Jesus, I Love You

Rev. John C. Orlando, Jr.

Incirlik Air Base, Turkey

November 2003

Text:  Luke 7:36-50

Background:  Jesus preaching throughout countryside/invited to house of a Pharisee for a meal.

Intro

I love you.  I believe these are the most important words we can say in whatever language we are speaking. And when they are spoken to those who are closest to us, it goes far beyond mere sentimentality. It is the deepest possible expression of the personality; it conveys a deep sense of desire, delight, and tenderness that permeates the very core of our being, so much so, that we are willing to go to the most extravagant measures to ensure that the one we love might experience the best of all true blessings.

The truth of the matter is that God alone is to be the supreme of object of our highest affections and love.  The Bible tells us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Every fiber of our being should be saturated, consumed, and overflowing with love for God.  

Well, how do we express our love to God?  We could say something like “Jesus, I you,” and that’s fine in one sense.  But, here’s the thing…those are just words.  Anybody can say them.  In order to give substance to our words, they must be accompanied by actions. Our actions either confirm that what we say is in fact true, or they prove that the words we are saying are really just that:  words...idle words.  Anybody can say, “I love God,” or “Jesus, I love you,” but the question we must ask ourselves is does our walk match our talk? 

So today, I want us to examine what true love for Jesus is, what it looks like, and how we can foster a true love for Jesus in our hearts.  And the title of this sermon is “Jesus, I Love You.”

I.  The Woman (Verses 37-38)

            A.  She is identified as a sinner (v. 37) – No specifics are given.  We don’t even know her name, but one thing is certain:  she was well known in the city she lived as a sinner.  The specific sin isn’t mentioned, however, it was enough to earn her the reputation as being a “sinner.” Pharisee’s reaction in verse 39 suggests she was involved in sexual sin (prostitution). 

            B.  She knew where she was going, and she wouldn’t be welcome. Imagine living in that town, and realizing that everyone knows that you are guilty of the worst kind of sin.  Imagine then going to the very place where you know that you will be chastised, scorned, confronted and shamed with your sin.  Yet, this woman goes to the house of the Pharisee. Why? 

            C.  She knew that Jesus was there, and didn’t care what others thought about her. The fact that she knew Jesus here indicates that she already knew of Christ.  Commentators agree that she had been present during one of Jesus’ sermons in the countryside, and she had actually embraced Christ as her Lord and Savior already.  She now wants to pay homage to her Master.   She comes to Jesus out of love and gratitude in the understanding that she had already been forgiven and given a new life in Christ! And she is willing to endure persecution, scorn, shame, and chastisement just so that she can get to Jesus. 

D.  She loved Jesus (v. 47) - The striking thing about this is that the woman doesn’t utter a word!  She lets her actions do the talking!    Notice what this woman does: 

              1.  First, we find that she is weeping.  Why was she weeping?  I believe

because she was so overwhelmed by God’s grace!  She knew who she used to be, and she knew who she was now in Christ.  She understood the depths of her depravity in the face of an absolutely holy God, and understood the wonder of the love that Jesus has shown her.  She understood that her standing before God was not on the basis of anything good in her, because there was nothing good in her, but on the basis of God’s amazing grace alone!  She understood that in Christ, she was a new creature, old things are passed away, and behold, all things are new! 

                        2.  She washed His feet with her tears - It is with these tears of love and joy that she now washes the Masters feet.  Jesus, I love you so much.  These tears are from the very depth of my soul.  You have washed me the washing of regeneration and rebirth, let me now wash your feet with the overflow of the love that you have placed in my heart.

                        3.  She wiped them with her hair -  That which was considered her glory

she treated as a common thing, a towel.  That part of her which was once a part of her physical attraction and contributed to her livelihood was now unfurled and used in service to the Master.  This one who once was so far from God now offers herself in self-sacrificial service to her Lord.  Let us cast our crowns (Rev 4:10)…

                        4.  She kissed His feet - The traditional greeting was to kiss one on the cheek.  This woman though goes far beyond a mere kiss on the cheek, but kisses the very feet of Christ, the same feet that would one day be driven through with iron spikes.  Feet are the instruments of our body that transport us to different places.  The Great Shepherd, Jesus, had gone after one of His sheep, stooped down and gently laid hold of her, and rested her on His shoulders to take her home.  She realized that in Christ there were only one set of footprints, and she now kisses the feet that made the footprints. She knew it was Jesus who had and would continue to carry her.

                        5.  She anointed His feet with oil - The oil was of considerable cost, and no doubt was purchased with the proceeds of her previous life of sin. She counts it rubbish, and instead of indulging herself with it, she used it to bring honor God!  She was rich toward God. 

She says “Jesus, I love you” yet, she never utters a word. She knew who she had been, and she knew that everyone knew who she was.  But she wanted to get to Jesus!  She was more concerned about loving Jesus that she was about what people thought her.  She worships Jesus!  She serves Jesus!  She obeys Jesus!  She gives Jesus all of the glory.  Her actions scream out “Jesus, I love You!!”

II.  The Pharisee (Verse 39)

A.  The Pharisee’s - The name means “the separated ones.” They were the religious leaders in Israel at the time and were intensely zealous with the keeping of the Law of God.    They were the teachers in the synagogues, religious examples in the eyes of the people and self-appointed guardians of the law and its proper observance.

