Prostitutes are close to heaven!?

Luke 7, 36-50

Dear concegration,


we're very close to the sky here at the Richtsberg – at least some meters closer than on the

Schlossberg (the other mountain in Marburg). The story we just heard as it was read by the

confirmees is also quite heavenly. It's the basis for today's sermon. Well, most people will say

the daily life here at the Richtsberg is not that heavenly. And maybe some are wondering why

the bible talks about prostitutes. Does heaven look like this? If I did a spontaneous survey,

most of you would say: Heaven, that's different. Heaven is a perfect place - a place without any

evil, a place where no one has to suffer violence, a place where the angels are, where they take

care and help us; a place without mourning, suffering, without tears or any evil. A place where

you feel good and easy. That's what the answers to a survey might look like. But, however, the

story today is about a prostitute – a woman who sells her body to men. Is that really in the

bible? Some weeks ago I discussed this story with some confirmees and they had exactly that

question. Yes, it's in the bible. And just this fact feels like heaven for me.
The bible describes God's plan for this world. The bible tells us what God, what Jesus - through whom we can see

the father - is like. God is very aware of our life. And that's to me literal heavenly. The bible

doesn't make up a show about an unrealistic life. Heaven on earth – it starts where we don't

deny the problems and downsides of life. Two weeks ago I attended a training workshop. We

had discussions with some banker and financial experts who manage funds worth several

billion Euros. But we also saw the shady sites of Frankfurt: the junkies, the rooms where they

inject drugs. We saw the brothels where teenage girls sell their bodies to get money to buy

drugs. We heard about women who were trafficked like slaves, got humiliated and who are

practically voiceless. If they are found by the police, they have to go to prison and leave the

country, though they have suffered violence, abuse and humiliation. They are women nobody

wants to deal with – at least officially. If there were not those thousands of men who go to

them on a daily basis, they would not get prostituted. But, of course, no one in our society is

speaking about it. Nevertheless today's bible text is about such a woman. She is in the centre

of the story and experiences acceptance by Jesus. He doesn't tell her: “Leave here, because you

don't follow God's commandments.” This woman who loves Jesus touches him - maybe

because she has no words to express her love for the Lord, despite all the suffering in her life.

Jesus takes her serious. She does not need to hide. Jesus accepts her and allows her to wet his

feet with her tears. He doesn't want her to expose all the cruel and dirty details before this

sensationalist and staring crowd of people. She's allowed just to be, to love and to weep.

That's heavenly, because Jesus is giving her back her dignity.

For those of you who understand Greek or are interested in discovering more than just the

obvious part of this biblical story: Jesus is called “Christ” by those who believe in him. “Christ”

is not a family name like “Kling-Böhm” but a Greek title: “The Anointed One”. In former times

kings got anointed by priests or prophets with a precious oil. But in this story it is not a priest,

nor a prophet, nor the pope who anointed the emperor during the middle age. In this story, it

is a woman who anoints Jesus. A woman with a bad reputation, but a huge love in hear heart.

It is a woman who sees Jesus as her saviour. She loves God and trusts him to forgive her and to

give her a new start. Jesus is not honoured by the approval of those who are appreciated or

respected by the people, but by those who love him, who trust him, although they might be

desperate or even expelled by their communities.

Before Jesus was born, his mother Mary sang in a song: “He has brought down rulers from

their thrones but has lifted up the humble.“

Heaven is even today in this world when human beings can experience the dignity as loved

creatures of God. Heaven is when people are not judged by their reputation, and when the

oppressed are lifted up. A piece of heaven, right in our story.

There's also another aspect of heaven in this story: Simon, the host. He invited Jesus for lunch,

although he was a Pharisee. Those of you who know the bible might remember that Pharisees

were people who took their faith very seriously especially by strictly following God's

commandments. The bible tells us that they had difficulties to accept that Jesus loved even

those who didn't follow his commandments. They did not agree with him to interpret the

commandments in a way that served the people. Just before this story, Luke tells us in his

gospel that the Pharisees refused to understand Jesus. And now Jesus is accepting the

invitation of a Pharisee. To me, this also sounds like heaven. Jesus does not reject his critics.

He doesn't judge Simon. He doesn't denounce him. He doesn't play off this woman against the

pious Simon. Jesus tells him: “You can't love me as deep as this woman can, because you don't

know what it feels like to be so far away from God. Your eagerness to live a life that pleases

god is not bad. But you don't have that much that needs to be forgiven. You don't know the

downsides of life, and sometimes only the downsides let us understand great love.

Jesus does not exclude the Pharisee. He goes also to his critics. It is a piece of heaven on earth

when people are not played off against each other, when people and their opinions are taken

serious. So Jesus helps Simon to experience what heaven might be like.

Again I have to think of the workshop in Frankfurt. We visited Deutsche Bank to listen to

them, not to blame them. Some Christians might wonder: “One can't just talk with them. By

gambling our money they have caused so much suffering!”. But we listened to them. And then

a senior banker said: “We have been too greedy. We have to find ways to control the

greediness and to promote better ways.” From my point of view, it's a piece of heaven on

earth when people commit own mistakes and when people want to change. We are close to

heaven when people talk with each other, listen to each other, are aware of each other and do

not judge arrogantly, but give others the opportunity to change.

Jesus faces his critics. Maybe discipleship also means not to close his eyes but to walk through

life with eyes, ears, hearts and hands open. We are close to heaven, when we don't try to expel

others any longer, but to strengthen the community. Then we are close to heaven, however

not yet in the perfect heaven.

So what about the life here, right at the Richtsberg (not just about life 2000 years ago in Israel

or about a workshop in Frankfurt)? Are we close to heaven, because we are the geographically

highest part of Marburg city, or is there something else? Frankly spoken, we see both. We see

things that are everything, but not heavenly. People who are broken by alcohol and drugs. We

see poverty, and children who are abandoned or even get abused. We see young people who

are perpetrators of violence and bullying, and we see their victims. We hear many evil words

and see much fear. We shall not close our eyes to that. Heaven – that is what I see in this story

– starts when suffering and desperation don't stay hidden but are revealed.

But there is also the other, more heavenly, side: We have pre-school teachers who try to

provide their children with a good start to life, even though they face many obstacles and

defeats. We have Christians who get engaged to help people in need. We have volunteers at

the Konfi-Café (a facility to meet for teenagers) who start conversations with the kids,

although they face a quite rude and provoking tone among them. We have elderly peeople

who give even difficult youngsters a chance. We have confirmees who are brave enough to

step out of their usual rude behaviour that they show in school. We have many people with

open eyes and open ears and smiling lips. A piece of heaven. We are close to heaven, but not

yet in heaven. Close to heaven, even here at the Richtsberg. And as I don't want a long sermon

to be an obstacle for heaven, I'll just stop here. Amen.