I used to be a real Sudoku junkie.

Every night I’d crawl into bed and pick up my book of Sudoku puzzles and work on them until my eyes drooped.

Those puzzles were a good way for the right side of my brain to begin to slow down from all the activity of the day, and allow the left side of my brain to kick in.

Sudokus forced me to concentrate on the logic that was required to solve the puzzle.

Sudokus are much like crossword puzzles – which Andy and I enjoy doing together - in that, while there are multiple options to try, there is only one possible way to complete the puzzle.

Eventually, everything fits together perfectly – and there is a great deal of satisfaction in seeing the finished product.

When we read the Bible, on the other hand, we more often find stories that remind us of the hidden picture puzzles from children’s magazines, than the predictable patterns of Sudoku, crossword or jigsaw puzzles.

Surprising messages often lie beneath the surface of the words we read – especially in the gospels – and particularly in Luke, we are able to see beneath the words and imagine the sights and sounds of life in the homes and villages and countryside in which Jesus spent so many of his days.

As commentator Verlee Copeland says “Jesus surprises us by reaching deep within each scene, responding to the hidden person we, at first, do not see.”(Feasting on the Word – Year C – Vol. 3 – pg. 141)

Earlier in chapter 7, Jesus did what he so often does.

He crossed the boundary lines of propriety and appropriate behaviour, in order to minister to the needs of the people around him.

He healed the slave of a Roman centurion - then he dared to touch the ritually unclean coffin in a funeral procession, responding to a grieving mother, and raising her son to life.

Both of these interactions would have been regarded as outrageously inappropriate according to the customs and sensitivities of the religious elite – not that Jesus gave a wit about that.

Compassion trumped convention in Jesus’ mind and heart.

Each day with Jesus, the message became increasingly clear – Jesus, and therefore God, is present to all people – in all circumstances – no questions asked - no limits – and this is good news for everyone.

Then, in the account we just read, Jesus extended God’s forgiving grace toward a woman who was a known “sinner” – the details of her sins remain unknown and, really, are of no importance to the story.

This unnamed woman was someone whom most people considered to be unsavory and shameful - certainly unworthy of Jesus’ attention and care – and she represents everyone who may, at one time or another, have felt themselves to be unsavoury, shameful or unworthy, for whatever reason.

But then, as she quietly, but effectively, expressed her love for Jesus, she found herself to be on the receiving end of kind-heartedness, forgiveness, hope and peace.

He commended her for the love she had shown him, and lauded her for her faith.

Once again, Jesus had cast an ever-widening net with which to draw people close to God.

Again, to quote Verlee Copeland, “In so doing, Jesus changes the rules of the game. The angel in the birth narrative proclaimed, “See – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people”
Jesus lives out that grand pronouncement through embodied good news for everybody.

Jesus draws a circle around people previously standing at the margins, drawing them inside.

For those previously at the margins of society, the new boundary lines are drawn by God in very pleasant places.” (Ibid – pg. 143)

If you have ever believed that something in your past has forever destined you to be beyond the scope of God’s forgiveness;

If you have ever imagined yourself meeting Jesus face to face, and been afraid that he would cast you aside, and forever shame and condemn you for something you’ve done;

If you’ve ever worried about whether or not God could possibly love you;

And if those thoughts have kept you awake at night, or caused you angst as you wondered about who God really is and what God is really like, you’re not alone.

You are in the company of many people – one of whom was Martin Luther – the great reformer of the 16th century.

He too, wrestled with the character and intentions of God.
In the 2003 movie “Luther”, an early scene portrays Martin questioning his mentor, an elderly monk.

“Have you ever dared to think that God is not just?

He has us born tainted by sin, then He’s angry with us all our lives for our faults,

this righteous Judge who damns us, threatening us with the fires of Hell.”

The old monk asks him, “Martin, what is it you seek?”

To which Martin replies, “A merciful God - A God whom I can love - A God who loves me.” (Ibid – pg. 140)

And this is precisely the God whom Jesus embodies.

This IS the God of the gospels.

Time and time again, God in Jesus was merciful, loving, forgiving, expansively inclusive.

That’s not to say that Jesus ignored people’s shortcomings and failings.

He did not.
Very clearly, Jesus pointed out how Simon had fallen short of being the gracious host he ought to have been.

“You gave me no water for my feet…you gave me no kiss…you did not anoint my head.”

These were the normal practices of hospitality that Simon ought to have offered to Jesus as the guest in his house.

Countless times Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their strict adherence to the letter of the Law, while they neglected the spirit of the Law.

But Jesus always operated out of the primary foundation of love and mercy, compassion and justice.

At every turn, he allowed the opportunity, and invited people to change – to come to their senses – to repent – to open themselves to the forgiveness, mercy and love of God – and from there, to move forward into a new future.

In the conclusion to her commentary on this passage in Luke, Jan Holton writes,

“Jesus says (to the woman), ‘Your sins are forgiven…go in peace’ – and with these words, he is offering more than a forgiveness that merely wipes the slate clean. Jesus’ forgiveness lifts the burden of shame, to give her value and worth in spite of how unworthy she feels.

This kind of forgiveness allows US to release the moments in time when we feel like failures to ourselves, our families, our God.

For those with chronic shame, forgiveness can open the possibility that one is worth something – in fact, that one is worth quite a lot.

This is freedom!!

Jesus reminds us that this freedom is the gift of a loving God.

A heart that is bound by guilt and shame withers and dies, but the love of a forgiving God lifts it to heights beyond our greatest dreams –

and causes it to sing in gratitude.” (Ibid – pg. 144)

As we come to the end of our series on forgiveness, my prayer is that each one of us will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God’s heart is unreservedly open – forgiving and freeing us from anything and everything that weighs us down –

and when our minds and our hearts grasp that reality, may we hold it fast –

and may our hearts sing out in gratitude and praise to God – to whom be all glory and honour, now and forever and ever. Amen.