Dear Christian friends:
During these summer months we have been preaching
about Christ's Kingdom. We have preached about: The Power
of Christ's Kingdom, Christ's Kingdom, a Kingdom of Sinners;
How we join Christ's Kingdom; The Cost of Membership In
Christ's Kingdom.
Today our text tells us more about Christ's
wonderful kingdom:
Christ's Kingdom, A Kingdom Of Love
I know many of you have heard this before, but we
quickly forget it and often fail to practice love, real
love. By nature we seem to hate more than love.
Here we have a beautiful and interesting text to help
impress upon us that Christ's Kingdom Is a Kingdom Of Love.
First, we shall see God's wonderful love for us.
God's love for us is very clear when we see here how Jesus
loved a certain sinful woman. Our text says, "In the town
there was a sinful woman," a woman with a very bad name
(reputation). Many people gossipped about here and refused
to accept her as a friend. The people didn't even say,
"Good morning to her."
This very bad woman had heard Jesus preach about
God's love for sinners and that He forgives sinners. She
was ashamed and sorry about her sins and believed in Jesus
God's offering for sins. Jesus said to Simon, "I tell you
her sins are forgiven, many as they are. And to the woman
Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven."
We see from the text also that Jesus loved Simon,
the Pharisee very much, too. Simon did not have a bad
name (reputation) like the sinful woman. He had a good
name. He was a Pharisee and very exact about obeying the
church laws. He was rich and many people respected him.
But he, too, was a sinner before God. He though he was not
a sinner and when he saw the woman wash Jesus' feet with
her tears and wiped them with her hair, kiss His feet and
then pour perfume on them he was displeased and thought in
his heart: "Jesus is not a true prophet of God. If he were
a true prophet, He would know that this woman is a bad
woman and He would not let here touch Him."
Simon's heart was full of pride, self-righteousness
and hate against that woman. He thought he was a good man
and said he loved God, but he did not love that sinful
woman and didn't care to help her.
Jesus loved Simon although his heart was full of
hatred and pride. With much kindness and patience Jesus
talks to Simon and tries to help him see his sin. He said
to Simon, "You see this Seest thou this woman? I entered
into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but
she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the
hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman
since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet."
Jesus loves all the people in our city, too, also
all the deaf people. He loves the sinful deaf women: the
unused mothers and prostitutes and those with two or three
children and no father. Jesus loves the deaf women who have
a bad name and about whom many of you gossip.
Jesus loves you and me, we good, respectable church
members who are often like Simon proud, self-righteous and
hate others and refuse to visit them or help them.
Jesus offered His life and blood upon the cross for
all of us sinners: the ones with bad names and the ones with
good names. In His Kingdom there is no difference between
the sinful woman and the good Simon, both are sinners and
need His mercy and love. Jesus' Kingdom is a wonderful
Kingdom. He has room for all of us sinners.
When we wake up and see His wonderful love that
touches our hearts and leads us to love Him and one another.
This also we learn from our text today. See how the sinful
woman loves and worships and serves Jesus. Jesus accepts
her love and service and praises it to Simon and the others
in his house. Yes, her good work of love is printed in the
Holy Bible.
For two-thousand years many people all over the
world have read about that woman's love for Jesus, her
beautiful Savior. We still smell that costly perfume today
when we read or hear this lesson.
And although Simon and others criticised here she
continued to love and serve her Lord and Savior. Often
church members fail to love and serve Jesus because they
are afraid someone else will criticise them.
Many people today in God's Kingdom gladly and
boldly love and serve Jesus their Savior like this woman.
(Tell of kinsman from Mt. Olive Church)
So we, if we remember that Christ's Kingdom is a
Kingdom of Love, will love Jesus without shame and fear
and do many good works to help build His wonderful kingdom.
May God give us His love so that we can love Him
and our neighbor. Let us understand our sin like that
woman; let us love and serve Jesus like she did; not like
Simon.
Amen.