1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,500 Welcome and thanks for joining us today for our sermon here at Trinity Church, Streetsville. 2 00:00:09,500 --> 00:00:14,420 This is episode 2 of our new sermon series, Jesus is the Question. 3 00:00:14,420 --> 00:00:18,640 We have Rob Hirkman with us today, where we will be looking specifically at the question 4 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,420 Jesus asks, do you see this woman? 5 00:00:22,420 --> 00:00:26,820 This question is directed at Simon Peter, his beloved disciple, and of course, Simon 6 00:00:26,820 --> 00:00:27,980 will have seen this woman. 7 00:00:27,980 --> 00:00:30,280 But did he really see her? 8 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:31,760 Did anyone really see her? 9 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:35,800 Rob tells us that this is possibly one of the most powerful questions Jesus asks. 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,600 Well, I hope you really enjoy this message today, and we hope it encourages you and stirs 11 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,040 some thought as well. 12 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:53,760 Here it is, enjoy and God bless. 13 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:54,760 Good morning everyone. 14 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:55,760 My name is Rob. 15 00:00:55,760 --> 00:01:01,960 I'm a minister here at Trinity Streetsville, and it's a great pleasure to be here. 16 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,400 If you're new, a special and very warm welcome to you. 17 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,360 I have a great privilege, and that is that every morning I get to walk to work. 18 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:10,400 It's a very short walk. 19 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:12,400 It's only about one or two kilometers. 20 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:18,520 Basically I just walk up River Road and then go onto Ellen Street, and then I wave at the 21 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:23,760 Bemons sometimes in the morning, and then I turn and I cut across this beautiful little 22 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,760 path that leads... 23 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:28,560 There's this path that's... 24 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,080 Whoops, what's going on there? 25 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:32,080 There it is. 26 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:35,960 There's this path that on the one side there's the river, and there's all these beautiful 27 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:39,680 gorgeous trees there, and there's so much to see along this path. 28 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:43,840 Sometimes you get to see some birds flying by, there's wildlife, there's rabbits that 29 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:48,140 are running around, and this path comes out right behind Trinity, so it's a nice little 30 00:01:48,140 --> 00:01:49,220 shortcut to work. 31 00:01:49,220 --> 00:01:51,560 Sometimes you get to see squirrels. 32 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:52,840 There's all sorts of wildlife. 33 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:53,960 Sometimes you see Dan Beaman. 34 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:58,640 That's a different kind of wildlife that you might see along this path, but there's lots 35 00:01:58,640 --> 00:01:59,640 to see. 36 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:05,080 Now, a couple years ago when our family was living in downtown Toronto and I was working 37 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:10,840 at a different church, my walk to work, my commute to work looked very, very different. 38 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:16,340 What I would do then is I would get up in the morning and I would take the 92 bus up 39 00:02:16,340 --> 00:02:21,240 to Woodbine subway station, and I would hop on the subway, and I would take that down 40 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,480 toward the downtown and usually get off at Sherbourne station. 41 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:30,200 Once you got off at Sherbourne, you still had a couple of blocks to walk, but of course 42 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,880 you didn't see a lot of rabbits or you didn't see a lot of squirrels or birds. 43 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:39,760 What you saw was a crush of people who are trying to get to work and trying to get to 44 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:41,440 their jobs, the busy, busy commuters. 45 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:46,440 Now, I say that I saw them, but actually that's probably an overstatement because while I 46 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,360 saw them, I didn't really see them. 47 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:56,600 We saw a crowd, but did I actually see these people, like really see these people? 48 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:57,600 I don't think so. 49 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:02,920 We were all just heading off in our own direction, you know, with our cell phones in our hands 50 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:05,080 and our morning Starbucks in our hands. 51 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,600 And so there wasn't a lot of real seeing that happened. 52 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:12,840 And then the last few blocks that I walked along Bloor Street to get to the church I 53 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:16,800 was working at, there was another bunch of people that... 54 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:23,680 Well, this time I actually chose, if I'm honest with you, I chose not to see. 55 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,800 I tried not to see. 56 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,960 And what I'm talking about is I'm talking about people who were seeming...they were 57 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,100 panhandling along the sidewalk. 58 00:03:33,100 --> 00:03:35,200 They seemed to be people who were homeless. 59 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,160 They were begging for money. 60 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:42,960 It was a very interesting scene because here you were in the business center of the largest 61 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:49,600 city in all of Canada, and then right there in front of you, there was people who had 62 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,800 absolutely nothing. 