36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. ³⁷ And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. ³⁸ She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner." ⁴⁰ Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "speak." ⁴¹ "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" ⁴³ Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly." ⁴⁴ Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." ⁴⁹ But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" ⁵⁰ And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

8 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, ² as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³ and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

I had a flashback moment a few weeks ago when I was standing out in an empty church parking lot with Jim as he stood beside his bike. A little background: Jim’s got a nice bike, but unfortunately he didn’t know how to ride it. It was purchased for him a few years ago, so it’s probably a little small for him, and still had the training wheels attached. The bike made it’s way up to Red Hook back in May and he has been pushing to learn how to ride it.

So on Memorial Day I stepped into the roll that I remember my father being in a whole lot of years before. I grabbed on to the seat of Jim’s bike and started to push him, hollering at him directions that alternated between, "you’ve got to keep peddling! Don’t stop!" and, "don’t turn so hard or you’ll crash!" which I’m pretty sure was a moment of self-preservation because he went down, I was probably going to be going down with him, and wouldn’t that be a lovely picture: thin and tall 8 year old crushed by father while trying to teach him to ride bike.

Anyway, the first 10 minutes were rough. Jim was frustrated because he didn’t seem to be getting it, and, to be perfectly candid, my patience was wearing thin because he wasn’t getting it. It was not a good combination.

Then, slowly at first, I started to let go of the seat, running beside him but letting him do all the work. If he would start to fall, I’d grab on and provide the balance that he needed, but would soon let go again and let him ride. Initially, he leaned heavily on the training wheels, so much so that they began to bend severely under his weight. This actually turned out to be a godsend because within the next two minutes Jim went from leaning heavily on the training wheels with me there to grab his seat, to riding on his own. I let him go and I’m pretty sure that he thought that I was still there because when he noticed I wasn’t there, he fell over. But I picked him up, gave him a push and he was off again, gaining confidence in his balance with every push of his legs. Three minutes later, I was just standing in the middle of the parking lot turning in circles as Jim was riding around me on that bike, without the use of training wheels (which are now bent beyond belief) and without me holding him up. However, when we started out, he needed some support, and then once he knew it was there he was able to trust that he’d be all right, off he went.

This morning’s passage gives us two examples of people who also needed support. The first is someone that we are used to hearing in the church context. The second I found to be extremely surprising.

In that first case, Jesus is having a meal with Simon who is a Pharisee, a religious, and therefore political, leader. Somehow a woman, whom the Pharisee knows as a sinner, makes her way into the home where the meal is being served. Maybe Simon was trying to set Jesus up by placing this person in such close proximity, after all, Simon makes that comment, "well if Jesus was a prophet, he would have know who was washing his feet. He would have known that he should have shoved that woman away because of her sinfulness."

Whatever the reason behind this interesting meeting, Jesus takes Simon’s insult and flings right back at him, asking the question that always needs to be asked when it comes to those who are sinners: "who needs the forgiveness of God? The person who is without sin, is the person who is full of it?"

Obviously, the answer is that the person who did sin. Jesus was sent to support those who have fallen. Jesus was sent to lift up those who have burdened themselves with sin. Jesus was sent to help people like that unnamed woman who is crying because she can feel, somewhere deep inside of her, that she is in the presence of holiness. Jesus came to support the sinner, and that includes everyone who is here right, for we have all fallen woefully short of the path that God would have us take. This is the story that we’re used to hearing in church.

The second part of the story, however, caught me off guard, and here’s why: we are so used to thinking of Jesus as being in control that we tend to forget that he was not exactly a man of means. He was a carpenter who was the son of a carpenter. He didn’t have money. And when we look at the disciples, with the possible exception of Thomas, who was a tax collector, there does not seem to be anybody else who had really deep pockets. This band of Master and disciples was traveling for three years without a trust fund. So how did they do it? Where did they get their support?

They got it from the people who’s lives they changed. In specific, the women who’s lives they changed. "Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources." Jesus and his disciples were supported. Even though we don’t think of them in that way, they absolutely were. Jesus and his disciples were supported in their need. The Son of God needed help so that his ministry could be successful.

As you think about this passage what you begin to realize is that each of us need support. In one way or another, we all need support, from each other and from God. We all need some kind of support. Whether or not we recognize we need support, well that’s another matter. However, there is not a single among us, or a person that you know who does not need to be supported at one time or another. We all need support.

Last Sunday, I was able to be a part of the service of Ordination and Installation for Randy Prentiss at Hopewell Reformed as their Pastor for Spiritual Growth. Several of you have been able to know Randy because before he served at Hopewell he lived up this direction and worked with Young Life, the para-church organization that tries to bring youth to Christ, and did this over at the High school.

Now I’m not claiming that I know Randy’s story inside and out. I don’t. At the same time, I’ve heard enough of it to realize that his path to where he is now, bears little to no connection to where he started out. He readily asks, "how could this happen? How could I possibly be the one who is leading others to believe in a God that at one time I had no connection to at all?" It’s a fair question, because when you hear about his childhood, which was anything but a cakewalk, and then his early adulthood, which didn’t get a whole lot easier, you have to shake your head.

And yet, as he tells his story, people were put into his life to prop him up, to give him direction, to provide him the support that he needed to not only move forward, but move upward and onward. This past Sunday was an occasion to recognize and remember many of those times of support, those times that God was able to move in and through Randy’s life.

As I was leaving the service I had to dodge a couple of raindrops but the sunlight was beginning to break through the clouds to the west. A gentleman was heading into the church and said allowed, "wow, Randy got everything today. He even got the rainbow." I lifted my eyes and there it was, the full arch of the rainbow and immediately I had to smile. It was like a confirmation from God that even though there will be moments of rain, when you are ducking for cover, the sun will break forth showing you that the support that you needed will be there.

Regardless of whether you are a graduate who is headed off the college, or a father who is still scratching your head as to how to be a good parent, a kid who is learning to ride a bike, a pastor who is being installed to a new position, a sinner who is longing for forgiveness from their wrongs, or even Jesus as he went throughout Israel, the support that you need is there for you. Put away your pride and ask for the help, it will be there and cause you to ask the question that Randy asked last week, "how did we get here?" The answer is the support of God.

Gracious Lord, throughout the pages of scripture, and the stories of our lives, there are tales where support was needed and needed desperately. God, help us to know that when we are willing to put away our pride and ask, ask for help, and then be willing to accept it, that Your Spirit will move in some amazing ways, ways that will support us when we need it. Lord, thank You for all of the ways that You have supported us, in the past, present, and future. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.