Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Article: “The Hypocrisy of Phariseephobia” by Jay Harrison
• Sermon: “Christ and Culture” by Bruce Frank
• Sermon: “The Two Debtors: On Devotion” by Tim Keller

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults; welcome to another Leader Training podcast. Today we are in Unit 24, Session 3: He Forgives Sin. With the core passage of Luke 7:37-39 and 41-50. And with the key concept of: Jesus forgives sinners who come to Him in adoring faith.

Let’s start with Luke 7:36 for context here: “Then one of the Pharisees invited him [Jesus] to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.” It’s good to remember that Jesus ate with all sorts of people. We normally know of Him eating with sinners, but He also ate with Pharisees as this story reminds us. This Pharisee is somewhat like Nicodemus, who came and sought Jesus, possibly to learn more about him, but inviting him over for a meal.

Verse 37 continues: “And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house.” She might have been seeking to find out where Jesus was and found the information. Because she seemed to be ready to know what to do next. Verse 37 and 38 continue: “She brought an alabaster jar of perfume and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume.” Listing the verbs here: she found out, brought, stood, wept, began to wash, wiped, kissed, and anointed. This woman was known around town as a sinner. It probably took a lot of courage for her to approach Jesus, and in a Pharisee’s house at that. The jar of perfume must’ve cost a a good amount as well. And wiping Jesus’s feet with her hair meant letting down her hair. Letting down her hair in that setting could have been viewed as socially improper or shameful, adding to the vulnerability and boldness of her actions.

What might the woman’s actions have revealed about her understanding of who Jesus is? Her actions suggest that she recognized Jesus as more than an ordinary teacher and trusted that mercy and forgiveness could be found in Him. At minimum, her actions revealed remarkable faith, humility, and love.

How does this woman’s boldness challenge our understanding of what is required to come before Jesus? The woman’s actions were reactionary in a good way. She didn’t see it as duty or a law she had to follow. She sought out Jesus because she was overwhelmed with love and gratefulness. Her boldness resulted from passion for Jesus. That’s how we should come to Jesus as well. Overwhelmed by His love and grace that compels us to do nothing less than worship and serve Him and show Him love.

The Pharisee, seeing this, said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him ​— ​she’s a sinner!”  Now the NIV, ESV, and KJV ends the statement with a period, not an exclamation point. I think the exclamation point is a little misleading. It makes the Pharisee’s words here seem a little harsher than they need to be perhaps. We know the Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for dinner, and he knew Jesus was known to be a prophet. Pharisees were often seen as the bad guy, but we need to remember that he invited Jesus over. He wanted to dine with Jesus. But at the same time, his religious point of view caused him to see the woman only as a sinner as she probably had a reputation around town.

Verse 40, not in the resource, bridges the events with Jesus’s parable, but it also shows a bit of how Jesus was trying to teach something to this Pharisee who invited Him over. Verse 40: “Jesus replied to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He said, “Say it, teacher.” Now the Pharisee is given a name, Simon, so Jesus knew him and his name. He calls him out by name to say, ‘hey, I hear your thoughts, but listen to what I’m about to say.’ Simon at this point could have said, I don’t want to hear it. But instead, he welcomed Jesus’s words and called him Teacher.

Jesus then responded to Simon’s inner thoughts with a short parable about a creditor who forgives the debt of two debtors, one who owes 500 denarii (about the amount of a year and a half wages) and the other just 50 denarii (about 2 months wages). Jesus gave Simon the question, “Which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one he forgave more.” And Jesus told him he responded correctly. So Jesus continued: “Do you see this woman?” possibly pointing to her, helping her be seen by everyone there. “I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume.” Jesus contrasted the actions of the woman and of Simon the Pharisee and commended her for it. What she did, Simon failed to do even though he was the host of the party, as opposed to the uninvited guest. He knew loving God was what was asked of Him. But not knowing that Jesus was God, he didn’t apply Scripture to Jesus in this way.

What are some ways you struggle to apply Scripture personally? Some of us may know what believers are commanded to do, but maybe we’re not actually acting on it. We are to love all people, but inwardly, we do judge and look down on those who live in worldly ways. We might know the Great Commission but maybe we don’t take the time to schedule room to get to know our neighbors, other coworkers, and people around us. We are to love God, but we only do so with our emotions and thoughts and not our actions.

Back to the passage, what we learn then is that the woman’s adoring love expressed itself in action as she was moved by Jesus’s presence and the knowledge of being forgiven and gratefulness for it. As Jesus declared in verse 47, “Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” The more deeply we recognize the seriousness of our sin and the fullness of Christ’s forgiveness, the more our hearts will overflow with love for Him. When we minimize our sin or lose sight of grace, our love and gratitude can grow cold.

The woman’s love did not purchase her forgiveness. Rather, her actions revealed a faith that had received Christ’s grace. Jesus’s statement that her many sins ‘have been forgiven’ emphasizes forgiveness as a completed reality with continuing results. Her awareness of her great need and of Jesus’s great mercy overflowed in grateful worship. Simon, by contrast, appeared to minimize his own need for grace, and therefore he showed little love. Yet the difference was not that the woman earned more forgiveness or that Simon needed only a little. Every sinner owes a debt that cannot be repaid. Salvation is entirely by God’s grace through faith in Christ, and genuine faith bears fruit in love, worship, and sacrificial service.

Why do you think an awareness of our own sin makes us more grateful and more loving toward Jesus? Knowing our own sin helps us realize our moral depravity. We really are sinners and not as “good” as we think we are. But by God’s grace and Jesus’s sacrifice, we know we are forgiven. Jesus came to forgive sinners, and He did so through His death and resurrection, saving those who love and trust Him. There’s peace in that. There’s joy in that that makes us thankful. Because He loved us first, we get to love Jesus wholeheartedly.