63 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:57,000 You'd have your morning Starbucks in your hand and they would have an empty coffee cup 64 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,160 and they would just be holding it out. 65 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:01,600 And maybe...what were they hoping for? 66 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:06,540 Maybe they were hoping that you put a dollar or two into their cup, maybe. 67 00:04:06,540 --> 00:04:12,920 Or maybe what they really, really wanted was for you just to see them, just to see them. 68 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:14,720 Just to notice them. 69 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,240 Just to be seen, to be recognized somehow. 70 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:23,140 But of course, but of course, I tried not to see them. 71 00:04:23,140 --> 00:04:28,440 Because once you see someone like that, once you see them, then well, they might see you 72 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:32,840 back and then once you recognize that you've seen each other, well, then there might actually 73 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:34,480 be an interaction. 74 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,080 There might actually be a conversation and that could be awkward. 75 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,000 And after all, who has time for that anyways? 76 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:42,240 We've got to keep on moving. 77 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,000 We've got to keep on going, right? 78 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:52,560 I tried, I really tried actually, not to look at these people, I confess. 79 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,000 But after a year or two of doing this, you know, I got to tell you, it got a whole lot 80 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:57,240 easier walking that street. 81 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,120 It got easier because here's the thing. 82 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,520 You see, after intentionally ignoring someone for that long, pretty soon you don't even 83 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:04,760 have to try. 84 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:06,320 You just don't see them anymore. 85 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:08,720 It's second nature not to see them. 86 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:16,800 I got really, really good at seeing past these people, seeing past the poverty, seeing past 87 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:17,960 the problems. 88 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:20,120 I kept my eyes on myself. 89 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:29,240 I kept my eyes on my own life, my own agenda, my own to-do list, my own things. 90 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:31,520 What about you? 91 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,040 Who do you see? 92 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:38,960 And this morning, who do you see sitting around you in this church? 93 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,880 Who do you see in your neighborhoods? 94 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:44,480 In your apartment building, who do you see? 95 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:48,720 In your school, who do you see? 96 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:54,720 When you turn on the news and you see children in refugee camps, who do you see? 97 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,480 Do you see them? 98 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:02,640 When you see homeless people living under the overpass, who do you see? 99 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:05,960 Do you see them? 100 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,360 Or do you look past them? 101 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,360 Do you avoid them? 102 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:20,640 The truth is, it is not easy to truly see another person, which is so incredibly sad 103 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:26,120 because one of the basic human needs that we all have is the need to be seen, the need 104 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:30,320 to be noticed, the need to be valued, the need to be understood. 105 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:35,280 I have to apologize, I forgot which book it was, but there was a quote I came across yesterday 106 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:42,040 and the author said this, psychologists tell us that much pathology and mental illness 107 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:49,160 results from the experience of being unnoticed, especially early in life. 108 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:53,660 Over time, people internalize the pain of this unnoticedness. 109 00:06:53,660 --> 00:06:56,000 Over time, we learn to compensate for this pain. 110 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:01,160 Some of us become high achievers and others of us, we withdraw. 111 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,680 Others addictively attach themselves to someone else. 112 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:11,680 And so we have to wonder as we sit in church or at a coffee shop or as we walk through 113 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:17,760 the supermarket, how many of the people around us feel isolated and overlooked. 114 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:23,960 I mean, you can fake seeing someone, you can pretend to see someone, but people know whether 115 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,720 they've been seen or not. 116 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:36,120 It is entirely possible to look right at someone and still not see them. 117 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:41,520 Jesus once asked a question, actually we're tackling a whole bunch of the questions that 118 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:43,320 Jesus asked. 119 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:50,040 Jesus asked 307 questions, at least that's how many we have recorded in the New Testament. 120 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:56,080 And it's surprising Jesus asked way more questions than he ever gave answers. 121 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:01,960 But the one question we're going to look at today is this question, do you see this woman? 122 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:02,960 Do you see this woman? 