Pentecost 4 C: It’s All About Forgiveness
Dear Partner in Preaching,
Take it from me, it’s all about forgiveness.
Now, I don’t know if I’d start there, but it’s definitely where I want to end up.
Where would I start? Probably with how much I don’t like Simon. Come on, be honest – don’t you agree? He’s kind of a punk. Arrogant, judgmental, self-righteous, he looks down on everyone else and is scornful of both this woman because of her reputation and Jesus for not treating her with the disdain Simon believes she deserves.
And I wonder if that’s the point.
Luke crafts this story with great care, even sharing Simon’s muttering thoughts to himself. And the punch line comes when Jesus asks Simon who he thinks will be more grateful – the one who has been forgiven little, or forgiven much. And Simon, always eager to show how smart he is, falls right into Jesus’ trap, saying that of course the one who was show more mercy will be all the more grateful. And that, Jesus says, is why this woman is so grateful, so gracious, and so blessed. She has been forgiven much, and in return she – an intruder to Simon’s dinner party – has shown all the hospitality that Simon neglected. She is, as it turns out, not Simon’s inferior at all but in every way her actions show her to be superior when it comes to treating Jesus the way an honored guest should be treated.
And I don’t know about you, but I find Simon’s comeuppance simply delicious. About time, I cheer, imagining Simon’s face growing red…until I realize that now I’ve fallen into a trap as well. I haven’t been gracious as this woman has. I haven’t responded out of gratitude for all the mercy that has attended my life. I’ve been judging Simon and in doing so displayed a level of arrogant self-righteousness that at least equals Simon’s.
And that’s what a life devoid of forgiveness looks like. You just can’t help it. Absent the capacity to receive or give forgiveness, you fall back on the law, except not to help others but instead to judge them. Hah, says Simon, judging this woman and Jesus. Hah, I say, judging Simon. In the end, what’s the difference.
This is why it’s all about forgiveness. Because when you know yourself to be forgiven, you don’t have time for judgment any more. All you can do is be grateful; indeed, manifest that gratitude by forgiving others.
And when you forgive others, something rather amazing happens. Because through your offer of forgiveness you release a hold not only on the other person, but also on the grudge you were holding, on the hunger for delicious judgment that you’d been harboring, and on a life dominated by the past.
When you’ve been forgiven, all that’s left is gratitude. And when you forgive others, all that’s left is freedom and possibility.
And the interesting thing to me is that the culture seems of late to know this better than we do. From shows like The Walking Dead to Teen Wolf (yes, I’m a fan, I watch it with my teenage daughter), again and again I see forgiveness emerge as a significant theme. Because as much as we look to the law for guidance, and as much as we count on love to give us the energy and excitement to move forward, without forgiveness you don’t get very far.
Which brings me to back to this story. We see the bountiful grace showered on the woman who knows she has been forgiven and can only respond in gratitude. And I wonder what might have happened to Simon if he’d forgiven her whatever resentments he harbored toward her. And interesting question, to be sure, but I think Luke is actually less interested in Simon by the end of the story than he is in us. What might we recognize in our lives as in need of forgiveness? Or what have we been forgiven lately that creates in us a deep sense of gratitude? Or who do we need to forgive to be free and whole again?
We should take care when asking these questions, Dear Partner, as being caught up in gratitude and joy to the point of forgiving others must not become another law: “You must forgive…or else!” Forgiveness of those who have hurt us takes time and should not be forced. But we might take the first step and ask folks to think of someone who has hurt or disappointed them and start working at forgiveness. Give it a try. If you can pull it off, great. If not, then think of someone or something else and start there. Forgiveness is just rare enough, you see, that we may be out of practice!
Well, like I said: this story is all about forgiveness. And it’s more than this story, it’s the whole Gospel. And it’s more than Luke’s gospel; it’s really about Jesus and, indeed, the whole Christian life. For in the end, it’s all about forgiveness.
Thanks so much for sharing that gracious and life-giving word!
Yours in Christ,
David
Boy you nailed me to the tree with this one… That hurts, but with a humble spirit thanks once again.
AS always, thanks for your words. I’m also keeping in the back of my mind your previous words on this gospel – why Jesus was crucified, and we’d do it all over again. This morning I was listening to Michael Feldman’s Whad’ya Know Hour, and there was a man on who grabbed my attention by a piece he had written on “Gratitude”. I was able to find it – Michael Perry in Wisconsin – here’s the link:
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/columnists/michael-perry/michael-perry-gratitude-is-renewable-energy/article_acee74f3-5949-5005-9620-1027f7997eef.html
Great piece on gratitude – thanks Gail!
Dear David…you hit the mark and elsewhere you have spoken of the offense of forgiveness – that is the scandal of the Gospel – but it call us to complicity and confession, too. Thanks for your assist to the preacher. Thought you might find the poem interesting, too:
Simonized
The signage is clear,
the bathrooms are clean;
the donuts and coffee
presented with prestige.
Each name tag
announces:
“You are welcome!”
“Come in!”
Yet, each pew is preserved,
each parking place reserved
(a human habit, I guess,
off-putting for guests).
Simonized hospitality,
polished and smooth,
covers a heart
that cannot make room.
Room for the woman,
lonely, in despair;
where everyone is happy
does anyone really care?
Care to hear the heartache,
the darkness of life
yearning for sanctuary
amidst all the strife?
Striving to live
between the ache and the awe,
she lets down her hair
and she enters the hall.
At the foot of the altar
she opens her perfume;
odors of Eden
mixed in with her gloom.
Too much to forgive
so she lets it all go
lavishly open
extravagance overflows.
How dare such a sinner
be shown so much grace?
Doesn’t she know
she is creating a disgrace?
Little is love
that forgives what is trite.
Abundant is love
that gives new life.
Liberated woman,
Simon still a slave.
Simonized hospitality
is all that he gave.
A Poem a Sunday – Copyright – kennstorck@gmail.com
May be used with permission
As usual, Ken, you’ve hit the mark with your usual mix of clarity and eloquence. Thanks!
Dr. Lose, Thanks, as always for your words and insight. I just want to let you know that this Sunday (tomorrow) will be my first as the Pastor of Peace Lutheran in El Paso, TX. I’m excited to begin my ordained ministry with this congregation on the border. And I’m so grateful that our paths crossed, even for a short time, at Luther. Thank you for your continued innovative and faithful work within the ELCA. Grace and Peace to you, Pastor Diana Linden-Johnson
What a blessed congregation! And what a blessing you will be to each other. Know that my prayers are with you, Diana.
Welcome to 300 miles west of West Texas! We’re glad to have you here (even from the Other Side of the Reformation!)
Bill Schlesinger – co-pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church and Co-Director of Project Vida
Judging. We’re doing a lot of it. We judge Trump and Hillary. Not decide which direction we want the country to follow, not decide the policies they represent, but that (choose your side) this person is worthy of our self-righteous condemnation. He’s a racist, she’s a liar – and it goes on and on.
I cannot imagine loving without forgiveness. Thank you.