So Jesus ended with saying to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven” in verse 48, having more of the meaning of ‘your sins have been forgiven’ indeed. The Greek verb is a perfect passive form, emphasizing a completed forgiveness with continuing results. Jesus’s words publicly confirmed and assured her that her sins stood forgiven. Her loving actions did not cause that forgiveness; they revealed the faith through which she received Christ’s grace.

The key concept states Jesus forgives sinners who come to Him in adoring faith.  Here, ‘adoring faith’ does not mean that adoration earns forgiveness. Her adoration is the visible expression of faith in Christ.

In verse 49: “Those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this man who even forgives sins?’” The other guests, seeing and hearing all this interaction, could not understand who this Jesus was. We are told the response of others reclining at the table but not told Simon’s response here so there’s room for him to have chosen to learn the lesson Jesus was teaching or not. But whether Simon learned it or not, the lesson is still the same. The woman showed more love for Jesus than Simon the Pharisee because she felt the weight of forgiveness, knowing her debt had been paid.

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Jesus declared that her faith had saved her. Her loving actions did not earn salvation; they revealed a faith resting in Him. She can be assured of the forgiveness and salvation that Jesus already gave her. She can be seen as a regular woman within the community, not just a sinner. And she can go in peace.

On to the Group Experience, prepare ahead of time index cards with certain expenses on them, as described on the top of page 136 of the Leader Guide. Ask for responses on how they would feel if someone covered that particular expense for them. Ask: Have you ever experienced generosity like this before and how did you react?

Move to the Context looking at some of Jesus’s acts already mentioned in Luke and highlight Pack Item 7: Christ as Priest in pointing out that Jesus is our High Priest by offering Himself once for all time for the sins of the people, thus covering our debt and forgiving our sin.

Recap by covering the main points of the passage and ask, “What was Jesus’s assessment of Simon the Pharisee?” Jesus accepted Simon’s invitation to a meal, called him by name, and took time to teach him. He seemed to have been different from the other Pharisees who hated Jesus. Jesus does, however, compare Simon’s actions to the woman’s actions, comparing his lack of hospitality to her adoring love.

“How do our actions reveal what is going on in our hearts?” Simon sought out Jesus but he still didn’t have his heart in the right place. He didn’t necessarily do anything wrong. But he didn’t show passion or go over and beyond for Jesus either. Many of us who are churchgoers may go on with our lives, knowing Jesus and the gift of salvation, but perhaps we aren’t as overwhelmed by it as we should be. We don’t live sacrificially for Christ or are overwhelmed by love for Him. We’ve gotten used to Jesus and used to the gift of salvation so it’s not compelling in our lives anymore. That’s the temptation here. To do what is standard but not what is sacrificial.

Transition into the Group Activity, recreating the chart Debt and Devotion on a board. Have two people read Luke 7:37-39 and 41-50 out loud. Point out the information about the worth of a denarius and ask, “Why did Jesus connect the size of the debt to the depth of love shown?” Financial debt and moral debt are parallel ideas that need to be covered by someone. When it comes to money, many of us are super grateful when people cover for us. And the same can be true for someone who covers our moral and spiritual debt too, but it’s easy to forget about that part. Jesus understood the human heart and the things we are truly grateful for.

Onto the chart, with your group identify ways we might minimize sin. Some suggested answers are at the bottom of page 137 of the Leader Guide. Note that to Jesus, all sin is serious to God and all sin separates us from God. Then have volunteers read: Isaiah 59:1-4, Romans 3:10-18, and James 1:14-15 and 2:9-11. Record insights about the seriousness of sin and write it under the second column.

Isaiah 59:1-4: Sin separates us from God and have hidden His face from us, preventing God from listening; we are defiled and filled with iniquity and lies and injustice in our sin.

Romans 3:10-18: Sin makes us worthless, turned away from God; ruin and wretchedness are our future without peace.

James 1:14-15: Sin leads to death.

James 2:9-11: If we commit one sin, we are guilty of breaking it all.

Ask: “How did the woman show she understood her “great debt”? By coming to Jesus to serve Him, wiping His feet, kissing his feet, and anointing his feet, overwhelmed with emotion. “How did the Pharisee’s indifference to Jesus reveal the inner workings of His heart?” The Pharisee was complacent, maybe underwhelmed. He didn’t see his sin the way the woman did so did not even seek forgiveness.

Debrief with: What happens to our love for Jesus when we forget the depth of our sin and our forgiveness? We get stagnant and apathetic. We go with the flow but aren’t flooded with emotion and love at the depth of Jesus’s sacrifice.

What practices can help us remember the “great debt” Jesus paid to reconcile us to God? We can write in our prayer journal more praises. We can celebrate the day we accepted Christ or got baptized as a reminder of all Jesus did. We make sure during communion we take time to reflect on Jesus’s great gift of grace.

Summarize and tackle the Head question if time is limited: “How do you need to reevaluate your perspective on and interaction with sinners in light of Jesus’s example?” Loving a person doesn’t necessitate that we accept all that they believe or do. Learning that is the first step in caring for others even when they don’t believe in Jesus or live a worldly lifestyle. Taking initiative to find ways to love others, especially those we consider “sinners”, is walking in the footsteps of Christ that may lead them to Him.

Continue through Next Steps as additional application points, and end with prayer requests and praises, including praying through Psalm 3:1-4 if time permits.

Hey thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Write me at [email protected] and hope you have a great group time!