123 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,480 It sounds like a bit of a strange question, but as we unpack it together this morning, 124 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,320 I think you're going to agree with me. 125 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:14,800 It is one of the most powerful and potentially life changing questions that Jesus ever asked. 126 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,920 One day, Jesus was invited to a banquet. 127 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:23,280 It was one of those fancy schmancy banquets, the kind of a banquet you'd love to be invited 128 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:29,520 to that had all the respected people, the busy people, the GTA, Mississauga, power people, 129 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:31,320 Bloor Street people, right? 130 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:40,480 The kind of a banquet we'd all love to be seen at, but someone crashes the party. 131 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:46,600 A woman of the city who was a sinner learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house. 132 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,080 Now there is so much packed into this one little sentence. 133 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:50,080 Let's just look at this. 134 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:52,200 First of all, a woman of the city. 135 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:57,040 This is a translation by a Bible teacher named Ched Myers. 136 00:08:57,040 --> 00:09:02,160 The intention here is for us to understand that she was a prostitute, which she probably 137 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:03,160 was. 138 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:07,440 Some of the people I passed along Bloor Street, probably they had the same line of work, but 139 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,560 that's the first thing we're being told. 140 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:11,200 She's a prostitute. 141 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:14,560 Secondly, she was a sinner. 142 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:19,040 Now that is another social label that is given to her. 143 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:22,360 Isn't it true that one of the ways we're able to distance ourselves from others and one 144 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:26,880 of the ways we're actually able to keep away from and not truly see people is by giving 145 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:27,880 them labels? 146 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:29,920 I mean, I don't really need to see you for who you are. 147 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:31,400 If I can just label you, right? 148 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:34,680 Oh, I know all there is to know about you because I've already got a label on you. 149 00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:35,960 I don't need to really see you. 150 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:37,600 I know all about you. 151 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:42,720 Your label tells me everything that I need to know. 152 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:47,760 And thirdly, we also know that she had somehow learned that Jesus was eating at this Pharisee's 153 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:48,760 house. 154 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:50,080 I just find this interesting. 155 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:51,080 How did she know? 156 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,640 Well, maybe the word was on the street that Jesus was there. 157 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,760 Maybe she had actually already interacted with Jesus at another time and she was kind 158 00:09:57,760 --> 00:09:58,920 of following him around. 159 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:01,960 Some people have wondered how she even got access to the house. 160 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:03,660 How did she know the way in? 161 00:10:03,660 --> 00:10:08,720 Could it be that her host was a client of hers at one time? 162 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:09,720 Who knows? 163 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,260 But there she is for all to see. 164 00:10:13,260 --> 00:10:17,760 The question is, did anyone actually see her? 165 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:21,320 I mean, if you were at that banquet, would you have seen her? 166 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:23,380 I mean, you would have seen her, right? 167 00:10:23,380 --> 00:10:27,200 You would have seen her, but would you really see her? 168 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:28,580 Would you really look? 169 00:10:28,580 --> 00:10:30,080 Would you really pay attention to her? 170 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:32,600 I dare say we would not. 171 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:33,920 We would not. 172 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:37,960 And here's why, because she does a whole bunch of these inappropriate things. 173 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,200 First of all, I'm just telling you, try not to look. 174 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:42,580 Try not to look at her, okay? 175 00:10:42,580 --> 00:10:44,840 But she's weeping. 176 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:45,840 She's crying. 177 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:46,840 I don't know. 178 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:47,840 Is it blubbering? 179 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:48,840 Is it whimpering? 180 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:49,840 Is it wailing? 181 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,420 Well, it sounds like it could be wailing because there's so many tears coming out of her eyes 182 00:10:53,420 --> 00:10:55,040 that she's actually wetting Jesus' feet. 183 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:56,360 But I'm actually not looking at it. 184 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:57,360 Are you looking at it? 185 00:10:57,360 --> 00:10:58,360 I'm not looking. 186 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,960 Pay no attention to the woman over there who is crying in the corner. 187 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:03,280 Pay no attention. 