Meant to be given October 8, 2023
I've been thinking about the story of Simon the Pharisee recently (and by recently I mean this morning). The story is in Luke 7:36-50, but essentially Simon was a leader among the Jews and invited Jesus to come to dinner in his home. Simon probably felt like he was doing Jesus a favor simply by inviting him in since many of the other leaders openly rejected Jesus and his teachings. Then, while they were eating dinner, a woman called a sinner came to Jesus. She went to his feet and began to cry, washing his feet with her tears and wiping them clean with her hair, then pouring oil on them and kissing them. Much about this scene seems to have disturbed Simon, and Jesus eventually tells Simon that all the woman's sins are forgiven because she was so willing to show her love. He then also rebukes Simon for not giving Jesus the regular standards of hospitality.
This story is troubling to me because I think I'm more often like Simon than like the woman who washed Jesus' feet. I tend to be reserved and somewhat emotionless, and thus likely to not be or seem overly hospitable to guests. Even in the face of terrible tragedy, I'm not sure I could summon enough tears to wash someone's feet. I easily let my sense of decorum and desire to do things right get in the way of showing love. I get embarrassed and flustered easily. All of these things add up to the fact that I would be very unlikely to interrupt a dinner to simply tell Jesus I loved and appreciated him, let alone bathe his feet my tears and kiss them. My love of social order and my fear of embarrassment would probably come first.
So, like I said, this story is troubling because I want to be the best disciple of Christ that I can be, and this story highlights attitudes and fears that stand in my way. It is hard for me to kick against these pricks. But my simple testimony today is that this struggle is worth it. I want to be a disciple of Christ, I want this because of the experiences I have had of His love, which have overwhelmed me with tenderness and kindness. The chance to feel that love again and abide in it forever is worth reckoning with and struggling against all my weaknesses and flaws. And so I continue and pray the Lord will find my sacrifice acceptable at the last day. I share this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.