A Foot Wash: degree of love 足をぬぐう：愛の度合い

   You might observe that while most parables are found in Gospel of Matthew, we often remember more from Luke’s writings. We provided you with a complete list of Luke' parables in the handout.  The first one in Luke comes in Chapter 7.  The whole chapter is FULL of interesting accounts that could keep us busy for quite some time, but we are going to study the parables and miracles of Jesus and only the ones that are found in Luke. 

Let’s read this one right now: Luke 7:36-50 ³⁶ When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with Him, He went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, Teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”  “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give Me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give Me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing My feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on My feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

   The chapter starts with the story of the Faith of the Centurion.  Jesus is very impressed with the Faith He sees in this non-Jewish person. ⁹ When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, He said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

   The next story is the raising of the widow’s son outside the funeral city of Nain.  Then He met with John’s disciples who ask Him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

   Then in verse 22, Jesus answers with a question: ²² So He replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ²³ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me.”

   The Lord then does some more teaching and then Luke takes us to this story of a visit to the house of a Pharisee.  To a house where degrees of love is witnessed.

   This story within a story asks the question: “Who loves more?”  Do you love someone?  Do you love some kind of food? Do you love a nation?  A movie?  A cat?  We can see the ease of degrees don’t we in the definition of love.  I love veal cutlets but I also love my wife.  Difference in degree.

   An unwelcomed welcome:   Look at the social custom Jesus speaks about when a person visits a home. There are certain criteria that must be followed.  The host is to provide water to wash the visitors feet.  Nothing elaborate but a cleaning of their feet is expected.  A kiss of greeting—usually on both sides of the face…with minimum of physical contact.  (You see this today on the news.)  After the visitor enters the home, oil is put on the head of the guest—a sign of blessing the visitor with peace. 

   None of this was given to Jesus.  I would guess, He just came in and sat down on the floor on pillows—reclining at the central table.  The host was not careful to observe the simplest of social graces.  The Pharisee had invited Jesus to his home but for some reason, did not entertain this social custom. 

   The woman who came in was a known ‘sinful woman’.  Her reputation was well known. You can imagine the whispers around the room as she slips in and starts to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears!  It was not just a few drops of tears; it was enough for her to wash His feet and then to dry them with her hair.  The smell from the jar of perfume filled the room.  The weeping soon became the only sound in the room.  Awkward!  And then she got even more personal, she started to kiss His feet as she dried them with her hair.

   The socially insensitive Host was—embarrassed, maybe.  He certainly was critical. –he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

   He was judge and jury.  She was a sinner and she had no place in MY house!  And Jesus should have known better!

   But, Jesus heard what the man said to himself and said He had something to tell him.  The man was willing so Jesus told this parable.  Simply put, it was a matter of money owed and debts forgiven.  The master with the two men who could not pay back the money forgave them both.  Question for the host:  “Now which of them will love the master more?”  Easy answer given: “the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”  He was correct.

   Now, comes the lesson the host might not understand and if he did understand it, he would not like the answer.  This lady loves more than you love. She knows that she had been forgiven a LOT and you don’t realize how much you have done to obtain the same forgiveness.  As Jesus said: “Her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown” …but you failed to show even a little of love—no foot washing, kiss or oil—not that those acts were proof of his love, but his heart was just not there. 

   Then Jesus steps out of the parable and says outright to the woman: “Your sins are forgiven.”  Directly to her.  Not to the many in the room—just to her … because she had shown deep love for Jesus. 

   Are tears a sign of love?  Does asking for forgiveness require tears in repentance?  No, but it doesn’t hurt.  “I am sorry” can be said many ways.  (Laughing: “I am sorry”) Angry: “I am sorry”. Coldly: “I am sorry”.  Crying but fake: “I am sorry”.  The heart needs to be broken. 

   It is found Psalm 51, there is much to realize.  Let’s walk thru it together.  God’s Degree of Love: Found in His Mercy

¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. ² Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. ⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are right in Your verdict and justified when You judge.  ⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. ⁶ Yet You desired faithfulness even in the womb; You taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. ⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. ⁹ Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of Your Salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, so that sinners will turn back to You. ¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, You who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness. ¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare Your praise. ¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. ¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please You to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Then You will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous, in burnt offerings offered whole; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

"I want to see” "私は見たい！"

   Blindness is a difficult handicap.  I remember seeing a movie that dealt with the difficult life of Helen Keller.  She showed the world how to live above the handicap.  She was the first blind deaf person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.  A brave woman with a great deal of determination.

