Oct 23
15
Old Testament Reading: Psalm 130
“A SONG OF ASCENTS. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” (Psalm 130, ESV)
New Testament Reading: Luke 7:36-50
“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher.’ ‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then 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. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” (Luke 7:36–50, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
Introduction
I do love how stories convey truth. Of course, the truth of Scripture can (and must) be presented in a straightforward and factual way. It is important that you know the facts about God, his creation, man, sin, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It is good and right to be taught in a very direct way that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), that none is righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10), that salvation cannot be obtained through keeping the law (Galatians 2:16), and that salvation comes only to those who humbly turn from their sins and fall at the feet of Christ the Lord, trusting in him, and in his fished work – his life, death, and resurrection – for them and in their place.
You see, the Apostles of Christ teach these things in a straightforward way in their letters. Consider what Paul says, for example, in Galatians 2:15-16: “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:15–16, ESV). You probably noticed the repetition in that passage. Paul, in a very short space, manages to say that we are not justified by the works of the law three times. And he also manages to mention faith in Jesus as being the only way to be justified before God three times. I think he’s trying to make a point! And his teaching is very straightforward and direct.
Well, the point that I am trying to make in the introduction to this sermon is that the same truths Paul (and the other Apostles) make in a straightforward way in their letters concerning salvation through faith in Christ alone, and not through obedience to the law, is made by Luke in his Gospel through the story that he tells about the sinful woman who fell at Jesus’ feet, the self-righteous Pharisee, named Simon, and Jesus’ rebuke of him. As I said, I do love the way that stories convey truth. Biblical stories like this one have a way of bringing these doctrines to life, don’t they?
So let us go now to our text to consider it in three parts.
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What Can We Learn From The Sinful Woman?
First, let us consider the sinful woman who fell at the feet of Jesus in verses 36-38 to see what we can learn from her.
The scene is set In verse 36. There we read, “One of the Pharisees asked [Jesus] to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table” (Luke 7:36, ESV). This is interesting. Many of the Pharisees were critical of John and Jesus. We’ve been hearing about that in Luke’s Gospel. But this Phareeses invited Jesus into his home to eat with him. Sounds promising, doesnt it? On the surface, it appears that this Pharisee was a friend of Jesus – maybe even a follower of Jesus. He invited Jesus into his home and ate with him! Soon we learn that he was no true follower of Jesus – at least not at this point in his life. And so it is with many who are religious. They have an external appearance of religion. They might even be found dining with the Lord at Table. But there is no heart religion – no true faith in Christ – no true love for him. But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. Our focus is on the sinful woman and what we can learn from her.
In verse 37 we read, “And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that [Jesus] was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:37–38, ESV). What an extravagant expression of love!
Notice a few things about this description.
One, we are told that this woman was a sinner. I think we are to take this to mean that she was a notorious sinner – one who violated the seventh commandment as a way of life in that city.
Two, her name is not given. Some have guessed that she was Mary Magdalene, but there is no evidence for that. She is left unnamed. Perhaps so as to not amplify the past sins of this dear sister in Christ, whoever she is.
Three, she clearly knew about Jesus before this moment in time. Why else would she have sought him out? She must have heard the good news that Christ was the promised Messiah. Perhaps she witnessed his miraculous deeds. Maybe she was one who was healed by him of some infirmity. We are not given the details. But one thing we know for sure, she was, at some point and in some way, called externally by the preaching of the Word and inwardly by the Spirit to place her faith in Christ and to turn from her sins. Why else would she feel compelled to come to him to express her love and gratitude so extravagantly?
Four, notice that her expression of love was extravagant. She fell at Jesus’ feet as he reclined at the table. She was weeping. Why was she weeping? Given the details of this story, I think it is safe to say that she wept for two reasons – out of sorrow for her past sin, and out of a sense of gratitude and joy for the offer of the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus the Messiah. Those who have faith in Christ will understand this strange mingling of emotions – sorrow and joy. At once, our tears are tears of sorrow for sin, and tears of joy for the forgiveness of sins. This woman was weeping profusely so much so that her tears fell to the feet of Jesus. And when they did, she washed Jesus’ feet, not with a rag, but with her own hair. She kissed his feet. And she anointed his feet with ointment.
