Pastor Scott Andrews | November 24th, 2024
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Luke 7:36-50
Why don’t people like Jesus? I didn’t say, why don’t they believe in Him – that’s another story – I asked, why don’t they like Him? I mean, think about it: we’ve been studying the life of Jesus in the gospel of Luke for some time. Now, I’m predisposed to like Him, but consider: skipping all the miraculous things at His birth, all He’s done to this point is teach in their synagogues which caused all the people to be amazed by Him and praise Him; He’s exorcised demons with before unseen authority; He’s healed people of every imaginable disease – to this point, fever and leprosy, paralysis and well, doctor Luke says He healed all those who came to Him with various diseases. Oh, and He also raised a boy from the dead. Stopped a hearse on its way to the cemetery and told the boy to get up. What’s not to like about that?
It’s interesting to note, at this point in our study, there have been two groups of people who didn’t like Him, who have in fact opposed Him. First was His hometown of Nazareth – those familiar with Him. All they wanted was to see Him do some miracles, but there was no way they were going to believe in Him – He was a hometown boy. Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? So, Jesus called them out, and they tried to throw Him off a cliff. I’d call that some level of dislike.
The other group? Well, we know well by now the Pharisees – that is, the very holy and religious people, opposed Him from the start. Why, Mark tells us they began conspiring to kill Him as early as Mark 3. Why? Why didn’t the religious Pharisees like Him? There were lots of reasons:
First, He was from Galilee of all places. Can any good thing come out of Galilee? Why, He didn’t have the proper pedigree – He didn’t study at the feet one of their famed rabbis. He was a carpenter’s son.
Second, He didn’t meet their expectations. That’s interesting – a bit like John the Baptist. You see, the Pharisees and the Jews generally expected Messiah to come as a military leader and throw off the dreaded Romans. To lead in conquest and freedom and victory. To restore our place on the world stage. What’s He doing healing a centurion’s servant boy? And He had the audacity to tell them, if you’re compelled to go one mile – that is, carrying a Roman soldier’s gear, go the extra mile. What? He seemed to like the Romans, or at least, cared for them. We can’t stand them. Later, He’ll even tell them to pay taxes – to render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. Doesn’t sound like much of a revolutionary.
Third, He was always doing things that violated their teaching – the tradition of the elders. He actually healed people on the Sabbath – there are six days to heal – you don’t do it on the seventh day. He allowed His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath, to rub it together and eat it. Can you believe it? That was a clear violation of Sabbath rules. He didn’t obey their rules – in fact, He seemed to flaunt them.
But fourth, and most significantly, He did something holy people would never do, He hung out with dirty-rotten sinners. He actually called a tax collector to be His follower, then attended a party at that tax collector’s house – with other sinners. He’s nothing but a glutton and a drunk.
That’s what we saw last week, right? They didn’t accept John the Baptist, the forerunner, because He came neither eating nor drinking – well, except for locust and honey – and he actually called people – to include Pharisees – to repent. That boy was off – he got his training in the wilderness – why, he’s demon-possessed. Of course they didn’t submit to his baptism of repentance – of what do we have to repent to this scrawny, unkempt lunatic?
They didn’t accept John, then they didn’t accept Jesus. He came both eating and drinking – more, eating and drinking with sinners – He’s not the Expected One – He’s another Messiah-want-to-be. He’s a glutton and a drunk, and we have to catch Him and expose Him. That was their MO. You see, three times in Luke’s gospel, we find Jesus dining with Pharisees. Why in the world would He do that? They’re the enemy, right? Because He came for all kinds of sinners – to include religious ones, who thought they were good enough. They weren’t of course – but how would they know unless someone told them. The problem was, they didn’t think they needed grace and forgiveness, so they invited Jesus over time after time to trap Him, to catch Him in some inconsistency, false teaching, heresy, or blasphemy. They were simply out to get Him.
The first such Pharisee dinner – Jesus dining with the enemy because He wanted even them to be saved – the first such dinner was with a Pharisee named Simon. And what happens there only proved what they thought – or did it? Let’s read this amazing story in Luke 7:36-50.
Only Luke records this amazing story. Let me dispel a couple misconceptions about the story right away. First, there is a record of Jesus being anointed by a woman in all four gospels. But the other three were by Mary of Bethany, right before His death. It was an anointing for His burial. But this one was much earlier – and not by Mary of Bethany. She is unnamed – and notice, she never speaks, she simply weeps.
