Exit Strategy
Or, How to Leave Communion
Originally scheduled for December 12
Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He
entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And there
was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that
He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought
an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet,
weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping
them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing
them with the perfume. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw
this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know
who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that
she is a sinner." And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something
to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher." "A moneylender
had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
"When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So
which of them will love him more?" Simon answered and said, "I
suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have
judged correctly." Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do
you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for
My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with
her hair. "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in,
has not ceased to kiss My feet. "You did not anoint My head with
oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. "For this reason I say
to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved
much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." Then He said to
her, "Your sins have been forgiven." Those who were reclining at the
table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even
forgives sins?" And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you;
go in peace."
(Luke 7:36-50 NASB)
Perhaps this seems rather a long passage for a short communion
meditation. We will be focusing on the last three verses. In
particular we will look at how Christ spoke to the woman as she left
the banquet.
“Your sins have been forgiven”
The first thing I would have you notice is the use of the past
tense. Christ does not waive his hands over her in some magic
gesture to forgive her sins; he simply announces to her that they
have been forgiven. Her forgiveness relies not on some gesture
but upon the character of God. You will recall how the prodigal son
was welcomed home; it’s the only time in Scripture where God is
pictured as running. The repentant sinner is always His welcome
guest.
Next, please note that he says “your
sins have been forgiven. Considering that the lady in question was a
prostitute, it seems that God’s forgiveness covers a broad range of
sins. We sometimes think that he only forgives the socially
unacceptable sins. Prostitution, as of late, has become more and
more approved by our society. It is still sin and can be forgiven.
Even the socially acceptable ones can be forgiven — if you will ask.
“Your faith has saved you”
(Christ uses this phrase on several occasions, particularly when
healing the sick. We will, therefore, omit the debate on faith and
works for lack of space.)
The righteous shall live by faith, the Scripture tells us. But even
the unrighteous can have faith, grasping it as their path to Christ.
The key thing here is not some intellectual subscription to a
particular belief system, it is the personal devotion to Jesus
Christ. Faith means believing in Christ — and this lady did. Faith
is not a “what”; it is a “who.”
Of course, if you have faith it will show. It will be demonstrated
in your actions, whether routine or spectacular. This woman
demonstrates her faith by bringing the best she has to the one she
loves.
“Go in peace”
So we come to the question of how you leave Communion. After you
have partaken; after you have come with reverent spirit and humble
heart to the throne of grace, after your confession and forgiveness,
how do you leave?
·
First, have no doubt whatsoever that you are forgiven. Almighty God
is the only one who has the authority to forgive any and all sins.
If he has forgiven you, you are forgiven indeed.
·
As Paul tells us in Romans 5:1-2, you have been justified by faith,
and therefore you have peace with God.
·
As you go, remember that the first duty of a Christian is the
imitation of Christ. He received a woman whose sins were socially
unacceptable, an outcast of society. She was a person with whom good
people would not dirty their hands. Yet Christ welcomed her to the
family of God. Go, and do likewise.