Clearly, this woman was overwhelmed with sorrow for past sin and great joy for the present grace that was shown to her in the face of Christ Jesus. She was humble, broken, and contrite. She was filled with love and appreciation for the Messiah. She fell at his feet, taking the posture of a lowly servant. She anointed his feet as if to acknowledge the fulfillment of the Scripture that says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isaiah 52:7, ESV). This woman’s sin was great, but so too was her faith in and love for Christ. And here she expressed her love for him in a most humble and extravagant way.
Of course, the question we are pressed with as we consider this story is, do we have a love like this for our Lord and Savior? We will return to this question. Now we must turn our attention to the Pharisee to see what we can learn from him.
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What Can We Learn From The Pharisee?
“Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’” (Luke 7:39, ESV).
Notice that in verse 39, it is revealed to us what this man was thinking. The text says, “he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’” Question: How do we know what this man was thinking? Answer: we know because Jesus knew his thoughts. And Jesus knew his thoughts because he is God’s prophet and Messiah, the eternal Word of God incarnate.
Perhaps you have detected the irony in this story. Apparently, this Pharisee invited Jesus over to examine Jesus to see if he really was the prophet of God and the Messiah of God as he claimed, but Jesus examined him. He examined even his thoughts and the condition of his heart. It’s ironic, isn’t it, how men and women will pretend to stand in judgment over God and Christ, and yet we know that it is God who will judge men through Christ. Men in their arrogance and pride will try to put God and Christ on trial, but this is not how things are in reality. In fact, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12–13, ESV). It is ironic that this Pharisee invited Jesus into his home to judge him, but the opposite happened. Christ the Word looked upon this man with a sharp and piercing gaze and discerned even the thoughts and intentions of his heart.
There is also irony in this: When this woman came and began to anoint Jesus’ feet, the Pharisee “said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is…” The Pharisee was correct. If this man were a prophet he would have known. And he did know. Ironically, Jesus also knew what he was thinking.
Well, now that we are inside the head of the Pharisee, let us ask the question, what sort of belief system could produce a thought such as this? What must this Pharisee have believed to evoke within him feelings of disgust and thoughts of disapproval as he observed this moving scene? By the way, I hope you understand that this is how human behavior works. As we live in this world we perceive things. And as we perceive things we are constantly making judgments – is the thing good or bad? And as we make judgments, we are drawn towards that which we perceive to be good, and we are repulsed by that which we perceive to be bad. But our deeply held beliefs about things like God, man, this world in which we live, and eternity will have a profound and ever-present impact on our perception of things. This is why two people can consider the same thing and yet have totally different responses to it. One may say, that is good and beautiful! And the other may say, that repulsive. I do hope that you considered the scene of the sinful woman falling at the feet of Jesus to extravagantly express her love for him to be beautiful. The fact is, this Pharisee was repulsed by what he saw. My question is, what sort of deeply held beliefs would produce a response like this?
I’ll mention only two things:
Clearly, this Pharisee thought that if men and women were to draw near to God and to Christ then they must earn it through holy living. Only those who lived a holy life were permitted to draw near to God and to associate with God’s servants. Some people were simply too sinful, and they were to be avoided.
Secondly, this Pharisee viewed himself as worthy. He was righteous. He was holy. And so it was right for him to have Jesus into his house to recline at his table. But this sinful woman… there was no place for her.
