Simon’s Adjustment at Dinner | Luke 7:36-50, Philippians 4:8

So, the truth is sometimes my attitude needs changing like a dirty diaper. You know what I mean? I want out of it. Sometimes I just don’t know how. And that’s what we’re exploring this week. We’re saying, Jesus, please adjust our attitudes. Make us think and feel and act more like you.

It’s been said, a great attitude becomes a great mood, which becomes a great day, which becomes a great year, which becomes a great life. So, how do you and I change our attitudes? Well, in moments, you and I are going to join a dinner party and watch as Jesus corrects the attitudes of some of the people at that table. And will meet a woman who was not invited to the dinner party, but who showed up anyway and became a great blessing to the Lord Jesus.

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Transcription:

So the truth is sometimes my attitude needs changing like a dirty diaper. You know what I mean? I want out of it. Sometimes I just don’t know how. And that’s what we’re exploring this week on the Bible for Busy People. We’re saying, Jesus, please adjust our attitudes. Make us think and feel and act more like you. It’s been said, a great attitude becomes a great mood, which becomes a great day, which becomes a great year, which becomes a great life. So, how do you and I change our attitudes? Well, in moments, you and I are going to join a dinner party and watch as Jesus corrects the attitudes of some of the people at that table. And will meet a woman who was not invited to the dinner party, but who showed up anyway and became a great blessing to the Lord Jesus. So, we’re going to be diving into Luke chapter seven, and after that I want to give you some building blocks for creating a better attitude. That’s my goal, and we’re going to find them in one verse in the Bible at the end of this episode. But for now, join me in the gospel of Luke chapter seven, beginning in verse 36.

One of the Pharisees,

If you’ve never heard that term before, it means religious leader. So…

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting 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 what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

Now, remember the verse didn’t say, he said this out loud. He thought it. Verse 40 now.

Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”“That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

This story is so very touching. Jesus was kind to the woman who spilled the rare perfume, the woman who was sorry for all the things she had done wrong, the woman who knew who her savior was. She knew who had healed her heart, spirit, soul, all of it. She knew that her life had not been the same since she met Jesus, and she knew the scorn that she would suffer, the looks that she would get when she walked into that dinner party and she didn’t care. She loved the Lord more than she was afraid. And isn’t that what you and I are called to do? Do you notice also the kindness of Jesus? He pointed out that Simon needed an attitude adjustment, and I have no doubt that he locked eyes with others at that dinner table, who were thinking the same thoughts, but he wasn’t unkind. He just stated very clearly how loved that woman who had previously lived a life of sin, had made him feel. Jesus loved her, and he was returning the great love that she had poured on him, not just with the perfume, but with her tears. Is there anything more beautiful that you could give someone than your tears? It is such a powerful story, and I hope that it sobers you in a way that makes you more merciful, because that’s what’s happening in my heart right now. Those tears that she shed are tenderizing tears, aren’t they?

Now, I promised you at the beginning of the episode that I would give you some building blocks for building a better attitude. Isn’t that what we want every day? So I draw your attention now to Philippians chapter four, verse eight. This is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Philippi.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

I heard somebody say recently that life speaks so much louder than truth. That’s why it is so important. What you and I are doing right now, the word of God open in front of us. We are reminding ourselves about what is true, what is honorable, right, and pure, lovely and admirable. I encourage you to look up Philippians chapter four verse eight, and make a list of those things. Write them on a post-it note, tape it to your steering wheel, or type them up in a note on your iPhone and take a screenshot. Make it your screen saver. You and I need to remember to fix our thoughts on these things, right? Oh Lord, help us to fix our thoughts on you. You are the great attitude adjuster. You’re full of mercy and kindness and love, and we want to be too. We ask for your help in this regard. In Jesus name, amen. Until next time, you are really loved.

Thank you so much for listening to the Bible for Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life.

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