B.  External void of Internal - The problem was that it was all external display void of any internal reality.  The Pharisee here is really no different.  He exhibited all of the outward manifestations of being a person in a right relationship with God.  He knew the Word of God, and he even had Jesus in his house, and even at had Jesus at his dinner table!  But the true nature of his heart is that he doesn’t believe in Christ, and he stands in judgment of the woman.

C.  Self-Righteous -  The Pharisees were self-righteous.  They looked at our outward display and thought they were justified before God on that basis.  How often do we find ourselves acting just like this?  We  formulate our own lists of what we think makes a person truly righteous or unrighteous, and we condemn others by our self-righteousness.  We look down upon others whom we feel do not measure up.  Who are we to judge our brother? 

D. The Pharisee had a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof; i.e., it was all external. He knew about the God.  He even did many religious works.  He honored God with his lips but his heart was far from Him.  Are we like the Pharisee?  Is Jesus in our church?

III.  Faith and Forgiveness (Verses 41-46)

            A.  V. 41-43 - The debt – When compared to the absolute holiness of God, we all owe a debt brought about our sin that is so immense, enormous…so astronomical that we could never pay it.  The Pharisee fails to realize that he is no better than the woman, and his sins have earned for him an incredible debt, and in reality, the debt only grows larger every day, every hour, every minute, and every second, as we continuously fall short of the absolute perfection of God in our words, thoughts, motives, attitudes, and deeds (v. 45-47).  When we compare ourselves to others, especially those we consider to be the most wretched among us, it is easy to feel “justified” before God.  The Evangelical Commentary of the Bible states, “People who assume they are righteous will never experience much love for Jesus since they are so unaware of their sinfulness.”

B.  Recognizing who Jesus is:

1.  “If He were a prophet” - The Pharisee made the statement to himself.  He thinks to himself that Jesus is not a prophet.  Well, I agree with him in one respect.  Jesus was much more than merely a prophet!  He is the Lamb of God who was slain before the foundation of the world.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, God of very God, the sovereign ruler of all creation! 

2.  “Who is this who even forgive sins” – The point is that the only person who can forgive an offense is the one to whom the offense has been made.  For example, if someone sins against me, they must come to me for forgiveness, not to my wife, or my friend.  If someone sins against God, only God can forgive that sin.  Jesus tells the woman her sins are forgiven, i.e., her sins against God are forgiven, something only God could do!  Jesus is saying, “You’ve sinned against God.  I’m God in the flesh.  Your sins are forgiven.  Go in peace!”

            C.  The Kind of Faith that Results in Forgiveness:  

1.  The woman understood who she was, who Christ was, and she was trusting

not in herself, but in Christ alone for her forgiveness.  She knew that in and of herself, she was poor, miserable, wretched, and blind, and that there was nothing she could do to save herself, and that salvation was all of grace, appropriated by faith alone, on the basis of Christ’s merits and works alone, and this saving faith expresses itself in works of love for the Master.

2.  Martin Luther: "A man cannot be thoroughly humbled till he realizes that his

 salvation is utterly beyond his own powers, counsels, efforts, will and works, and depends, absolutely on the will, counsel, pleasure and works of Another - God alone. As long as he is persuaded that he can make even the smallest contribution to his salvation, he remains self-confident and does not utterly despair of himself, and so is not humbled before God."  Grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone.

IV.  Application

A.  How many of us are like the Pharisee

                        1.  We fail to honor Jesus the way we should (v. 44-46) (fail to recognize Him)

                        2.  We have a form of godliness, but it is all an external show

                        3.  We fail to realize how much we are in debt to God, and then we judge others

B.  How many of us are like the woman

                        1.  Willing to endure scorn and shame just to be with Jesus

                        2.  Willing to lavish extravagant love on Jesus.  God tells us if we love Him, we will obey Him.  This woman, by her actions, shows us what it looks like to love God. 

                        3.  Realize the depth of our unworthiness and depravity and are touched and overwhelmed by the incredible love and grace that Jesus has bestowed on us and in us.

            C.  How can we love Jesus? This woman, whose name we don’t even know, shows us:

1. What true love for Jesus is: Love for Jesus is more than words, and more than

mere religious works and performance.  Rather, it is a settled disposition of the heart that rests fully upon the grace of God and lives by faith in Christ.

2.  What true love for Jesus looks like: The kind of faith that produces the fruit

of obedience to God.  It is faith working through love.  This is what the woman had.   

3.  Teaches how we can foster this in our hearts: We must keep Jesus ever

 before us.  Notice, the woman, after she was saved, went back to Jesus!  The Gospel isn’t something that we keep on the shelf, but we must lives every day of our lives in the light of the Gospel.  Jerry Bridges writes, “So, if we want to grow in our love for God and in the acceptable obedience that flows out of that love, we must keep coming back to the Cross and the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.”

4.  Rom 5:5: God has shed His love abroad in our hearts - This love permeates through all of the faculties of the soul, and captivates our affections.  This is the critical point, because what is on the inside will manifest itself on the outside.  If this love has been poured into us, meaning it permeates our entire being and “captivates” our affections, and it is our hearts that govern and determine our actions, then surely our actions will consistently display this love for all to see. 

V.  Conclusion:

I want to cry out for all to hear “Jesus, I love you!” 

I want my actions to shout to a watching world, “Jesus, I love you!” 

I want every second of every day of my life to be a living testimony to the amazing grace of God that He has so abundantly lavished me, and…

I want God, and God alone to get all of the glory for all that I am in Christ.

Jesus, I love you!