“How much does Jesus really matter?”

July 14, 2013

Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

“Cruising Sacred Waters with Jesus”

Sermon 2 of Summer Series

Mark 5:21-34 GOD’S WORD Translation

Luke 7:36-47 The Message (MSG)

The Lord be with you…

And also with you…

Let us pray… (Pray for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and insight…)

Good Morning…Have you ever been shopping and found something you just had to have? I mean this is just what you have been looking for and you just have to have it. Then…you look at the price tag. The price is a little steep. You really have to think about buying it. Is it really something that you need or is it just something that you want to have? This is one reason why I go to the clearance section first…at least I can say “But honey…it was on clearance…) When you get home…what is your spouse going to say if you spend that much money on the item? After you think about it…you decide it is worth the price that you are going to pay and you gladly take it to the checkout counter and buy it…happy with your purchase. Isn’t that kind of what God did…through Christ Jesus for you and me…for all of humanity…

This summer, we have agreed we would go on a trip together…a cruise…where we will “Cruise the Sacred Water with Jesus”. We even got invitations that we could share with others…if you weren’t here last week see me after church. I want everyone to be invited on this cruise… But before we embark on our journey, we are trying to figure out if our Captain is one that is worthy…one we can trust. What will our Captain do in those rough waters of our journey?

Last week…we talked about who our Captain is. We heard the story about how Jesus went into the temple and read the Isaiah and that He is the fulfillment of the scripture he read about a Savoir. He was…and is…that Savoir. We also heard the story from scripture about when Jesus quieted the storm…with just a few words. We decided that the questions was not who Jesus is but who Jesus is to you…and to me.

So…this Jesus is going to be our Captain on our cruise. We decided last week that he is our Risen Lord and King…that Jesus can be trusted to be there helping us in the “stormy season” of our faith journey. We realized that as we walk through our storms…through the rough places in our lives…we never walk alone. Jesus is right there with us…our rock on the solid ground of faith.

But my question I present to you is this…I told you I would be challenging you each week…what does Jesus mean to you …what is His worth to you…how much does Jesus really matter in your life…? Is the price to great to pay? Have you bought a cheap imitation that doesn’t really fit right? I am reminded of a couple of parable found in Matthew 13:44-46 one is about a man who found a treasure in a field. Well…he buried that treasure…went home and sold everything he had to buy that field. And the one about a merchant who was looking for fine pearls…once he found one he sold everything he had and bought it. How much does Jesus really matter…what does mean to you and me?

The woman in the Mark scripture she was willing to pay the price just to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. Now this woman was called “unclean” because of her “medical condition” …she had no business being around other people because of this. Now she had this condition for twelve years…she probably had no contact with others…she probably could have been even stoned for touching someone where as she was unclean. But she knew…she knew that if she could just touch that robe…just the edge…she would be healed and it was worth it to her even though the encounter could have gone really bad for her. How much does Jesus really matter…what does mean to you and me…is Jesus worth the price?

The story found in the Book of Luke about Jesus’ feet being anointed really makes me stop and think…how far would I go for Jesus? It is found in Chapter 7 verses 36-46. I will read it from the Message Bible this morning. Listen to the story and ask yourselves…how much does Jesus really matter in my life?

Anointing His Feet

“One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.”

Jesus said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Oh? Tell me.”

“Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?”

Simon answered, “I suppose the one who was forgiven the most.”

“That’s right,” said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it?”

The town “harlot” knew who Jesus was but those in a “high religious” place knew nothing about Him at all… Now this “woman of ill repute” really took a chance. She had no business being there in the Pharisees home. She was an uninvited guest to the party…she sort of “crash the dinner party” because she knew that Jesus was there. She let down her hair for Him to wipe his feet. You see…Jewish women were required to wear their hair bound up. A woman unbinding her hair in public was seen as tempting a man to sin…it was seen almost as nudity.  This woman laid herself bare before Jesus and didn’t care who was watching.  Not only did she let her hair down but washed His feet with her tears and used her hair as  a towel…then…to make matters worse…she actually used a bottle of perfume…Spikenard…to anoint Jesus’ feet. It was all she had…she could have sold it for money to live on but she counted Jesus more important than anything else that she had or could have. How much does Jesus really matter…what does mean to you and me…is Jesus worth the price?

I love Jesus’ answer to the Pharisee…this religious leader had not even done what others usually do for a visitor for Jesus…it was a common ritual. But this woman had more respect for Jesus than that of this home owner. She was considered from the “wrong side of the tracks” but she showed Jesus a radical hospitality that not only put the homeowner to shame but showed that she was repentant and was forgiven of her sins. How many times in life have we been like this land owner…thinking that others were “below” us just because of where they come from and what their life’s journey has been? How many times have we stopped Jesus at the door because of our rituals that we follow instead of showing radical hospitality?  How much does Jesus really matter? Does He mean enough for us to leave ourselves behind and follow Him?

Brothers and sisters in Christ…beloved children of the Most High God…what does Jesus mean to you? How much does Jesus matter in your life? Are we willing to sell all and follow Jesus? Sell all our prejudices…our misconceptions…our own will…our preconceived notions… The two parables that I referenced this morning…reminds me of God and what He did through Jesus. Let me rephrase one of the parables for you and you tell me if you feel the same…

And the one about a merchant who was looking for fine pearls…once he found one he sold everything he had and bought it.

God was looking for fine pearls…remember; in Genesis God called the creation of human’s not just good but very good…we are the fine pearls that God is looking for to bring home with Him.

Well…God found one…many…God found you and me…

Well...God went home and sold everything He had…His most precious thing…His Son Lord Jesus Christ…God gave everything He had through His Jesus dying on Calvary’s Cross for you and for me…for all of humanity.

And God bought these pearls…humanity...

But there is one catch to this deal…humanity needs to accept this gift of love…just as Jesus accepted the gift of the woman with the Spikenard. Humanity needs to want to be part of God’s string of precious pearls in order to be free.

The question is this…how much does Jesus mean to you? Are you willing to make Him the captain of your ship of faith? Are you willing to give your all for Him…that includes giving up your own will for His will in and for your life?  We are more precious than jewels in the eyes of our Captain. How precious is our Captain to you and to me?

AMEN…