Which leads to a second misconception. Some have said this was Mary Magdelene – why? Because Pope Gregory the Great said so in a sermon in 591 AD. She was not only the prostitute in Simon’s house, he said, but she was also the woman taken in adultery – this woman got around. Anyway, in 1969, the Catholic Church issued an official statement that Mary Magdelene was not this woman, so the misconception only lasted for 1378 years. By the way, Mary Magdelene is mentioned in the next story – in Luke 8 – but with no reference to this notorious sinner. I say notorious because, notice, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner. Unnamed, but everyone in that city knew her – she was a sinner.
Here, we see a clear contrast between the extravagant love of a forgiven sinner, and the condescending contempt of a self-righteous Pharisee. A woman who needed and found forgiveness and grace; and a man who needed but refused the same forgiveness and grace. What’s the difference? A recognition of need. Which led to the woman loving Jesus, and the Pharisee refusing Jesus. Why don’t people like Jesus? Because His very life and message point to the need of grace for every person, grace that will never be found within – it will only be found in a Savior who loves sinners.
By the way, I’ve told you this before, a theme in Luke, but notice, Jesus loved the marginalized. He loved sinners – those the religious world often overlooked – lepers and sinners and women. And this was a woman who was a sinner – she had two strikes against her – both who and what she was. Just the kind of person Jesus loved to call into His kingdom – oh, and Luke loved to record these stories. I’ve said it, I’ll keep on saying it – Christianity doesn’t make little or less of women – it lifts them up, and cares for them in a special way.
Well, let’s look at this amazing text with the following outline:
I. The Repentant Sinner (36-38)
II. The Self-Righteous Pharisee (39)
III. The Parable and Application of Jesus (40-47)
IV. The Forgiveness of the Sinner (48-50)
And please don’t miss this is all proof of what we saw last week – sinners acknowledge God’s judgment and way of salvation is right, and so they repent, and find salvation. Self-righteous people refuse God’s way – they deny it and are never saved. But God’s wisdom is vindicated by the salvation of dirty-rotten sinners like you and me. Trophies of grace, as some have called it.
Let’s meet this woman. Jesus is invited to dinner at a Pharisee’s house. We find out in verse 40 his name is Simon. Again, why would Jesus go eat with a Pharisee? The same reason He eats with any sinner – to share the truth and hope of the gospel. Meaning, no one was beyond the reach of His grace – even if the sinner didn’t think he needed grace. Grace, in the person of Jesus, was available even to him.
So, Jesus accepted the invitation, entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. There are a couple of important cultural details you should know. First, to recline at a table was the normal position for eating at a formal dinner. You might sit at a table in your house with your family, but reclining on your left with your face toward the meal at the center and your body and feet angled behind you was the formal feast setting. Your right hand was free to reach for the food spread out before you. What if you were left-handed? Too bad.
Another thing to know is these formal banquets were often held in an open courtyard or large room in the house, with doors open. The uninvited were free to wander in and stand by the wall to hear the conversation – and perhaps get some scraps. That’s important, because when this woman wandered in, it wouldn’t have been that unusual, except that she was a sinner – and everyone knew it, especially this self-righteous Pharisee. That’s why Luke actually writes in verse 37, “And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner.” She would not typically be welcomed there – she wouldn’t even venture in.
Stop right there. I wonder how many people don’t come to church precisely because they are sinners, and they don’t feel welcome here. I wonder how many churches make them feel like sinners, outcasts, unwelcomed.
Now, technically, we don’t know what her sin was, but the word for sinner in verses 37 and 39 often refers to an immoral woman. This has caused most to think she was either a prostitute or an adulteress. It’s possible it meant she was married to an immoral man, but the text doesn’t indicate that – she was a sinner – an immoral woman. Let’s just leave it at that – she was a big-time sinner, and everyone in town knew it.
Well, when this sinner found out Jesus was reclining at the table – eating at the Pharisee’s house, she took an alabaster vial of perfume and made her way to the house. Again, not highly unusual to wander in – but notice, it seems what she was going to do was premeditated. An alabaster vial of perfume was expensive – it would prove to be an extravagant anointing.