To put it into theological terms, this Pharisee believed in justification by works. He believed that men and women were right with God through their obedience to the law of God. This sinful woman had broken God’s law – particularly the seventh commandment – repeatedly and in a direct way, therefore, therefore, she was out. But he was a lawkeeper. Therefore, he was on good terms with God. This man must have believed in justification by works, and he must have had a very low view of sin, for he thought much of the woman’s sin, but he thought very little of his own. He was self-righteous and puffed up with pride. And that is why he looked upon this beautiful scene with disgust. His mind are heart were twisted, and so he recoiled at a scene that he should have been drawn to.
The question we are pressed with as we consider the Pharisee is, do I have a pharisaical attitude towards others? Do I look down on others and despise them, making much of their sin, and little of my own? And if so, what are the deeply held false beliefs that produce such a response within me? We will return to this question. For now, let us consider the words of Jesus to learn from him.
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What Can We Learn From Jesus?
In verse 40 we read, “And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher’” (Luke 7:40, ESV).
Luke tells us that Jesus answered the Pharisee even though the man never said anything. He spoke within himself, remember. Jesus answered the man’s thought with his Words. Thankfully, the Lord does the same thing with us today. By his grace, he will answer our errant thoughts by his Word.
Notice that Jesus called the Pharisee by his name: “Simon, I have something to say to you”, he said. We don’t know anything about this Simon fellow. I do wonder what became of him. I think we should acknowledge the possibility that he himself became a disciple of Jesus. We don’t know, but it is certainly possible. For not only is Jesus able to forgive the sins of a harlot, but he is also able to forgive the sins of a self-righteous Pharisee too, should he repent. And here we see that Jesus is in his house and calling him by his name. Perhaps the calling was effectual. I suppose we will find out in eternity.
Jesus spoke to Simon saying, “I have something to say to you”. Brothers and sisters, Christ says the same thing to us every time we open his Word. John… Robin… Barbara… Joe… I have something to say to you… And what should our response be? The response of Simon was good: “Say it, Teacher”. Perhaps a better response would be, say it, Lord.
Jesus’ words to Simon are marvelous. He addressed the false beliefs that I mentioned earlier – the ones that prompted the abhorrent thoughts in his mind – and he did so by way of a parable.
Listen to the parable starting in verse 41: “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:41–42, ESV).
There are a few observations to make about this parable.
One, notice that there are three characters in this parable – a moneylender and two debtors.
Two, notice that the debtors have a few things in common. One, they both owe money to the same lender. Two, they both owe a lot of money. A denarius was a piece of money worth about a day’s wage for a common worker, so it is not difficult to calculate how much these debtors owed. Both of them owed a lot, but one of them owed a lot more than the other. One owed fifty denarii and the other owed five hundred. So, one was about a month and a half’s worth of wages in debt, and the other a year and a half. And here is the last thing they have in common: both of them were unable to pay.
The third observation to make about the parable is the very surprising and unusual thing that the money lender does. “When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both.” Other English translations render the Greek this way: “he freely forgave them both”(NKJV), or “he graciously forgave them both” (NASB95). This is surprising, isn’t it? For this is not how moneylenders are expected to behave. Moneylenders do not simply forgive debts, do they? That sounds absurd. But that is the point.
Clearly, this parable is meant to communicate the truth about sin and salvation. The moneylender is God. In general, the two debtors represent all of humanity. All stand before guilty. All are in debt to him as sinners. Yes, some have sinned more than others, and are, therefore, in greater debt. To use the language of Paul from Romans 2:5, some, by their excessive sin and the hardness of heart are storing up for themselves wrath on the day of judgment. But pay very careful attention to this part of the parable. No one is able to pay the price. No one is able to settle the debt they have with God. In general, these two debtors represent all of humanity. In particular, they represent the woman who had sinned more, and the Pharisee who had sinned less.
Can you see how this little parable was aimed at the two false beliefs buried deep within the mind and heart of this Pharisee that cause him to look with disgust at this woman who fell weeping at the feet of Jesus?