188 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:04,680 Don't really see her. 189 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:05,680 Okay? 190 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:11,640 The second thing that we would not want to look at is the fact that she is wiping Jesus' 191 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:13,240 feet with her hair. 192 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:15,240 Do not look at that. 193 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:16,400 Avert your eyes. 194 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:17,400 Why? 195 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:22,120 Because proper women in those days would never even be seen in public with their hair unbound, 196 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:27,280 much less wiping their hair all over the feet of someone like that in public. 197 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,160 I mean, it's so intimate. 198 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:30,300 It's so inappropriate. 199 00:11:30,300 --> 00:11:31,300 Do not look. 200 00:11:31,300 --> 00:11:32,300 I'm not looking. 201 00:11:32,300 --> 00:11:34,280 I am not looking. 202 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:35,280 Pretend like nothing's happened. 203 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:36,280 Come back to your dinner. 204 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:37,280 Isn't this a wonderful meal? 205 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:38,280 Isn't this great? 206 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:39,280 No, I'm not paying attention. 207 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:40,280 Are you paying attention? 208 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:42,080 No, no, no. 209 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:47,780 And thirdly, avert your eyes because she's now going to pour perfume all over Jesus' 210 00:11:47,780 --> 00:11:48,780 feet. 211 00:11:48,780 --> 00:11:49,840 And man, oh man, does it smell. 212 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:50,840 Whew. 213 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:51,840 You can't miss that. 214 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:52,840 You can't ignore the smell of that. 215 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:53,840 But you know what? 216 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:54,840 I am going to ignore it. 217 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:55,840 I'm going to pretend I can't smell it. 218 00:11:55,840 --> 00:11:58,820 I'm not going to pay any attention to what is going on over there. 219 00:11:58,820 --> 00:11:59,820 I'm still not looking. 220 00:11:59,820 --> 00:12:00,820 Are you? 221 00:12:00,820 --> 00:12:01,820 I'm still not paying attention. 222 00:12:01,820 --> 00:12:03,280 I'm still not seeing that. 223 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:04,320 Are you? 224 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:05,860 No, no. 225 00:12:05,860 --> 00:12:08,640 You see, so while this game of seeing, 226 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:11,060 but not really seeing, about looking, 227 00:12:11,060 --> 00:12:14,320 but not really looking, noticing, but not really noticing, 228 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,500 while this game is kind of going on, 229 00:12:16,500 --> 00:12:20,100 that's the moment when Jesus breaks the tension. 230 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:24,240 Jesus breaks the tension and we come across these words. 231 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:28,060 Then turning to the woman, Jesus said to Simon, 232 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:31,780 do you see this woman? 233 00:12:31,780 --> 00:12:34,440 Now, I don't want you just to picture this for a second. 234 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:39,440 Turning to the woman, Jesus says to Simon, 235 00:12:40,100 --> 00:12:40,940 where's Simon? 236 00:12:40,940 --> 00:12:41,760 I don't know. 237 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:46,760 Jesus is looking at the woman, but he's talking to Simon. 238 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,440 This is a pretty powerful scene right here. 239 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,320 Simon, do you see this woman? 240 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:56,120 For everybody at the party that day, 241 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:00,400 this woman was invisible, except for Jesus. 242 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,560 They knew nothing about this woman's history. 243 00:13:03,560 --> 00:13:05,400 They knew nothing about her identity, 244 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:10,400 beyond her labels, beyond the stigma that's attached to her. 245 00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:14,880 So she's invisible to everyone. 246 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,280 And so Jesus actually has to ask the question, 247 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:21,200 do you see this woman? 248 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:23,160 It's actually not a rhetorical question. 249 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:27,120 No one actually sees her, except for Jesus. 250 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:31,960 I mean, what they see is a prostitute. 251 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,260 They see a streetwalker, but they don't see her. 252 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:37,880 They see a problem. 253 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:42,640 They see an embarrassment, but they don't see her. 254 00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:47,040 Jesus is looking at her. 255 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:48,280 They're looking away from her. 256 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:49,700 They're trying not to see her. 257 00:13:49,700 --> 00:13:53,720 Jesus can't take his eyes off her. 258 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:58,720 Simon, do you see this woman? 259 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,600 It's a powerful scene. 260 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:05,780 It's even more powerful when you realize 261 00:14:05,780 --> 00:14:10,780 that the biblical way that the word see and seeing gets used 262 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:14,980 is actually often associated with compassion. 263 00:14:14,980 --> 00:14:19,440 Seeing and compassion go together. 264 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:21,560 Seeing and compassion go together. 