When she arrived – remember how Jesus was reclining with His feet behind Him – possibly on a triclinium – a low flat couch or cot – she doesn’t stay by the wall as an uninvited guest, as expected. Everyone knew who and what she was. Can you imagine the humiliation? She made her way behind Jesus, standing at His feet – and made a mess of everything. Whether she intended to weep, we don’t know, but she wept – and these words are in the imperfect tense – she was weeping and kept on weeping; she wiped His feet with her hair and kept on wiping; she anointed and kept on anointing; she kissed His feet and kept on kissing. To be clear, there was nothing erotic about this. This was the expression of humble devotion, extravagant love, and deep gratitude.
When it says, she wet His feet with her tears, the word speaks of a gentle rain. Meaning, this wasn’t just a tear or two – the dam burst, and she wept freely – whether she intended to or not. In the presence of Jesus her humble tears of humility were uncontrollable. She realized she was making a mess, so she let her hair down – back then, you didn’t unbind your hair in public unless you were an immoral woman. She didn’t care. She didn’t have a towel, so she began wiping His feet with her hair. Remember, feet were considered unclean, having walked in sandals over dusty or muddy streets. The job of washing feet was left to the lowest of slaves. She didn’t care. She wept, made a mess, and wiped His feet with her hair. The feet of whom John, the greatest man who ever lived said, I’m not worthy to untie His sandals.
After the tears and grime were washed off, she began to kiss His feet and broke the alabaster vial and began to anoint His feet with perfume. Perhaps she remembered the words of Isaiah, How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news. For the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. Would you do that, kiss His feet? Remember, when Peter realized after the miraculous catch of fish that he was standing in the presence of Someone other, he fell at Jesus’ feet and cried out, Go away from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. People who know, or even begin to know who Jesus is, recognize their own sinfulness and fall before Him.
So the place is a mess. A sordid woman kneeling at the feet of Jesus, tears flowing, wiping His feet with her hair, kissing His feet – it’s awful – and anointing them with oil. At the dinner table. In a Pharisee’s house. By the way, all that would have taken some time – there is a stilled silence in the room – all that can be heard is the woman’s weeping, and the hushed gasps of onlookers.
Oh yeah, one of whom was the host. Let’s meet the Pharisee. Remember, the Pharisees were self-righteous people who thought they and they alone were acceptable to God. He observes what’s going on, and thought to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.” Touching – the Pharisees would never do that. Remember the bruised and bleeding Pharisees?… Said with derisive disgust. Perhaps Simon was interested in Jesus – doubtful. Perhaps he was seeking some ground of accusation against Him – and now he had it, right? Because, you see, Pharisees, self-righteous people would never get close to sinners. In his estimation, if this man were a prophet of God, this wouldn’t be happening. This man is not a prophet – here’s the proof.
Leading to Jesus’ parable and application as He turns the table on this guy. And Jesus answered him – but wait, the man thought this to himself – he didn’t say it out loud. But Jesus answered his thoughts, proving Himself to be a prophet – He knows what Simon is thinking, and He also knows the woman’s heart. Oh, and He’s more than a prophet, who is this man who even forgives sins?
Simon, I have something to say to you. It was a typical way of introducing a corrective. But Simon plays along, perhaps cautiously, say it, Teacher. Jesus responded, a moneylender – you know, like a banker who is in it to make money – had two debtors – to people who owed him money. One owed 500 denarii, and the other 50 denarii. A denarii was a day’s wages for the common laborer – no small amount of money. One guy owed two-years-worth of wages, the other two-months-worth. One owed ten times as much as the other, but both were a lot. Notice, when they were unable to repay the debt, the moneylender graciously forgave them both. The word graciously there is used to speak of the way God graciously grants the gift of the gospel to sinners. It’s grace – it’s undeserved. So, Jesus asks, which of them will love him more?
Simon, perhaps knowing the trap is being set but doesn’t quite get it, answered, I suppose the one whom he forgave more. And Jesus said, ding-ding-ding, you have judged correctly. Then turning toward the woman – fixing His gaze on her undoubtedly lowered eyes, but still speaking to Simon, He says, Simon, do you see this woman? Stop right there. Let those words sink in. Do you see this woman? He didn’t see the woman – he was a Pharisee. All you see is a sinner – but you don’t really see her. All you see is who she was, but you don’t see who she is. Is that troubling? Do you ever hold people, believers, in the prison of their past? Is that what you see – sinners? Or do you see transformed, now redeemed, new creations in Christ?