The Pharisee thought, if men are to stand right before God then they must keep his law! This woman is a lawbreaker, therefore she is not worthy to come to God, nor is she worthy to touch the feet of God’s prophet, if indeed Jesus is God’s prophet! But Jesus set this man straight by teaching him that all are debtors. None is righteous no not one. And there is no way for men to pay off the debts they owe to God. No amount of future obedience or future good works will cancel the debt of past sins nor fix the problem of inward corruption and imputed guilt. The only hope for men and women is to have their debts graciously canceled or forgiven by God. And where is this forgiveness found? It is found at the feet of Jesus.
The Pharisee thought of himself as righteous, but by this parable, Jesus made it clear that he too was a guilty sinner. Granted, he had not lived in blatant and open sinful rebellion as this woman had for so many years. Nevertheless, his debt before God was still very great, and he was unable to repay it. If he wished to stand right before God – if there was any hope for him to stand guiltless before his Maker – it would have to be through forgiveness, the gracious cancelation of his debt. In other words, the Pharisee would have to come to God in the same way that that sinful woman came – by bowing at the feet of Jesus. For it is through faith in Jesus that our sinful debts are canceled, for canceled them through his suffering on the cross. And it is through faith in Jesus that his righteousness is imputed to us, a righteousness that he obtained through his obedience in the whole of life.
Notice this. After Jesus told the parable to Simon the Pharisee, he asked him a question. It is found at the end of verse 42. “Now which one of them [the one who was forgiven little, or the one who was forgiven much] will love [the gracious moneylender] more?” Verse 43: “Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And [Jesus] said to him, ‘You have judged rightly’” (Luke 7:43, ESV).
The word “judged” grabs my attention. The Pharisee was judging the woman and Jesus in his mind just a moment before, but he was judging wrongly. His theology was all messed up, therefore his perceptions, his thoughts, and his judgments were all messed up. Jesus set him straight with the parable and now he judged rightly. Also, I am reminded of what Jesus said in that sermon on the plane. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven…” (Luke 6:37, ESV). The Pharisee has judged wrongly in the past, but now he is beginning to judge rightly.
But the question Jesus asked was about love. “Now which one of them will love more?” Will the one who is forgiven much or little love more? The Pharisee was right to say, the one who was forgiven much. Verse 44: “Then 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. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little’” (Luke 7:44–47, ESV).
“He who is forgiven little, loves little.“ What do these words mean? Does Jesus mean to say that a person who comes to faith in Christ at a young age who has lived a good life (relatively speaking) will be incapable of loving Christ greatly, given that they have been forgiven little (relatively speaking)? Conversely, does he mean that it is only those who have lived a life full of sin and immorality and then, having placed their faith in Christ and having been forgiven of all of that great sin, will be able to love him with a deep and profound love? I think not.
This is about perception, friends. The truth of the matter is that we have all sinned against God. We all stand before him guilty and carry around a large debt that we can never repay. Granted, some have sinned more than others! But it is those who are aware of the greatness and severity of their sins and of what their sins deserve who will love God and Christ greatly when they see that their debts have been canceled through faith in the Savior that God has provided, through his life, death, and resurrection.
This Pharisee was a great sinner, but he did not see it. Therefore, he did not perceive that Jesus was a great Savior. This woman was also a great sinner. And it is true, she was a very great sinner. But she knew it. For this reason, when she heard and believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, she perceived him to be a very great and lovely Savior. Her love for him was, therefore, extravagantly expressed.
Before we move to the conclusion of our text, I must draw your attention to the order of things. This woman loved much because she was forgiven much, she was not forgiven much because she loved much. The entire flow of the passage is clear about this. The woman’s extravagant expression of love for Christ – her falling at his feet, her tears, her washing his feet with her own hair, and the anointing of his feet with ointment – was a demonstration of her faith in him and of her love for him because she knew that through him her debts before God were canceled. She heard that he was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, she believed that he was, she placed her trust in him, and being moved by a sense of gratitude, she expressed her love and appreciation for him in this way. Stated in yet another way, when Jesus spoke to the woman in verse 48, saying, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48, ESV), it was not because of the love that she showed. On the contrary, her debts were canceled by the free grace of God. Here debts were graciously forgiven. This love that she displayed for Jesus was the response to the love and grace that he first extended to her. She heard of it through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. Having been called inwardly, she believed in this gospel, and then she came and fell at the feet of Jesus showing him this honor. Friends, “We love [God through Christ] because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, ESV).