265 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,440 And the reason that they go together is because often, 266 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,580 once you really see someone, once you really see them, 267 00:14:27,580 --> 00:14:28,420 then you know what? 268 00:14:28,420 --> 00:14:32,840 You're actually going to have compassion for them. 269 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:34,400 Because now we're not just seeing a label. 270 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:36,920 We're not just seeing, we're not looking past them. 271 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:38,120 We're empathizing with them. 272 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:40,880 We're actually seeing ourselves in their shoes. 273 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:43,080 We're seeing ourselves in their situation. 274 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:44,840 Jesus did this all the time. 275 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:48,320 For example, when Jesus was kind of getting off the subway 276 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,420 in his day and there was a crush of people, 277 00:14:50,420 --> 00:14:52,320 there was crowds of people around him. 278 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:57,000 We read that Jesus said, when Jesus saw the multitudes, 279 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,760 he saw, he was moved with compassion for them. 280 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,700 For Jesus, you see, seeing leads to compassion. 281 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:10,480 Many of us don't wanna see because we don't wanna feel. 282 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,600 Seeing someone's despair, seeing someone's hurt, 283 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:17,900 seeing someone's suffering, it's like a gut punch. 284 00:15:17,900 --> 00:15:18,740 It hurts. 285 00:15:18,740 --> 00:15:20,200 It makes us feel guilty. 286 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:22,120 It makes us feel sad. 287 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:23,360 It makes us feel awkward. 288 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:24,600 It makes us feel all sorts of things 289 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:25,800 that we don't wanna feel that way. 290 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,400 So we'd rather just not look in the first place. 291 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:29,600 We'd rather just not see them. 292 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,920 In the first place, let's look away instead. 293 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:35,800 But the more we see them, the more we really see them, 294 00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:38,740 I would dare say that those feelings of guilt or sadness 295 00:15:38,740 --> 00:15:42,800 will eventually give way to feelings of compassion. 296 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:46,400 And of course, it's a very short trip 297 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:48,280 from compassion to action. 298 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:51,280 Once you see someone, you'll feel compassion for them. 299 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:53,040 Once you feel compassion for them, 300 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:55,000 very soon you'll find yourself wanting 301 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:56,360 to help them in their situation. 302 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:57,640 That's exactly what Jesus does. 303 00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:59,440 Jesus sees this woman. 304 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,080 He sees her. 305 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,840 And then he has compassion for her. 306 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,040 And that means he then wants to help her. 307 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:07,320 And indeed, Jesus does help her. 308 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:09,040 Because if we keep reading the story, 309 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:10,240 what does Jesus end up doing? 310 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,840 He recognizes her dignity. 311 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:16,020 He celebrates her love. 312 00:16:16,020 --> 00:16:17,200 He blesses her. 313 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:18,720 He forgives her. 314 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,480 He sets her free. 315 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:22,320 He grants her peace. 316 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,160 Pope Francis once pointed out that there 317 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,720 are certain realities in life that we can only 318 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:38,360 see through eyes that have been cleansed with our tears. 319 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,120 But unfortunately, in this story, 320 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:42,660 the only tears that are being shed 321 00:16:42,660 --> 00:16:45,160 are being shed by the woman. 322 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:46,680 While the woman's crying, nobody else 323 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:48,480 seems to be crying tears of compassion. 324 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:52,520 There's no compassion because, of course, they don't see her. 325 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,520 And I don't think they ever really do see her in the story. 326 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:57,960 Even at the end of our story today, 327 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:01,680 all people seem to be able to talk about is, oh, my goodness, 328 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:03,320 Jesus forgave her sin. 329 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,760 Who does this guy think he is that he can forgive her sins? 330 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:08,400 Can you believe it? 331 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:09,200 Who is this? 332 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:10,000 How dare he? 333 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:11,120 Who does he think he is? 334 00:17:11,120 --> 00:17:12,640 They are so upset with Jesus. 335 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:13,520 And they are standing. 336 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:14,600 And they are fighting. 337 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:16,880 They're probably they're PO'd by his actions. 338 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:18,960 They're upset by his words. 