Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 10-25-19

Faith Saves LUKE 7:37-48 (KJV)
SCRIPTURES
Luke 7:37 And, be- hold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bid- den him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40 And Jesus answer- ing said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44 And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are for- given; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are for- given.
Faith That Shows Hospitality (Luke 7:37-38)
Jesus was invited to din- ner at the home of a Pharisee named Simon. Pharisees often used meal invitations to question and challenge Jesus and to trap Him publicly. Al- though held at a home, the gathering was more like a public banquet where others were able to look on as guests were feasting.
This unnamed woman ap- proached Jesus while He was reclining at the table. She had with her an alabaster box containing expensive, fra- grant oil. She stood behind Him and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped His feet with her hair, and kissed His
feet.Like the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:2–11) or the woman at the well (John 4:7–30), this woman had what was consid- ered an unsavory reputation. The woman mentioned in Luke is not believed to be the same person as Mary Magda- lene or Mary of Bethany.
As the woman was en- gaged in this loving act of worship, Simon smugly com- mented to himself that if Jesus were really a prophet He would know what kind of woman was touching Him. Simon looked down on her as a sinful woman. From his perception, this woman’s dis- play was another example of Jesus’ connection with those deemed less than respectable. It was cause enough for him to internally dismiss Jesus’
ministry.
Faith That Receives Forgiveness (vv. 39–43)
Jesus in His wisdom and omniscience addresses Simon with a parable. He uses this illustration to prove why this unnamed woman’s act of love was acceptable to Him. In the story, two people owed a debt that they could not repay. The lender forgave both debtors, but one of the borrowers had a substantially greater amount of debt he could not repay. Jesus then asked Simon a pointed ques- tion: Which one of these debtors would love the lender more and prove to be more grateful? Simon supposed that the one with the larger sum would love the most, which was the correct answer.
Faith That Results In Salvation (vv. 44–48)
Jesus expands His mes- sage by replying to Simon about his ungracious behav- ior and commending the woman for her hospitality. It was a custom in Jesus’ time for the host to warmly greet guests upon arrival. If they were people of means, the host would have a servant wash their feet of the filth from the dusty roads. Jesus in His response also reveals that He knew Simon’s thoughts about Him and the woman. He lets it be known that He is aware of what she is doing and why. We don’t know what her sins are. We don’t know how she came to know that Jesus could forgive her sins, but she takes a risk as a woman and a known sinner to approach Jesus in this
manner. Although her sins are many, she is forgiven, and He received her love. This un- named woman in humility worships Jesus and is able to express her gratitude and re- ceive redemption for her soul as well as her reputation.
God Continues To Love And Forgive Us
In Christ we all have re- ceived forgiveness of sins and are made equal before Him. Therefore, His church should be reflective of people who love much because they have been forgiven much. The church should be a commu- nity of equity where God’s people carry the spirit of rec- onciliation to influence the world. They will know we are Christians by our love (cf. John 13:35).
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