Disciples are called in every era as scripture reveals. While Jesus was known as a "party animal," the invitation to follow him is a critical summons to a new life. It involves submission, sacrifice, and service, not the kind of invitation many will pursue.
The calling of Elisha involves leaving all behind to follow the great prophet Elijah. A farewell feast means leaving behind the life that he had known to venture into the unknown with a controversial figure in religious life, a life that certainly anticipates peril and hardship on a particular faith journey.
The passage from Luke describes a party at the house of a Pharisee that is apparently "crashed" by a woman in the city, who was a sinner. She breaks open an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and adoringly anoints his feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and proceeds to anoint those feet with the perfume. It raises the hackles of the Pharisee host, but Jesus puts him in his place. She may be a sinner, but her willingness to sacrifice in order to serve reveals her better understanding of who Jesus is and the new life he offers to those who follow him faithfully.
Dale does a great job in bringing the scenes to life and has a whole lot more to share. Check out the whole sermon in the video below.
The calling of Elisha involves leaving all behind to follow the great prophet Elijah. A farewell feast means leaving behind the life that he had known to venture into the unknown with a controversial figure in religious life, a life that certainly anticipates peril and hardship on a particular faith journey.
The passage from Luke describes a party at the house of a Pharisee that is apparently "crashed" by a woman in the city, who was a sinner. She breaks open an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and adoringly anoints his feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, and proceeds to anoint those feet with the perfume. It raises the hackles of the Pharisee host, but Jesus puts him in his place. She may be a sinner, but her willingness to sacrifice in order to serve reveals her better understanding of who Jesus is and the new life he offers to those who follow him faithfully.
Dale does a great job in bringing the scenes to life and has a whole lot more to share. Check out the whole sermon in the video below.