Luke 7: 36 – 50
Party Crasher
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” 41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
A few years ago a man wrote a book which quickly became a motion picture. In it the author developed a mystery that Mary Magdalene and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had a relationship which produced a lineage which became protected in order to survive the Roman Catholic pursuit to eliminate the offspring. He took his ideas from past heretical writings and masterly crafted a tale that identified Mary Magdalene as the ‘Holy Grail’.
Mary has been highlighted a lot even though she only listed briefly in the Scripture. Mary is mentioned though in each Gospel, I believe, because of her great devotion to our Lord Jesus after He was crucified. In the Gospel of Mark chapter 16 we see a good summation of her life, “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.”
Now why do I bring up Mary? It is because some teachers have tried to say that this Scripture passage that we are going to look at today is referencing her. I do not agree with that position. The woman in today’s study, I believe, is a totally different woman. We will explain why in a bit. In addition to some teachers taking on this idea there are other bible commentators who associate other passages with this event. In this case I also disagree. I believe the following Scripture references are talking about an entire different event. I thought you might be interested in what other portions of God’s word are talked about.
Matthew 26, “ 6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.” 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Mark 14, “3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8 She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
John 12, “1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
It is quite easy, at first, to try to tie in these passages with today’s study, yet they do not fit. In today’s bible lesson we are going to read about a Pharisee named Simon but in the other incident is a ‘leper’ by the name of Simon. Then you find out that Judas’s father was named Simon. Are they the same guy? No, the simple answer is that a lot of guys had the name of Simon.
In one case the woman pours the expensive perfume on the Lord’s head. Here we read that the woman anoints the Lord’s feet. And we also read of our Lord Jesus’ friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus where Mary isn’t weeping but does anoint the Lord’s feet with costly oil and wipes them with her hair. They are all close at first but I hope you also see that they are talking about different situations.
The woman that we are going to look at today is a woman who recognizes her sin and is in need of the Lord’s Forgiveness.
36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.
I use to be a TVaholic. Now, I am down to just watching sports programs. As many of you know this year is a big election year. What gets my goat is how TV hosts insult guests who do not agree with their political positions. They try to set up the guest in order to embarrass them. That is disgusting.
The reason I bring up this point is because this is what this Pharisee tried to do to our Lord. As we will see shortly this man by the name of Simon, was a very kind host – ‘36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.’
Perhaps this woman had heard our Lord Jesus’ words of being able to have all sins forgiven and have a whole new start in life. So, like other townspeople she went to observe this special dinner.
Most likely, when a special guest is entertained, many people come and observe the conversations, even though they were not invited. Having a celebrity is a unique occurrence in any town so of course it will draw a crowd.
If you look again at verse one I believe that we have a clue why the following actions happened. Let’s see if you can pick it up – ‘36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.’
When someone was a guest in another person’s home they would be given ‘hospitality’. That description should send a shock wave in questions. You might say to yourself, ‘Of course, why would you invite someone if you were not going to be hospitable.’ My answer, ‘Exactly’. If you watched some bible movies you understand that everyone wore sandals. Walking around on dirt roads would cause your feet to get dirty.
In displaying ‘hospitality’ a host would usually have someone designated, after greeting the guest with a kiss on the cheek, wash the guest’s feet. The host would also anoint the guest’s head with a little oil.
All those invited to the dinner would lie down on pillows for the table was low. Think about some real Japanese restaurants and you get the idea.
The main guest would be seated or lie down to the right of the host. A bowl with food would be passed around. The dinner party members would all have flat bread where they would dip their bread in the sop. The guest of honor would be afforded the privilege of dipping first. Picture a party at your house and you put out chips and nachos with dip. You see some of those disgusting people who dip their chip and take a bite and then use the same chip to dip again - those stinking double dippers.
Just a quick side note, who was the guest of honor at the ‘Last Supper’? Who was to the right of our Lord Jesus and dipped in the sop first. The answer is Judas. Think about that for awhile.
Anyway back to our story. I believe that this woman had seen the awful treatment that this Pharisee had done to our Lord and so she made her way into the room – ‘37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.’
