Do You See This Woman?
Luke 7:36-50
Jesus’ ministry is impacting many people. His reputation as a healer continues to spread just as his clash with the religious leadership grows. He has crossed the line by forgiving sins, healing on the Sabbath and spending time with the wrong kind of people. He appears to be a radical, but he backs up what he says with powerful healings. The Pharisees just can’t quite figure Jesus out.
Chapter 7 begins by showing us that Jesus’ healing reputation has spread beyond the boarders of Israel. A gentile centurion calls on him to heal his sick servant but this gentile demonstrates faith beyond anything Jesus has seen so far and Jesus expresses surprise.
Next he raises a widow’s son from the dead which shocks all the witnesses and has everyone talking about God’s presence in him.
Thirdly, Luke gives us an inside look at John the Baptist’s message from Jail to Jesus. It looks like John is struggling with understanding just who Jesus is. Are you the One? Do we need to wait for someone else? These words tell us that even John needed confirmation. Jesus supplied confirmation to John with works and words that demonstrated that he is the One! Then Jesus affirms John’s work and witness and Luke tells us an important point in verses 29-30 that serve as a setting for our lesson from verses 36-50.
Notice the distinction between all the people including the tax collectors, and the Pharisees and lawyers. Do you see it there in verses 29-30? How did the people and tax collectors show that they acknowledged God’s justice? What did the Pharisees and lawyers do? How did they reject God’s purpose for themselves?
Ok… all that in place, we see a great case in point of this in verses 36-50. Let’s study this together: Here we encounter three main characters: a Pharisee named Simon, a sinful woman, and Jesus. Watch how Luke unfolds the event for us and think about what each character experiences and reacts.
The set up is this…
Simon, a Pharisee has Jesus over for dinner. He is obviously interested in Jesus. He not only invites Jesus to come, but there are others there too, maybe as witnesses or maybe to evaluate Jesus. I can almost imagine them thinking: on a one to ten scale, how does Jesus rate. Do we like him or not. Does he pass all of our tests or not. If so, maybe we can make use of him. If not, we will have to figure out how to eliminate him, and disrupt his influence.
The meal is under way. Jesus has reclined at the table of Simon with the other dinner guests when it happens. An unexpected guest enters the room. This isn’t just any guest, it’s a woman. And not just any woman, it’s her! The woman everyone in town knows about. The sinful one. Now every woman in that town was a sinner, but this woman was not just a regular old sinner. She’s a sinner with a capitol “S”. Even Simon knows about her. But look closely at verse 37. And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,
She somehow found out where Jesus was, and what did she do? She came to see him and she brought a gift with her.
Was she invited? No.
Was she wanted? No.
I’m not even sure just how she got in there, but she did. And she has brought something with her to give to Jesus. She enters, she is standing behind Jesus weeping. Her tears hit his feet. She sees it. She stoops down to the floor and takes her hair and begins to wipe Jesus’ feet and to kiss his feet and pour perfume on them.
Freeze frame! Have you got this picture in your mind?
What an amazing sight! Wow! This is both very amazing and also very uncomfortable. Just think of it! Wouldn’t you be uncomfortable? How does one react to something like this? This is not your every day event in the life of a Pharisee. Simon is getting his eyes full of something that demands a decision. This is something he must evaluate and react to! His reaction will reveal his heart. This is also something Jesus will react to. And we see his heart as well.
Simon’s reaction is swift and decisive. It is captured in verse 39. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said 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."
Let’s look at Simon for a minute. He has a cautious curiosity about Jesus’ identity. Simon has fixed ideas about rules of relationships. Now not all his rules are wrong, but, let’s face it, Simon is very careful about what kind of people he associates with and when he sees this woman doing all this to Jesus, he just knows that Jesus can’t be a holy man! No holy man or prophet would allow such a display! This is shameful. It’s not right! Jesus has just failed the sinful woman test! He must not be a prophet of God. No prophet of God would participate here and allow this kind of person to love on his feet like this!
Well? How would you feel if a known prostitute from this town came in and acted like that with our guest speaker at one of our pot luck dinners? Is there any of Simon in any of us? I’m afraid I would have to confess that affection like that could make me wonder. I’m afraid if I were there at Simon’s house I might not do much better than he did. Why did Simon make such a judgment? Simon’s measurements were based on what he was looking at and what he thought he was seeing. Jesus is about to offer a better focus for him.
Simon has no idea that the Son of God is setting at his table and eating this meal with him. He has no clue as to the magnitude of the moment. On the other hand, look at the sinful woman. This woman demonstrates much better perception and a much more proper response to who Jesus is than Simon. She has seen something Simon is blind to. She recognizes the majesty of Jesus and pours out passionate appreciation and affection toward him in the only way she knows how, by the only means she can. Simon is careful about his associations with sinners. This woman has had plenty of association with all kinds of sinners who care nothing for her. They only come for what she can do for them. Jesus is the first person perhaps in her memory that looks past what she does. Jesus somehow sees her.
Jesus tells a parable to Simon which turns Simon’s judgment in the right direction. The parable has three characters in it. A lender, and two borrowers. One borrower owes a lot and the other a little. Since neither can repay him the lender is gracious and forgives both. Jesus asks, “Which one will love the lender most?” Simon answers, “I suppose the one that was forgiven most.” Jesus says, “You have judged correctly.”
Now Jesus speaks words designed to open Simon’s eyes.
Listen to Jesus words to Simon again in verses 44-47.
44 And 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 wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.
45 "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.
46 "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.
47 "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."
What did Jesus ask Simon here? Do you see this woman? Simon, you are looking at all the wrong things. You can’t evaluate what is going on here because you can’t see! Simon can’t see Jesus for who he is, but this woman can! She’s acting like Simon ought to act, if he could only see! Simon is so blind in his self-righteousness that he had the creator of the universe over for dinner and didn’t even greet him at the door! He’s so blind he didn’t even offer to hang his coat up! Whose treatment of Jesus is really the shameful one here? Whose treatment of Jesus actually fits the reality of who Jesus is and who we are in his presence?
Who showed Jesus love and who missed the golden opportunity of a lifetime? Don’t you know that on the day of judgment, when Jesus returns, Simon will wish he had traded places with this sinful woman?
Let me finish our lesson by presenting the lesson Jesus did. Jesus tells us plainly here that our love for him is directly related to the forgiveness we receive from him. Jesus is actually very gracious toward Simon. He accepts Simon’s limited love and comes for dinner. But when Simon casts stones at what this woman is doing and judges Jesus in the process, Jesus rises and defends her. More than that, Jesus publicly blesses her with forgiveness of her sins before them all. She has risked much to come show her love to Jesus and he will not let her be put to shame. In fact, Jesus announcement of her forgiveness includes an announcement of her salvation and peace.
What about us? Are you and I more concerned with what others think and do, or are we willing to fall down at the feet of Jesus and worship and adore him in love for forgiving us for our sins.
Do you see this woman? She was lost in her love for her Lord and poured out herself to him.
Do you see this woman? She received eternal blessings for her response to her Lord.
Do you see this woman? Will you respond to the Lord like she did and receive the blessings she received?
Jesus is watching.