   My friend in Long Island a long time ago was born blind.  Adam went through high school at a Blind school just outside New York City.  I met him while at Adelphi Un on Long Island.  It was a good open friendship.  I had never spoken with a blind man before and he was open to be very honest with me.  He invited me over to his apartment one evening, unlocked the door and walked in.  No lights were on. He turned on the TV for the sound and was surprised I was still standing at the door---in the dark.  Adam taught me a great deal about blindness.  I asked him once to tell me what goes on in his mind when I say “sun rise”.  Does he ‘see’ anything?  Adam said he “felt warmth on my face and knew the sun was shining on him.”  No colors—not knowing what to call color, he said he ‘saw’ something that ‘might be color’ but he had nothing to evaluated that with.

   The fact of both illustrations is that both Adam and Helen Keller stayed blind.  One was blind since birth and the other became blind soon after due to an illness.

   In our story today,  John 9:1-41—this one you may have looked at before —the man in question was blind.  He was known to be blind.  He sat by the road to receive donations, or alms from passers-by.  People knew him and that he was born blind.  There was a false teaching back then—which still is found today—that he or his parents MUST have sinned to create such a condition for this man.  The disciples believed that as well and asked the Master, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Jesus responds: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”               “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

   Then, as the story continues, Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud and applied that mud to the man’s eyes and was told to go and wash in the Pool.  He went and washed and came home seeing.  People were amazed while others were discounting the whole thing as someone who ‘looked like’ the blind man.  He knew and said he had been blind but now he could see. 

   The whole story goes on to another situation that makes the greatness of the healing almost disappear.  Problems came up because Jesus had done this healing— on the Holy Day!  The leaders were upset with that part of the story and not happy for the man who is now seeing.  As far as we know, many lost the real joy of the situation.  The story ends with a conversation between the Teachers of the Law and Jesus.  Jesus calls them out and says:

John 9:39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”  41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” ヨハネの福音書　９: 39 そこで、イエスは言われた。「わたしはさばきのためにこの世に来ました。それは、目の見えない者が見えるようになり、見える者が盲目となるためです。」40 パリサイ人の中でイエスとともにいた人々が、このことを聞いて、イエスに言った。「私たちも盲目なのですか。」41 イエスは彼らに言われた。「もしあなたがたが盲目であったなら、あなたがたに罪はなかったでしょう。しかし、あなたがたは今、『私たちは目が見える』と言っています。あなたがたの罪は残るのです。」

   Now the teaching here is more than healing a blind man.  It has to do with what God was doing.  The key part of the passage is: so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.  

     So, are you blind?  Short sighted?  Near sighted?  Do you have a blind spot?  So easy to see that in others and I would suggest that if you are in a relationship right now, you do not see your blind spots very well indeed!  In fact, I guarantee that you think your eyesight—as far as the relationship between you and your significant other—if there are faults, the problem lies with the other person and not you.  Never you.  You can see all things very well.  You, like the Pharisees of long ago, would say the same thing to me today: “What? Are we blind too?”  “Am I blind, too?  No way possible!”    I think not.  I think you---and I ---am blind.

Let’s talk about it. 

   Social contact: Many experts in Human behavior believes that the more social ties a person has, the better the health and the lower the death rate. Conversely, they indicated that the more isolated the person, the poorer the health and the higher the death rate.  Social ties are good preventative medicine for physical problems and for mental-emotional-behavior problems. 

   Are you blind to the problems facing relationships today?  The kind of a person you were before you got married will not change so much after marriage.  Friendly before a marriage to ‘get’ a partner is unfortunately true in some cases; it should not be true within the Body of Christ.  We might need to look at each other in much better light than we are doing right now.                                        

   Take a look at 1 Timothy 5: 1-2 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity, テサロニケ人への手紙　第一　５:1 兄弟たち。それらがいつなのか、またどういう時かについては、あなたがたは私たちに書いてもらう必要がありません。2 主の日が夜中の盗人のように来るということは、あなたがた自身がよく承知しているからです。

 8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever, 8 しかし、私たちは昼の者なので、信仰と愛を胸当てとして着け、救いの望みをかぶととしてかぶって、慎み深くしていましょう。

 21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism, 21 しかし、すべてのことを見分けて、ほんとうに良いものを堅く守りなさい。

 22b Keep yourself pure, 22 悪はどんな悪でも避けなさい。

Single men are jailed more often, earn less, have more illnesses and die at a younger age than married men.  Married men with cancer live 20% longer than single men with the same cancer.  Women, who often have more close friendships than men, survive longer with the same cancers.  Married or not, relationships keep us alive.  It might even be better if we work at those relationships harder!