Yes, this woman loved the Lord Jesus. I believe that she was not only heartbroken over her sins but I also believe that she was troubled as to why our Precious and Holy Lord was treated so rudely. She knew that He only did kind and merciful things for people and here He was treated so ignorantly. It bothered her to no end. So, as she stood behind our Lord, her tears fell on his feet. She took out what was valuable to her and did what the host should have done to this Unique and Wonderful Guest.
As you go through the Gospels remember this one important fact. Everything that happens to our Lord Jesus is a set up. ‘What?’ You heard me. Our Precious and Awesome Holy Spirit has set up this scene to again show the world that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
In this case the prophecy of the prophet Ezekiel is fulfilled. We read in chapter 16 this, “ 60 “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you. 62 And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, 63 that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord GOD.’”
Do you see any similarities to what is happening with this woman at the dinner with what we just read that was predicted. How about her not speaking at all because of her shame and how He will forgive all that she has done.’ All I can say is ‘Awesome’!
Now here is a bit of biblical knowledge that you can wow guests at one of your party’s. How come we do not do ‘foot washing’ in today’s churches?
Well, if you get around to visit a bunch of churches you might run into a ‘foot washing’ ceremony but on the whole we do not do this, so how come is the question?
The answer to this question is that sacraments are conducted if they are taught by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels, done in the book of Acts, and expounded upon in the Epistles, then we do it as an official church act For example ‘Communion’ is covered in all three areas that I mentioned. However, foot washing is not so we do not do it as a regular church activity.
If you want to stay on track as a church then follow the disciples ways after our Lord went back to heaven. We read this in the book of Acts chapter 2, “46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
You do not have to make church services too complicated. Just gather for fellowship, study the Word, and have Communion.
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
The woman’s action caused quite a stir at the dinner party. However, the One Who was now being judged was not the woman but our Holy Master. The Pharisee immediately thought that our Lord was a fake prophet. For one thing the Pharisee thought our Lord lacked discernment. It was quite obvious what a sinful woman she was. A godly man would not even look on such a woman yet alone allow her to touch him.
Now remember that this Pharisee had not said anything but was thinking these things about our Lord. Perhaps he made a face displaying his disgust at this scene. Now, however, our Lord took control.
Remember this, He knows everyone’s thoughts. No matter where He went, everyone’s thoughts were totally out in the open to Him. Wow!.
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.”
Do you notice that the Pharisee now only credits our Lord as a ‘teacher’. ‘Go ahead, teacher, what do you have to say to us.’
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
A denarius is one day’s pay. In our Lord’s parable He says then that one man owed 50 days worth of debt while the other man owed over a year and a half worth of debt. A point overlooked is that this woman took an ointment which was worth a year’s pay and freely gave it to the Lord. Now watch our Wonderful Lord spring the trap.
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?
You have to see how great our Lord is here. Remember, the Pharisee’s would not even look upon a woman of the streets. Look again at what our Lord presses the Pharisee to do – ‘Do you see this woman.’ He forced the man to look at this woman. I can just imagine this guy glancing at the woman and looking away.
This man had tried in his own way to insult our Lord by not giving him normal courtesy. Our Lord took the insult without complaining and sat down to eat. Now, however, He points out this man’s rudeness.
I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
Have you ever been in a situation where someone stood up for you. You were being insulted or mocked or criticized and then to your amazement someone with a higher authority stands up for you. If you have ever experienced this then you know how great it feels. Here this woman who felt that she wasn’t even worthy of talking to this Holy One, now hears Him speak in such warm tones regarding her actions while at the same time He rebukes the man whose heart was stone hard. Our Lord now takes His Holy eyes and He looks at this woman and says to her.
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Do you think she believed Him?
Now I love this, our Lord had just displayed His amazing power to know everyone’s thoughts. You would think that these guys would be saying to themselves, ‘don’t think anything for He will know what we are thinking and then give us a rebuke.’ Nope, they let this awesome act go right by them.
49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Our Lord Jesus does not even take the time now to address these people who were thinking these thoughts. I do believe they got a ‘look’ from the Lord. He again addresses this former sinful woman.
50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
Are you at peace this day? If you are not at peace, you can be. If you are a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, just take the time now to get on your knees, confessing you sins, ask God to help you walk a life that is pleasing to Him, and go your way in peace because your faith in knowing that He and only He can and has forgiven all your sins. Amen.