339 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,000 And meanwhile, in the middle of all this hubbub, 340 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:24,640 guess who is once again not being seen? 341 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:29,680 There she is, still unseen. 342 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:37,680 Like the people at the party, sometimes we are unable to see, 343 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:41,960 whereas other times we are unwilling to see. 344 00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:44,640 And there's a big difference between being unable to see 345 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:47,080 and being unwilling to see. 346 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:50,080 Sometimes we're unable to see because we're just so busy 347 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,080 looking at our own things. 348 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:54,320 We're so busy looking at our own life, our own problems, 349 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:55,160 our own situations. 350 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:56,640 Or we're looking at frivolous things. 351 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:58,840 We're not really looking at the important things of life. 352 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:01,120 Those party goers, they were looking at lots of things. 353 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:03,160 They were looking at the people, the food, the atmosphere, 354 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:04,920 the music, whatever the case may be. 355 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:06,800 But they were just looking at the wrong things. 356 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:07,960 They were looking at the wrong things. 357 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:09,480 They were blinded by their own agendas. 358 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,600 They couldn't see the woman for who she was. 359 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:13,400 They were unable to see. 360 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:15,800 And actually, I should just add as a side note, 361 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:17,960 because they were unable to see the woman for who she was, 362 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:21,400 they were actually unable to see Jesus for who he was as well. 363 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,560 Because they assumed that, oh my gosh, 364 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,000 if Jesus could really know who this woman was, 365 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:27,760 Jesus would know that she is a sinner. 366 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,880 Therefore, Jesus can't possibly be a prophet or anybody great. 367 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:35,680 He's a total fraud. 368 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:36,480 He's a fraud. 369 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:38,140 But you see, don't you see the connection? 370 00:18:38,140 --> 00:18:41,240 Because they couldn't see the woman for who she was, 371 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,760 then they couldn't see Jesus for who he is. 372 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,120 Keep that in mind, that our inability 373 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:49,320 to see others for who they really are 374 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,840 can affect our ability to see Jesus for who he truly is. 375 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:55,680 So yes, sometimes we are unable to see. 376 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:59,920 And other times, though, we're unwilling to see, 377 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:04,080 because there's a cost to seeing someone. 378 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:08,260 If you actually see this woman, if you actually see her, 379 00:19:08,260 --> 00:19:11,040 you might need to move beyond your stereotypes. 380 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,760 You might need to move beyond all those labels you give her. 381 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:16,360 And you might actually have to start treating her 382 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:17,400 with dignity and worth. 383 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,440 And that kind of change, that's a heart change. 384 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:22,080 That's a life change. 385 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,040 And that is hard to do. 386 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:28,840 So yeah, sometimes we are unable to see. 387 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,040 Other times, we are unwilling to see. 388 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:36,420 One author says that Simon only sees 389 00:19:36,420 --> 00:19:38,800 what sort of woman she is. 390 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,680 Jesus does not see a sort of woman. 391 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,520 He sees this woman. 392 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,000 And moving from one way of seeing to another way of seeing 393 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,680 can be painful for many of us. 394 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:54,000 So while some are unable to see Jesus is able, 395 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,560 and while some are unwilling to see Jesus is willing, 396 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:00,100 and while all the men at the party, they stand, 397 00:20:00,100 --> 00:20:02,140 and they shout, and they disagree, and they argue, 398 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:04,720 Jesus keeps his eyes on the woman, 399 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:06,640 and in the end, offers her a blessing. 400 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,680 Go in peace. 401 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:14,440 Here at Trinity, we want to be a community of people 402 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,720 who are learning to see. 403 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:21,680 Learning to see each other for who we are, 404 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:25,080 learning to see God for who God is. 405 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:27,120 Do you see each other this morning? 406 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:28,080 I mean, do you really? 407 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:31,640 Do you really see one another this morning? 