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Discussion Questions
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Do you think it's fair
that only 2 plays took more than half of the evening's awards, when there
were many other nominees? What do you think are the determining factors in
who should win an award and who shouldn't?
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If you went to see a play
on Broadway, would the number of awards won affect your decision of which
play to go see? Why or why not? How do movie reviews or Oscar awards
influence what movies you see?
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Why do you think the Tony
Awards are not as popular or prevalent as, say, the Oscars or the Emmys?
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Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, June 17, 2007.
(Text links are to
oremus Bible
Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings
for Year C at
Lectionary Readings.)
2 Samuel 11:26—12:10, 13-15
Psalm 32
Galatians 2:15-21
Luke 7:36—8:3
For lectionary humor and insight, check
the weekly comic
Agnus
Day.
Gospel Reflection
Jesus was frequently at odds with the Pharisees. He openly criticized
many of their practices and called them hypocrites. Many of them hated Jesus and
plotted against him. But one of the Pharisees, Simon, was evidently willing to
overlook Jesus' frequent criticisms and even invite him to dinner. It was a
tremendous honor for Jesus to be invited to the home of this prominent religious
leader.
Then, the dinner was
interrupted by a sinner. She came into the house of the man of God and defiled
it by leaving her tears, her ointment, her hairs... her sin all over it.
Simon the Pharisee was indignant, to say the least. Jesus had a different
reaction, and, as was his habit, he illustrated this point with a story.
There is a crucial point of
his story that often goes overlooked. One man owed the creditor a very large
amount of money, the other only a small amount, but the thing to remember is
this: neither of them could repay it. One was not "better" than the other in the
creditor's eyes, because he owed less. The creditor had every right to throw
both men into prison. But he didn't. Instead, he forgave them, without a
second thought. The one who owed more may have appreciated the gesture more, but
the one who owed less still had no right to feel superior. Large debt or small,
he was still headed for the same place, and he was only saved by the creditor's
mercy.
Both Simon and the sinful
woman decided to honor Jesus, but both did so according to their view of the
debt they had been forgiven. Simon was a Pharisee, a religious leader, one of
the most pious people in Judea. He must have appeared to be honoring Jesus
greatly by inviting him into his home when so many of the other religious
leaders hated him. But it was all just for appearances. He soon showed that he
cared little for the debt he had been forgiven, or the creditor who had forgiven
him. He didn't even show Jesus the traditional respect given to guests. Simon
wouldn't greet Jesus in the proper way or wash his tired, dusty feet when he
came in.
But the sinful woman knew her
place. She knew what Jesus had done (or would do, later, on the cross) for her,
and where she would have ended up otherwise. She knew that this was the man who
had saved her from her fate, and she wanted to honor him. And so she did for him
all the things that Simon had not. She kissed him, she washed his feet, and she
anointed them with expensive perfume. But more importantly, she honored him with
her heart. Simon the Pharisee could have done all these things for Jesus when he
first came in, and it still would not have changed what was in his heart. The
heart of this pious and holy man was filled with annoyance and superiority that
a woman like that had dared to come into his house,
interrupt his dinner party, and accost his guest.
But the heart of the sinner... it was filled with love and gratitude and
repentance. And that was and is the best way to honor Jesus.
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Discussion Questions
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How can we as Christians
more fully appreciate on a daily basis the debt that Jesus forgave us? How
can we help others to understand and appreciate that forgiveness? (And… just
what is that debt that has been forgiven? Name some.)
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The sinful woman was able
to sit at Jesus feet and anoint him with oil. How can we, 2,000 years after
Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, honor him for what he did for
us, both publicly, and in our own hearts?
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There are awards
ceremonies for plays, movies, TV Shows, commercials, and just about
everything else you can think of. What if they held an awards ceremony for
Jesus, to honor and celebrate what he did for us on the cross? Something
like the entertainment industry’s "Lifetime Achievement Awards." Do you
think it would get as high of ratings as these other, more trivial awards
shows? Would you watch it? What would be said about Jesus, who he is, what
he has done, and what he is currently doing.
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Activity Suggestions
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Design an awards
ceremony for Jesus Christ.
Use different biblical characters as "presenters," such as Moses, Elijah,
Mary the mother of Jesus, St. Paul, or Mary Magdalene. Have them each honor
Christ in ways that are specific to their lives and ministries. Come up with
hymns and other worship songs that could be sung as "acts" in between
presentations. Be creative, be a little silly, have some fun with it, but at
the same time, remember that the purpose of this exercise is to think about
all that Jesus has done for us and how we can honor and praise him for it.
Focus both on things he has done for us and on the gifts he has given us to
use for his glory.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for forgiving my debt to you. I know that I
could never pay it on my own. Help me always to remember what you did for me, to
honor you for it, and to spread the word of your great mercy and love to all
those around me. Amen
Contributed by Steven Alloway
Granada Hills, CA
Permission
to reproduce for local use. Copyright © 2007 Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. ELCA Youth
Ministries. 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2447. To offer your comments or responses to Faith Lens,
e-mail: rod.boriack@elca.org.
Program Resources
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