   And that should be true within the Body of Christ—even more so as we know where we had come from.  You remember that the early church came from?  1 Cor 6:8-11 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. コリント人への手紙　第一　６: 8 ところが、それどころか、あなたがたは、不正を行う、だまし取る、しかもそのようなことを兄弟に対してしているのです。9 あなたがたは、正しくない者は神の国を相続できないことを、知らないのですか。だまされてはいけまんせん。不品行な者、偶像を礼拝する者、姦淫をする者、男娼となる者、男色をする者、10 盗む者、貪欲な者、酒に酔う者、そしる者、略奪する者はみな、神の国を相続することができません。11 あなたがたの中にある人たちは以前はそのような者でした。しかし、主イエス・キリストの御名と私たちの神の御霊によって、あなたがたは洗われ、聖なる者とされ、義と認められたのです。

   We know were we had come from; we know where we are now—bought by the Blood of the Lamb and we know where we are headed—Glory.

   Here are some suggestions for your relationships:

Ten Commandments of Human Relations  人間関係の十戒

1. Speak to people/人に話すThere is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.

2. Smile at people. It takes seventy-two muscles to frown, only fourteen to smile.  スマイル

3. Call people by name. Music to anyone's ears is the sound of his/her own name.  相手の名前で呼ぶ

4. Be friendly and helpful.  親しみやすく

5. Be cordial. Speak and act as if everything you do is genuinely a pleasure, and if it isn't, learn to make it so.   誠心誠意に

6. Be genuinely interested in people. You can like almost everybody if you try. BE AT PEACE WITH THEM—AS MUCH AS IS POSSIBLE. 関心をもつ

7. Be generous with praise, cautious with criticism. 惜しみない称賛を送る/批判に注意する

8. Be considerate with the feelings of others. There are usually three sides to a controversy: yours, the other fellow's, and the right one. 相手の感情に注意する

9. Be alert to serve. What counts most in life is what we do for others. 接するのに注意が必要です

10. Add to this a good sense of humor, a big dose of patience, and a dash of humility, and you will be rewarded manifold through life. ユーモア、忍耐と謙遜を追加   Adapted from the Bible Tract Bulletin.   As you are doing already!

   The words we say to one another really do make the difference!

   When I was a child, I remember the saying: “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt you.”  That is only half true.  Sticks and stone WILL break bones and mess up your face AND words will cut you apart.  Beware of what you say to each other. 

On Getting Along With People

The SIX most important words:  "I admit I made a mistake."

The FIVE most important words:  "You did a good job."

The FOUR most important words:  "What do you think?"

The THREE most important words:  "After you please."

The TWO most important words:  "Thank you."

The ONE most important word:  "We"

The LEAST important word:  "I"

The Carnegie Technological Institute has stated that 90% of all people who fail in their life's vocation fail because they cannot get along with people.  Lloyd Perry, Getting the Church on Target,  Moody, 77.   We want people to succeed in life-to move forward! 

   When we are talking about married couples and who it is that wins and who it is that looses in a family fight, the answer is: no one.  Both loose.  We need to strengthen our families more now than ever before.  With marriage breakups almost the same inside the Church as it is outside the Church, we need some help.  We need to KNOW that we are blind—or at least, shortsighted. Go to the One who heals!

   Here is what we are going to do…just for this Sunday, we will talk about ONE thing, one aid that we can all benefit from.  Here it is: Let the river flow into your heart.  A personal check-list—without a list, that can help put our relationships back where God wants them to be AND where He created them to be.
 Fellowship with the Spirit.  御霊との交わりAlong with fellowship with each other, each of us needs to sharpen our spiritual flow.  We need to be replenished from within so that our outflow will reflect His Heart.  We need to replenish our spiritual life.

   Without a life giving flowing spiritual river of God’s Grace flowing in your heart, we will find we cannot give what we don’t have.  We all might feel we are at peak spiritual condition but if we are honest—and we need to be—we will see that our walk and our talk don’t agree.  We talk about a close walk with the Lord but you and I both know we are far from it.  We need to sharpen our walk with the Lord.

