University Presbyterian Church - Chapel Hill, NC

“Sin and Forgiveness”

A sermon by the Rev. Dr. Anna Pinckney Straight

University Presbyterian Church, Chapel Hill

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

June 17, 2007

 Galatians 2:15-21

¹⁵We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; ¹⁶yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. ¹⁷But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. ¹⁹For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; ²⁰and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Luke 7:36-50

³⁶One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. ³⁷And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. ³⁸She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner." ⁴⁰Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "Speak." ⁴¹"A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" ⁴³Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly." ⁴⁴Then 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 bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." ⁴⁸Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." ⁴⁹But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" ⁵⁰And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

From all we can tell, Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus to his house with honorable intentions.  We’re fairly used to seeing the Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, as those who are out to get Jesus, and so we sometimes walk into these texts with that assumption.  That Simon is out to trick or trap Jesus.

From all we can tell, that is not the case here.[1]

And things seem to be going well, until that woman arrives.  That woman.  It’s not that she is uninvited.  There were, in all likelihood, many uninvited guests wandering around this semi-public dinner party.  It’s not a breach of etiquette that is her problem.  It’s her. She is the problem.  She is a sinner.

When he sees that Jesus does not ask, demand, that she leave, Simon the Pharisee begins to wonder if he has been wrong about Jesus.  Because, after all, wouldn’t a true prophet have been able to tell that this woman is not clean?  Not proper company?  Not respectable?

Of course, Jesus beats him at this game, because not only does Jesus know about this woman, Jesus knows what Simon thinks of this woman.  Jesus knows what Simon is thinking.  Jesus is a prophet, and more.  Jesus tells Simon the Pharisee a parable about forgiveness.   And Jesus shows what forgiveness can do.  This woman’s sins have been forgiven, he tells Simon, and look at her hospitality and love.  Jesus uses the right example to point out the wrong actions.  He lets the Pharisee figure it out for himself that among the two, the woman is the one doing what is pleasing to God and that he, Simon, has dropped the ball.[2]

The crowd is shocked.  They’ve been thinking that Jesus is a great prophet, but only God can forgive sins.  Like last week, when Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead.  Jesus is establishing himself as more than a prophet.  More than a miracle worker.  More than a good guy who lived a good life.  God.  Incarnate.  The Word, made Flesh

Then Jesus says something that is quite significant

“Your faith has saved you.”

She has been saved by faith.  Saved. Her sins have been forgiven.  Forgiven.  More than having her sentence reduced, more than being acquitted, the slate has been wiped clean.  In forgiveness, her old life is gone.  The record is expunged.  A new life is begun.[3]

A few months ago, Bob preached a sermon entitled “Which comes first: Grace or Repentance?” In it, he said that he could not find a single instance in the Gospels “when Jesus requires repentance before he extends grace or healing or hospitality…. Repentance is a response to God’s grace, not a prerequisite for it. Grace always comes first.”[4]

Yes. Grace comes first.  Because we are not justified by the law.  We are not justified by works.  We are justified by faith. Being reconciled to God is not something that happens because we earn or deserve it, it is a result of faith.  Of accepting God’s love.  It is a hallmark of the reformed tradition, an aspiration and inspiration.  We are justified by grace through faith.

Justified.  Placed in right relationship with God.  

Faith.  More than knowledge.  More than belief.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Faith. Fidelity.  Trust[5]  Not a possession.  Not something we can master, control, or manipulate.  Not something we do.  Not something we perform. Charles Cousar (Cowzer) in a commentary on Galatians writes,  “Faith is not a reliance on one’s accomplishments or one’s lack of accomplishments, but a trust in the accomplishments of God.”

Faith, “the offering of a glad word of thanksgiving for God’s goodness focused in the gift of his Son.  It is the standing ovation we give when we have caught only a fleeting glimpse of or have been thoroughly gripped by the drama of Good Friday and Easter.  With people crowded row on row in front and behind we find ourselves a part of an audience on its feet with applause, whistles, and shouts of ‘Bravo!’ Then in a strange way, almost as if in a dream, we are transformed from isolated spectators into a company of participants, no longer looking on but actually on stage.  A moment comes when, moving about from scene to scene, we realize that we are not intruders in someone else’s play.  We belong here.  This is our place, our part.  The cross and the resurrection are not only Jesus’ but ours.  Faith becomes obedience­­—not the superficial, formalized adherence to the demands of the law, but conformity to the prime figure in the drama, following him about as he moves among the mass of humanity declaring good news to the poor and release to the captives, binding the broken-hearted, giving garlands instead of ashes, and above all announcing the year of the Lord’s favor.”[6]

“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”  It is quite a gospel lesson.  And the lesson from Galatians is a strong partner.

This text from Luke for today deals with issues of faith, forgiveness, and community on an individual level.  Paul, in his letter to the Galatians addresses them on a cultural level.

The discussions are almost identical.  Who is allowed in, and who should stay outside?  Are Gentiles allowed to come to the dinner party.  As invited and welcomed guests?

