop someone from sinning? It really should. But the sin within each one of us is very powerful. So the love must be stronger. 

I’m sure you know the author Philip Yancey who wrote the best-selling book « What’s so amazing about Grace ». He used the term « the scandal of Grace » in his book. Philip Yancey has been in the news lately, he has confessed to a scandal in his own life. Of course many people have written Philip Yancey off now but I think his work still stands. Just like David’s Psalms. But what I think isn’t important. How will Jesus judge Philip Yancey, only Jesus can see his heart and see if his tears are real.

Having your sins forgiven is a big deal, it is a scandal of Grace. Is it right for a judge to let someone go free just because they are genuinely sorry for what they’ve done? Surely they must pay a price. Yes, That is the Gospel. It is right because Jesus suffered on the Cross paying the price for our sins. Our eternal destiny depends on this truth. Would to God that we would all be granted the grace of forgiveness shown to this woman. Our sins may be scarlet but we can be washed whiter than snow.