   When my friend Adam wanted to walk across the library at the Univ he attended, he depended upon someone to walk along side him.  He would hold onto the helpers elbow and together, they would make it to the other side. 

   Do you have someone you can use as a guide?  Are you someone’s guide?  It might seem like the blind leading the blind but if you are connected to the Spiritual Stream of a close walk with the Spirit of God, then you will make it across life.

   How long does it take to get spiritually dry?  Good question.  Does it take a year to become dry?  A month?  Two weeks? A day?  The Scriptures instruct us to guard our hearts daily! 毎日、私たちの心を守る Daily going to Him in prayer and with an honest heart, asking Him to grow you.  Asking Him to move you.  Asking Him to refresh your heart.  Do this even while you are walking with your partner.  If God has brought you together, and I believe He has—He does not make mistakes—then you need to keep on walking.  And guarding your heart—daily.

    There is a need to linger in His Presence. 彼の存在に留まる A five min devotional time while you are running off to the bus or train just will not cut it in the long run.  Even in the short run, you are cutting yourself off from being in His presence.  This discipline takes time.  He has the time, so  meet with Him!  Get to know Him better than you knew Him yesterday.  Stay in His Word.  Listen to His voice as you linger before Him.  This is not Bible study time.  This is “I’m going to save my marriage—my relationship—sort of time.”  It is relationship time!

Turn with me to Jer 29:11-13.  11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. エレミヤ２９: 11 わたしはあなたがたのために立てている計画をよく知っているからだ。―主の御告げ―それはわざわいではなくて、平安を与える計画であり、あなたがたに将来と希望を与えるためのものだ。12 あなたがたがわたしを呼び求めて歩き、わたしに祈るなら、わたしはあなたがたに聞こう。13 もし、あなたがたが心を尽くしてわたしを捜し求めるなら、わたしを見つけるだろう。

1 Cor 9:24-27.  24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a Crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1コリント９: 24 競技場で走る人たちは、みな走っても、賞を受けるのはただひとりだ、ということを知っているでしょう。ですから、あなたがたも、賞を受けられるように走りなさい。25 また闘技をする者は、あらゆることについて自制します。彼らは朽ちる冠を受けるためにそうするのですが、私たちは朽ちない冠を受けるためにそうするのです。26 ですから、私は決勝点がどこかわからないような走り方をしていません。空を打つような拳闘もしてはいません。27 私は自分のからだを打ちたたいて従わせます。それは、私がほかの人に宣べ伝えておきながら、自分自身が失格者になることのないためです。

   Take some time to practice listening to Him.  Practice listening. 彼に聴くことを訓練する  Be still WITHOUT your iPhone, iTouch, your music, emails, Korean Soaps.  And listen to Him and you will see how blind you had been before.

   You will need to agree that those who put their trust in the Lord will be renewed.  That is the way it is supposed to be. Reality is that not all couples and all relationships are healthy.  So, the question is: what do we do with that? だから、私たちは何をすればよいですか？ Easy answer: Give it to Jesus.  Harder answer: Give it to Jesus.  Your relationships are worth all the effort you can put into it.  Giving it all to Jesus does cost some personal attention.  Some would look at the Love Chapter in Cor: Love is ___ as the guide-line for us to follow.  I don’t think it is.  Having the mind of Christ my Savior is.

   1 Timothy 6:11, 12 NLT  "But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith.  Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses." テモテ第一　６: 11 しかし、神の人よ。あなたは、これらのことを避け、正しさ、敬虔、信仰、愛、忍耐、柔和を熱心に求めなさい。12 信仰の戦いを勇敢に戦い、永遠のいのちを獲得しなさい。あなたはこのために召され、また、多くの証人たちの前でりっぱな告白をしました。

   One of the key elements in strengthening our relationships in the Chapel is to be engaged in a vibrant community. As we work together, worship together, pray together, and express our thankfulness together, we live out our faith in Christ, our love for one another, and the hope that we have because of the Gospel. So let's enjoy this journey together!

   Grace and Peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Lloyd Perry’s Benediction:  

May a dying Savior’s love, a risen Savior’s power, an ascended Savior’s prayer, and a soon coming Savior’s glory be the abundant portion of all those who have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. May the peace of God be our portion; may the God of peace be our partner both now and until we meet again.  Amen.