You see, Gentiles are different.  If you are Jewish, they, the Gentiles, do things the Bible says they are not supposed to do. If you are Gentile who wants to know more about Christ, you don’t approach the world with the same set of expectations. 

And so there is a crisis.  Who will determine the future of the faith?  Who is in and who is out?  Who is acceptable and who is not?

It is this that Paul is addressing in his letter.  And he does so in a way that is similar to Christ’s way at the Pharisee’s dinner party.  By coming at the problem with light.

Professor Richard Hays writes, “Paul does not begin with an analysis of the human predicament under the law and then offer the gospel as a solution; instead he begins with the confession that Christ died for us and then works out the implications of that confession for diagnosing the human plight and determining the role of the law.”[7]

It seems to be an eternal problem for the church, one from which we can’t seem remove our minds.  Who is in and who is out?  Who is acceptable and who is not?  You find it in the nicest of places and on all ends of the theological spectrum.  People decided who is right and who is wrong.  Just think about some of the bumper stickers you might see on the road, ”The Bible said it, I believe it, end of discussion.” “God's World = God's Rules; not Ours!”  “Got Jesus?  It’s hell without him.”  And lest we think that this attitude is the property of one end of the spectrum, consider these: “The Christian Right is Neither” “Who would Jesus Bomb”  Or, “Jesus called, he wants his religion back.”

On all sides of the spectrum the proclamations abound,   “Not you.” “Not my God.” 

For some of us it is the fallen woman.

For others it is the Pharisees who fall outside our understanding of what is Christian.

I believe it comes from a good place.  This wanting to know what is right and what is not.  I believe that people want to know what is pleasing in the sight of God.  We want to put ourselves, personally and communally, in places of the divine light where God’s grace will shine more brightly and clearly on where we are and where God wants us to be.

It is a good impulse that gets misdirected when try to find God by naming the places where the divine light is NOT shining.

And no matter which end of the spectrum it comes from, it is the same mistake.

I believe that there is much to learn from Jesus’ example today in Luke.  How did he deal with the Pharisee?  Not with condemnation but with illuminating the joy of the world that understood the woman as faithful.  And Paul.  He even accepts that if in eating with Gentiles and breaking dietary laws-  if that makes him a sinner, then so be it.  It is still the right thing to do.  Grace trumps law.  Every time.[8]

 What does call us to?  To get things right all of the time?  To perfection?  God calls us, in all things, not to the right, but to faithfulness.

Henri Nouwen: “Many people live with the unconscious or conscious expectation that eventually things will get better; wars, hunger, poverty, oppression, and exploitation will vanish; and all people will live in harmony. Their lives and work are motivated by that expectation. When this does not happen in their lifetimes, they are often disillusioned and experience themselves as failures.

But Jesus doesn’t support such an optimistic outlook. He foresees not only the destruction of his beloved city Jerusalem but also a world full of cruelty, violence, and conflict. For Jesus there is no happy ending in this world. The challenge of Jesus is not to solve all the world’s problems before the end of time but to remain faithful at any cost.”

Instead of seeing things as right or wrong, in or out, seeing life through the eyes of faith.  With hope.  Possibility.

It is the message of our texts for today, and something for which I believe we are starving.

From 2001 – 2006 I served on the General Assembly Nominating Committee.  Part of my responsibility on this committee was to attend General Assembly each year to help present our report.  There were many exciting moments, but I quickly learned that one of the biggest moments at each General Assembly was the election of the moderator.  Attended by voting commissioners and spectators, the room would always be packed and full of hope and anticipation.

When we elect moderators at the General Assembly gathering it starts with speeches and questions.  All of the commissioners hear from the candidates for about two hours before the actual election.  And then there is ballot after ballot until one of the candidates receives a majority vote.  There can, sometimes, be as many as four or five rounds of voting.

I can remember only one time with there was only one ballot.  It was 2001 and the moderator elected was Jack Rogers.[9] Seminary professor. Liberal evangelical.  Author.  The other candidates were strong, but Jack won the election, in my opinion, when he offered this interpretation of how we should use the confessions in our life   together.  How to balance grace and law.  Sin and forgiveness. Faith and righteousness.  Right and wrong. 

He told all of us that the life of faith can be viewed either as a birdcage or a birdbath.  In a bird cage, the emphasis is on boundaries.  You’re either in or you’re out.  Inside is safety and security, outside is wilderness and hunger. This worldview leads to declarations of saved and unsaved.  Righteous and unrighteous.

With a bird bath, there are also boundaries, if there weren’t the water would trickle away, but this is not where the emphasis lies.  The emphasis.  The attention is on the center.  The life-giving water.  “Our task is to invite people to the life-giving center, where we have found nourishment in Jesus Christ….  We will tend our own garden and hope to make it attractive so that the water of life we have found there will be nourishing to others.”[10]  

As I sat and listened with thousands of other Presbyterians, you could sense the shift in the room. We were ready.  We were hungry.  We are ready.  We are hungry.  For a little birdbath theology and living. God is calling us to a new life.  New ways of seeing and living.  Let us live.