Reflection: Looking Down on Jesus (Jun 16, 2013)

The 4th Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 12:13-14; Galatians 2:15-21, 3:10-14; Luke 7:36-50

Have you ever been invited to dinner at the home of someone you didn’t particularly like? If so, you were probably surprised by the invitation. If you attended, you might have been further surprised by the friendly treatment that you received. Sometimes we’re amazed by how different people can be from our opinions of them. On the other hand, imagine what it would be like to accept such an invitation only to be treated with disrespect and to be looked down on. Certainly that kind of experience would drive us to greatly dislike our host. We may even retaliate. We don’t tolerate people mistreating us and looking down on us. Interestingly, Jesus did.

Jesus made it a habit to eat with people who didn’t deserve the fellowship that eating together provided and the acceptance that it conveyed in that culture. His willingness to eat with “sinners and prostitutes” caused a lot of friction with His main adversaries, the Pharisees. That conflict makes Jesus’ acceptance of an invitation to a dinner at a Pharisee’s house even more intriguing. Why would a Pharisee invite Jesus into his home? Why would Jesus eat with such self-righteous, arrogant, and judgmental people?

Jesus’ acceptance of this dinner invitation had a very intentional purpose and was made use of in order to show His love and to teach people the Gospel. To do this He was willing to be looked down on by Simon the Pharisee. Jesus quietly endured the arrogance of His host anticipating the opportunity to show him the truth of his spiritual condition. That opportunity came when a woman known to be a sinner in that town entered Simon’s house uninvited and then approached Jesus as He reclined at the table. Looking down on Him, she quickly fell to her knees and poured out her love and thankfulness by washing His feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, and anointing them with her perfume. Simon’s reaction showed how empty his heart was and how his self-righteousness had deceived him into looking down on others. Still, Jesus would not condemn Simon. Instead, He patiently instructed him and revealed the love, grace, and mercy of our God who looked down on our hopeless situation and sent His Son to bring us hope, peace, and life through His forgiveness.

Audio file of the sermon "Looking Down on Jesus."