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Conclusion
Verses 49-50 bring our passages to a conclusion. There we read, “Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” (Luke 7:49–50, ESV)
Three brief remarks need to be made about these verses.
One, that it was the woman’s faith in Jesus that saved her, and not the works she performed, is explicitly stated in verse 50. “Your faith has saved you”, Christ said.
Two, the command of Christ to “go in peace” is more than a formality. Truly, having your sins forgiven brings peace to the soul. To be at peace inwardly one must be at peace with God. Apart from faith in Christ, we are not at peace with God. We are enmity with him. It is no wonder then that we lack inward peace. But to be at peace with God through faith in the Redeemer he has provided brings peace to the soul.
Three, those who sat around the table with Jesus were right to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” This is to remind us of the question the scribes and Pharisees raised earlier in Luke’s Gospel: “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, ‘Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” (Luke 5:21, ESV). They were certainly correct in their belief that God alone can forgive sins. But they were wrong in their assessment of Jesus. They failed to recognize that Jesus is no mere man. He is the Lord’s Messiah. Indeed, he is God incarnate, the eternal Word who took to himself a true human body and reasonable soul. This is why he could speak to the sinful yet repentant and believing woman, “Your sins are forgiven you”, and “your faith has saved you; go in peace”.
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Suggestions For Application
Let me conclude with a couple of very brief suggestions for application. Application is something you must do, friends. With the help of the Holy Spirit you must answer the question, how should this passage of Scripture change the way that I think, feel, speak, and act? Here are two suggestions.
Firstly, we must be sure to avoid the outlook and attitude of this Pharisee. He should have rejoiced exceedingly to see a sinner turn from their sins and to bow at the feet of Jesus the Messiah, but instead, he looked down on her condemningly, thinking that she was not worthy to touch the feet of Jesus. But pay careful attention. His bad attitude and his bad judgments were the natural result of bad theology. His understanding of God, man, sin, and salvation was off, and so he could not perceive the world around him in a way that was right and true. Right beliefs will lead to right practices, friends. If someone is lacking in their love for God and their fellow man, it is not because they have too much theology, it is likely because they have poor theology. Jesus corrected this man’s bad attitude and incorrect judgments by correcting his understanding of God, man, sin, and salvation. So then, I am exhorting you to fill your minds with the truth of God’s word, to believe these truths in your heart, and see if your heart is not filled with more and more love for God and for others – certainly the self-righteous and judgemental attitude of the Pharisees will not be able to abide for long in one who understands the severity of their own sin and the marvelous grace of God that has been extended to them in the gospel.
Secondly, I urge you to contemplate your sin, the wisdom of God’s plan of salvation, and the great love that God has shown you in Christ Jesus. Think upon these things and grow in your understanding and faith so that your love for Christ would grow and grow, moving you to fall at his feet and express your love for him extravagantly as this sinful woman, saved by the free grace of God, did. You know, I have watched plenty of people over the years make a show of religion for a brief time only to fizzle out. They fizzle out because their hearts were never truly captivated by the love of God in Christ Jesus. I’ve known others who seem to be religious but when you look close you see that there is no love. These are like the Pharisees. They have the appearance of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). I have also been blessed to know many true believers who have been constant in the faith. Do you want to know what is true of them all? They know they are sinners saved by free grace. They are humble, broken, and contrite. And yet they are filled with love, joy, and peace. This is because they know they are forgiven by Jesus. They love Jesus truly because they see him as the wonderful Savior that he is. And they worship him constantly and extravagantly.