408 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,520 With a growing church, there is always this fear 409 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,940 that we actually stop seeing one another. 410 00:20:36,940 --> 00:20:40,000 Of course, you see the crowds, and you'll see the people 411 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,120 around, yes, yes, maybe, maybe you even go and after church, 412 00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:46,880 you connect with one or two of your favorite people, 413 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:49,160 but all the others, we don't really see them. 414 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:50,600 We don't really know them, and maybe we 415 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:52,280 don't really want to know them. 416 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,640 But please, Trinity, promise me this, 417 00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:00,400 that if by God's grace this church continues to grow, 418 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,240 that we will not stop learning to see each other 419 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:09,280 and not stop knowing each other. 420 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:10,920 That every week our eyes and our hearts 421 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:16,200 will be open to new relationships and to new people. 422 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:18,540 But that's not the only way that we're learning to see here 423 00:21:18,540 --> 00:21:19,040 at Trinity. 424 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:23,120 I want to take you back to our trip that we took to Honduras. 425 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:25,800 When we went to Honduras a couple months ago, 426 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,000 we never called it a mission trip. 427 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:29,400 We never called it a mission trip. 428 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:31,040 It wasn't like we were going down there 429 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:33,600 to do something that they couldn't do for themselves 430 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:34,560 or anything like that. 431 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:36,800 No, actually, we called it a learning trip. 432 00:21:36,800 --> 00:21:39,640 But we actually could have called it a seeing trip. 433 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:43,080 It was really just a trip to get down there to see the people, 434 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:45,880 to see the children, to see the context, 435 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,360 to see some of the wonderful children 436 00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:54,000 that you and I and others chose to sponsor. 437 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:58,080 It was a seeing trip. 438 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:00,520 Because seeing, as we just learned, 439 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:03,720 seeing leads to compassion. 440 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,560 And then compassion then leads to action. 441 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,160 Even more, though, we're also learning how to see right here 442 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,720 in Mississauga. 443 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,800 One of the big things that can happen to a church 444 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,800 sometimes is that we live in our community, and we just assume. 445 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:21,800 We assume that we know everything about our city. 446 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:22,920 We know everything about streetsville. 447 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:24,240 We know everything about Mississauga. 448 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:25,880 We've been here for years and years and years. 449 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:27,040 After all, we live here. 450 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,480 We may think we know this place, but do we really see it? 451 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:32,800 One problem a church can fall into 452 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:35,800 is to be nestled right in the midst of a community, 453 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:37,560 right in the middle of a city like we are, 454 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,760 but not really take the time to learn, 455 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:44,640 to see who are these people and what is God doing here. 456 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:48,200 So that's why I'm so grateful that coming up this fall, 457 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,680 we are going to be undertaking, under the leadership of Kyla 458 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:56,680 Lones, a proper neighborhood analysis of streetsville 459 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:58,720 in Mississauga, where a team from Trinity 460 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:01,360 is going to spend several weeks together really learning 461 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:04,920 to see our community and to see where God is calling us 462 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:06,960 as a church to get more involved. 463 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:12,080 So please pay attention and stay tuned for more about that. 464 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,560 But there's also another way that we need to learn to see, 465 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:17,200 and it's a bit of a more personal way. 466 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,320 Oh, yes, it's very exciting to learn 467 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,040 to see people in Honduras and to learn to see our community. 468 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,360 But where the rubber really hits the road 469 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:27,440 is can we learn to see in our own homes? 