The next few verses are clear enough – and quite the indictment. Simon, I came into your house, and you didn’t provide any water for my feet. That was common hospitality. An intentional slight? Who knows, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss – again, in the Middle East, it was a common courtesy, which is why Paul encourages us to greet one another with a holy kiss. It would have been a peck on the cheek. You didn’t do that – an intentional slight? Who knows, but she has not ceased kissing my feet. You did not anoint My head with cheap, readily available olive oil – a common hospitality. You didn’t do that. An intentional slight? Perhaps, but taken together, you didn’t do anything to show honor to a guest. But she has anointed my feet with expensive perfume.
Then He lowers the boom. The parable and its application are both an expression of undeserved forgiveness and grace toward the sinner, and an indictment against the self-righteous Pharisee. For this reason, I say to you, her sins which are many (yes, I do know who she is and what sort of woman she is – I also know your heart, Simon), her sins which are many, those sins have been forgiven, for she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little. That would be you, Simon.
Now, a casual reading of the text would seem to indicate that all this sinful woman did – weeping, wiping, kissing, anointing, loving – earned her forgiveness. But the structure in the Greek is the opposite. The truth is, because she had been forgiven, and because she has been shown grace, she weeps, anoints, loves. She has been forgiven much – so she loves much. Will you let that sink in? Does your life demonstrate an unbridled, extravagant love for the Savior who has loved and forgiven you so much? Well, you say, I didn’t have that much to forgive. Ok, Simon, then you have permission to love little. And the truth is, like Pharisees, you don’t understand the magnitude of your sin and the magnitude of the grace extended to forgive it.
Which brings us to our last point. Then Jesus said to this sinful woman, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Again, some suggest she had encountered Jesus before, who had forgiven her, which is why she came with the alabaster vial of perfume in the first place. Perhaps she came, knowing that Jesus could forgive, and she repented, and her actions proved it. Either way, Jesus gives her the assurance she needed – and perhaps the assurance you need – her sins, your sins, because of who Jesus is and what He’s done – sins are forgiven.
Notice, as usual, those at the table reclining with Simon and Jesus, began to murmur among themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” The charge is one of confusion, incredulity, or blasphemy. And indeed, God alone can forgive, and if Jesus wasn’t God, it would have been blasphemy. But, He could forgive, as God in the flesh. It’s why He came. Lots of attention given to Christmas each year – appropriate – for He could never have died if He had not come. His first advent was incredibly important. But He took on flesh, you see, to die in our place. And His second advent will be for redeemed sinners.
Well, Jesus doesn’t respond to their murmurings. He simply looks at the woman and says, “Your faith has saved you.” Don’t miss that – it wasn’t her weeping, her anointing, her kissing – it was her faith that saved her, and all her actions were a result of her faith-wrought salvation. You see, salvation is always by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as declared in Scripture alone, and therefore, to God be the glory alone.
Your faith has saved you – go in peace. This woman’s whose life was anything but peace, now knew peace – peace with God, and potentially peace with others whom she had wronged. Go in, or more literally, go into peace. Doesn’t that sound good?
I finish with this story. A great supporter of both John Wesley and George Whitefield in the 18th century was Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon. She once invited a friend, a duchess, to hear Whitefield preach. She received this reply from the duchess:
“It is monstrous to be told, that you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl on the earth. This is highly offensive and insulting; and I cannot but wonder that your Ladyship should relish any such sentiments so much at variance with high rank and good standing.”
The duchess was clearly an 18th century Pharisee. I don’t like being told I’m a sinner. You see, it is a main reason people don’t like Jesus. Because, to embrace Him and accept His gospel is to believe that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. It is to believe as John Newton once wrote, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” Jesus came to save sinners – Luke’s theme verse, 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He will never be a Savior to those who think they don’t need one. He came to save notorious sinners – of which we all are.
Let me share one other final thought. As I was writing this sermon, and going over it, I realized I had as much contempt for Simon as he had for this unnamed woman. And I felt deeply convicted. I prayed God would forgive me – and I prayed that God saved Simon as a result of this interaction. You say, but that was 2000 years ago. Yes it was. But our God is omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal. He lives in tomorrow and next year and next millennium as much as today. He heard that prayer, and I pray Simon the Pharisee repented. I needed to repent, and I did, and I do. Because you see, self-righteousness is insidious, and as alive today as it was then. Is it in you? Do you think yourself good enough? Beyond the need of God’s grace? If so, I have something to say to you. You need to recognize the horror of your sin that required the death of God’s Son.