Grace Congregational UCC

“Your Debt Load”
Luke 7:36-8:3
Galatians 2:15-21

June 17, 2007 - Kim M. Henning

Many years ago I knew a man in his early 40's who had a dream. He saw a restaurant for sale and said, ‘that’s a dream-come-true.’ He had always wanted to own a restaurant. He did not have much money so he went to the bank. He told the loan officer about this restaurant and that he didn’t have a lot of money but he was trustworthy and a hard worker. Somehow, he convinced the bank to give him some money.

After about four years, it was clear—that this restaurant was not going to survive. He was in over his head. Finally the bank stepped in. By now, the debt was more than the business was worth.

What started as a dream was now a nightmare. But he refused to declare bankruptcy. He secured another job and every month for the next 15 years he repaid the bank and his creditors everything that they were owed. I remember the occasion when he privately announced that he was debt-free.

Sixty and debt-free. You could see the weight come off his shoulders.

Sixty and debt-free. A look of confidence defined him as being a survivor.

One evening Jesus was being entertained by Simon. Simon was a Pharisee—religious. Jesus was his guest. While Jesus was at table, something astonishing happened. A woman of the city appeared. She was obviously not invited. She just kind of ‘invaded their space.’

Without saying a word, she started crying. Then she took some oil and poured it over Jesus feet. She wouldn’t stop crying. Then, as she got onto her hands and knees, she started wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair.

Needless to say, the formality of Simon’s dinner party was suddenly disrupted. What do you do? What do you say? But Jesus did not so much as break a sweat. He knew the thoughts of Simon—and he told a story.

Simon? Yes. A certain banker had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, the banker cancelled the debts of both. Now Simon, Jesus said, which one of the debtors will love him more?

Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.”

Then Jesus said, “That’s right. Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet.”

There are three people in this story. There is Jesus. Simon—the Pharisee. And then there is this woman----who is literally‘making a scene.’ We don’t know anything about her except that she is nearly bankrupt. I’m not talking financially bankrupt. That can be fixed most of the time. I’m talking about something more serious than that. Here is a woman who is spiritually bankrupt, morally bankrupt, emotionally bankrupt. Can you feel her anguish?

I’m not sure how she came to realize her bankruptcy. Maybe she realized one morning that others were treating her as less than one ‘created in the image of God.’ Maybe she realized, one evening, that her pain was overshadowing any joy. Maybe, by the grace of God, she just had one of those moments when ‘she came to herself.’

Somehow she realized that her debt load was more than she could carry and somehow she understood the indescribable love of Jesus, the sheer gift of grace, —she put the two together and was seized with uncontrolled, exuberant joy. Didn’t make any difference that she was barging into a party; didn’t make any difference that she was potentially making a fool of herself, All that made any difference was Jesus. She cries. She pours ointment over Jesus’ feet. Wipes with her hair.... whew....

Three characters. Jesus, Simon, and this woman. Can you see Simon? My own mental image is that Simon is standing with that stern look on his face. Simon knows about that woman, and folk like that Pharisees had written her kind off.

Oh, Simon doesn’t mean to be self-righteous, any more than you or I don’t mean to be self-righteous. But it happens. When a person strives to be good we naturally become pretty good at becoming finger-pointers. When a person strives to be religious we naturally become judgmental toward everyone else. Like Simon, we don’t even have to say anything but its clear sometimes that our anger is louder than our love, that our gossip is more than our understanding.

Jesus does something interesting this morning. He tells a parable. He says that there are two debtors who are forgiven their debt. One is forgiven a little bit, and one is forgiven a whole lot. Simon says, yes, yes, I get it. What’s the point?

Jesus says, the point is this. You invited me to your party, Simon, and it’s almost like you take my presence for granted. You shake hands with me. You served me a meal, but even strangers give food to strangers. You invited me to be your guest, but you have lots of other friends here as well. You see–Simon, Jesus said, I’m rather ordinary to you because you’re really not in debt (in your own eyes)..

But this woman... She washed my feet with tears. Can you feel the pain and the love? She falls on her face. Can you see the humility? She has purchased with her own money ointment—and she’s pouring it out as a way of saying, ‘forgive me, holy are you; love me, holy are you; have mercy upon me, holy are you.’

Jesus is with two people who invite him to be a part of their lives. One is in debt a little bit and to have Jesus with him is one of those ‘feel good’ things. An hour Sunday morning will be enough to get him through the next week.

And then there’s a second person who is so far in debt that she cannot possibly repair the damage she’s done to her own life. But in a reckless, beautiful moment of faith----she throws everything she has at Jesus and without saying a word (she never speaks), you know that Jesus is her all in all.

And the question ‘what does your debt load look like?’ How much is your life in disrepair?

The Apostle Paul. Remember him? Do you remember his saintliness? His incredible leadership for the early church? Paul once said of himself....... ‘that he was the chief of all sinners.’

Or do you remember Augustine....one of the great architects of Christianity? Someone once said to Augustine, ‘the world runs after you.’ And Augustine replied that there was no greater or more miserable sinner than he.

What does your debt load look like this morning? Father’s Day. A few weeks ago.... we had the beginning of a wonderful worship service here. The music that led our worship was inspiring. The call to worship. The opening prayer. And then we sang to the glory of God.

Well, right about that time....a baby started crying. It wasn’t a polite whimper. It was a loud cry.

Someone walked out of worship that morning and said, ‘that was loud.’ There was a second person who came through. Must have overheard the first person, but he said, ‘was there a crying baby this morning? I didn’t hear it.” Now how is it that both those people were in the same worship service? I guess that they came to worship with two different debt loads that morning.