470 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:32,000 Do you see this woman when that woman is your wife, 471 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,400 when that woman is your daughter, 472 00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,040 when you look around your dinner table at your son, 473 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:39,520 your husband, your father, your mother, your brother, 474 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:42,520 your sister, do you see them as they really are, 475 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,040 or do you see them as who you want them to be? 476 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:49,440 Do you see them as who Jesus sees them? 477 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,240 Is your home a home of compassion? 478 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,760 If not, we need to learn to see our families 479 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:57,400 like Jesus sees our families. 480 00:23:57,400 --> 00:23:59,720 We're almost done here, but related to that 481 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,520 is learning to see ourselves properly. 482 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:05,680 A part of the change that occurs within us 483 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,080 is when we look in the mirror, do we really 484 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:12,620 see the man and the woman that is in that mirror properly? 485 00:24:12,620 --> 00:24:15,400 I mean, there's probably parts of you that you do see rightly, 486 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,920 and there's other parts of you that you don't want to see. 487 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:20,280 It's a very challenging question, 488 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:22,360 but do you even see yourself rightly? 489 00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:25,800 The good news is Jesus sees you, and Jesus sees me, 490 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:27,160 and he can't take his eyes off you. 491 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:27,840 He loves you. 492 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:29,520 He gave his life for you. 493 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:35,160 Can you see yourself the same way that Jesus sees you? 494 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:38,440 And that leads us to the very last way 495 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:40,560 that we need to learn to see, and that is we 496 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:42,880 need to learn to see Jesus himself. 497 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:47,000 Let me take you back to my trip down Bloor Street, my commute 498 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,120 a few years ago. 499 00:24:48,120 --> 00:24:50,440 As you get closer to St. Paul's Bloor, 500 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:53,020 right outside of St. Paul's, there 501 00:24:53,020 --> 00:24:55,320 is a sculpture that is out there. 502 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:59,760 The sculpture is called When I Was a Stranger, 503 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:03,360 and it's a sculpture by an artist named Timothy Schmulz. 504 00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:05,320 And it depicts, as you can see from this picture, 505 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:11,200 it depicts Jesus sitting there alone on a stool. 506 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,000 He's poor. 507 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:14,640 He's hungry. 508 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:15,920 He's alone. 509 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,020 And you can actually sit down on one of those other stools, 510 00:25:19,020 --> 00:25:23,600 and you can sit there, and you can just look at Jesus. 511 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:26,320 And the lesson is clear. 512 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:30,720 We need to learn to see Jesus in the face of the poor, 513 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,560 in the face of the lonely, in the face of the lost. 514 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,400 If we don't learn to see Jesus in the hurting, 515 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,080 if we don't learn to see Jesus in each other, 516 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,520 if we don't learn to see Jesus in our families, 517 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:46,160 then we will never see Jesus, because Jesus 518 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,360 is found in the poor, in the stranger, in the pew 519 00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:53,320 beside you, in the mirror. 520 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:57,160 So you can see there is an awful lot at stake 521 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:02,560 in that one little question, do you see? 522 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:05,160 We can always choose to turn away or look away, 523 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:07,700 but that's not the Jesus way. 524 00:26:07,700 --> 00:26:09,840 Jesus sees the people of our city. 525 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:11,920 Jesus sees the people of our church. 526 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:13,480 Jesus sees your family, your friends. 527 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:18,880 He sees you, and He loves you completely. 528 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:24,880 So let's learn to see, because without seeing each other 529 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:29,880 rightly, we can never really love each other fully. 530 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:31,840 Thanks be to God. 531 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:33,440 Amen. 532 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:35,160 Thanks for listening in to our sermon today, 533 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:36,640 and we're so glad that we can share 534 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:39,440 our message of the good news with you in this way. 535 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:41,400 If you enjoyed what you just heard, 536 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,320 can you please take a moment to rate and review our podcast, 537 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:47,880 as this will help us to continue to reach even more people. 538 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,120 Thanks again, and please join us next week for yet 539 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:52,720 another question Jesus asks. 540 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,480 Today's sermon was taken from the July 30, 2023 service 541 00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:18,840 at Trinity Church, Streetsville in Mississauga, Ontario.