There is a popular belief that prostitution is a victimless crime. That no one really suffers. The johns get what they want, which is irresponsible and uncommitted sex, and the pro's get what they want, money...and maybe sex. This is a lie from Satan himself. There are plenty of victims in prostitution, none the lest are the women. The johns are victims of a society driven by want and fueled by sex. The johns wife and children are victims of a selfish and carnal father and husband. The girls are often victims of abuse or neglect as children and often run away from home and are forced into prostitution to survive. The girls are often abused, both physically and sexually by johns and pimps and are ultimately the victims of a society that is so selfish and narcissistic that people become means to an end and are often viewed as commodities. The average cost for a night with a prostitute in America is 20.00 dollars. The virtue and wellbeing of that girl is worth only $20? Globally the sex slave trade as turned girls as young as 9 into seasoned veteran street walkers. The average cost to purchase a sex slave globally is $90. Plus prostitutes are 45 times more likely to commit suicide than other girls/women...and it's a victimless crime ;). The Rev. Chris Momany, A United Methodist Elder, and a group of Adrian College students have made it their goal to break the silence regarding sex trade and human trafficking and have begun an American Youth Movement right here in Michigan. Below is a link where you can view a youtube video via Facebook on the work they are doing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehR0GzBLyxE&feature=youtu.be
The truth is there are victims when it comes to the sex trade and God will judge them, but most harshly God will judge those who create the circumstances that force girls and young women into prostitution.
Why all this talk of prostitution and sex trade? Well interesting enough Jesus spent a good deal of his ministry with and ministering to women who were said to be prostitutes. Mary Magdaline, the woman caught in adultery, the women at the well, and the women who washed Jesus feet with her tears. All of them were recorded in the gospels as prostitutes. This weeks passage features the women who washed Jesus feet with her hair. Church tradition says this was Mary of Magdaline, but most scholars believe that it was a different women all together. The passage begins with Jesus reclining at a dining table with a group of Pharisees who had invited him to eat with them. The host of this meal is Simon, the Synagogue ruler. He was a powerful and prominent leader in his community and his support would have meant a lot to Jesus ministry. Half way through the dinner an unexpected guest burst into the house sobbing hysterically. It was a women who the passage says was "a known sinner" which meant she was a hooker. She immediately began washing Jesus feet with her hair and then anointed his feet with a very expensive scented oil known as nard. The Pharisees were annoyed by this over the top gesture and also with the type of women she was and Simon mumbled somthing like, "if he knew what kinda girl this was he wouldn't let her near him....guess he's not a prophet after all." Jesus' response is tempered with grace and compassion. He tells Simon a tale about two debtors, one that owed $500 and the other owed $500,000,000. Neither could pay their debts back so the lender simply forgave both debts. Now here's the punch line, Jesus asks Simon, "Which one would love the gracious moneylender more?" Simon gives the obvious answers which is of course "the one who was forgiven more." Jesus goes on to point out the love and generosity of the hooker far out ways the hospitality shown to him by his esteemed and righteous host. Jesus then tells the the prostitute that her faith has saved her and sends her on her way.
Jesus says, "Whoever is forgiven little loves little, but whoever is forgiven much, loves much." Perhaps this is why so many American Christians are so tepid about their love and zeal for the Lord. So many of us believe that we're ok, that what we've done isn't all that bad and so we've never hungered and thirsted for righteousness, for forgiveness like this women in our passage. She would have never been accepted in her community nor would the religious people or leaders in her community have accepted her or told her that God accepted her. One of the things I am so proud of as a Methodist is our roots as a movement for the sinners, the outcast and the impoverished. Wesley began his society meetings as a way for people who were not invited to participate in the life of the church because of there "life style" or lack of means to participate in Christian fellowship. During Wesley's life the Church of England had become a yacht club instead of the light house God had called it to be. The poor and the sinners were rejected and not accepted, they were told they needed to get their lives right before they could come into the house of God. Wesley found this to be an abomination to the gospel of Jesus Christ and created the class meetings and societies so all manner of people could experience the Love of Jesus found in the church. Now they may have started out as sinners, but there lives were quickly transformed by the gospel, just like the woman in our passage.
Theres a story about a Presbyterian Pastor who was just out of Seminary and was serving at his first parish. The previous pastor had removed the prayer of confession from the liturgy, but he wanted to restore it's place in the service. Remarkably the pastor was met with some pretty serious resistance and while at a worship committee meeting was told by one of the church Elders that the prayer of confession was to morbid for sunday worship, a time of joy and celebration. The pastor persisted that the church needed to confess it's sins together and demonstrate to visitors that we are all in need of forgiveness. Finally another church Elder spoke up and said, "I don't need to apologize to God for anything, I'm a good person!"
Simon believed this way. He believed that because he was an outstanding and up right citizen and religious person that he and God were ok, but the truth was that he was still a sinner. Both our gospel and our epistle readings for this week tell us that in order to be saved, in order to find forgiveness we must ask for it and have faith that it will be given. Often this is how so many American Christians feel about themselves. We are so often blinded by our own personal piety that we can't even see that we need to be forgiven of our egregious sins! And we believe that our pious life is enough to save us from the wrath of God to come! The hooker understood what Jesus was trying to say all along, she knew she lacked any righteousness of her own, she knew she needed to be forgiven and she had faith that Jesus was the one who could give it to her! The former and late Governor of Texas Ann Richards once said of a political rival that, "he was born on third base and thought he had hit a triple!" Is that you? Do you believe that because you were born going to church you've somehow gotten all the forgiveness you need to please God? Simon believed that, even though he was wrong. This week we need to ask ourselves which sinner are we? Are we the pharisee or the hooker? I for one want to be the hooker, because despite the sin in her life she found God and in turn received forgiveness, while the pharisee is still blinded by the lie that he's ok because he's a good person.
In Christ,
Pastor Josh
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