WHEN YOU ARE NOT SURE

I might have seemed a little melancholy on yesterday’s post. There were a few reasons for that. One is that many people I talk with are struggling with things in their lives, they are trying either to be faithful or to begin to believe…and sometimes the stories in the Bible seem to work out…while they feel their life is not working out…where is their Good News. I have found a number of things NOT helpful to say in such situations. It is not helpful to point out how good they have it. It is not helpful to point out that Jesus was nailed to a Cross…but that the Cross was not the end. It is not helpful to point out that God may be preparing them. It is not helpful…well you get the idea.

Sometimes life is hard…and people need to be allowed to ask God some questions.

John the Baptist does; consider his situation. He is the faithful one. He is the one whose father serves in the Temple. He could no doubt similarly serve in the Temple (the priesthood was a function of family lineage). Instead he goes out into the wilderness and has a hard life…all for God…and now he is in jail…he has a question.

Then there is the woman described simply as a “sinner.” I will spare you all the speculative angles. I would simply ask you to try and imagine two things. What in her life might have motivated her to do something so publically, well, scandalous? Second what she is feeling. I imagine she is scared, ashamed, excited…is she hopeful, is she wondering halfway through that she should have never come, is she…? She cannot like John the Baptist claim she has given up everything for God…and yet she now is giving up everything to be with God…and she does not even utter a question.

Those are our two scenes today, if you have not read the text go ahead and do so now:

Messengers from John the Baptist

 

¹⁸ The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John,¹⁹ calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ²⁰ And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” ²¹ In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.²² And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. ²³ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

²⁴ When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings' courts. ²⁶ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written,

“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
    who will prepare your way before you.’

²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” ²⁹ (When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, ³⁰ but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

³¹ “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
    we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

³³ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

 

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,³⁸ and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. ³⁹ 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.” ⁴⁰ And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

⁴¹ “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” ⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? 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. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁴⁹ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Sometimes life is hard…and people need to be allowed to ask God some questions…and our job is to simply be with them as they do.

John the Baptist gets his questioned answered. Then “Jesus turns to the crowd” and talks about how you are “dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t.” Really, re-read it. He notes that John was very straight-laced and he was given a hard time by the so-called religious of the day. Jesus is not as austere as John, and yet he gets the same gruff…But Jesus says, “Don’t worry, wisdom is justified by her children”…Enter a “child” in the form of a woman with a jar.

What we are reading here is the Kingdom of God breaking in. We saw it yesterday with Jesus healing power. But not everyone was (and is) sure…not even JB…yet a nameless woman is…and the Kingdom breaks into her world…simply because she offered herself at the feet of Him who brings Good News.