Rejected – Accepted. Luke 7:36-50 The teaching Luke passed on to us under the guiding control of the Holy Spirit covers many areas of personal and social life. In this incident, the invitation given to the Lord by the Pharisees does not appear to be a reason to show interest in Him and genuine hospitality. It actually serves as a warning to us that gestures of interest may not all be with good intent. There is a positive lesson for us seen by the contrast between one who has rejected the claims of Christ and one who openly and gladly accepts Him. We learn here how our Lord views the difference between a righteous Pharisee and a sinful woman. We also learn how a forgiven woman who has come to love the Lord whom she believed responds with her heart.
When a Pharisee asked Jesus to eat with him, he did not give Him the normal courtesies that would have been shown to an honored guest. Those missing actions show that the interest of the Pharisees was not to show hospitality and to learn from the Lord, but it was rather a way to trap the Lord Jesus in some way to do what was wrong. Nothing is said about the table talk between the Lord and the other critical guests. The fact that Jesus responded to the invitation and went there shows that He is no respecter of persons. He was willing to be a friend of a religious hypocritical Pharisee, the same as He was to publicans and sinners.
In our life and service for the Lord Jesus Christ, we must not overlook any person regardless of their position in life. A few people like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea were rich and religious and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ despite their contemporaries' pressures and snide remarks. Those who seem to be disenfranchised by society are not by God. “There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Women are equal to men in the sight of God, and they should be in the eyes of every person. Children are equal to adults in the kingdom of God, and those who train and teach them should not overlook their spiritual well-being.
There is often a more receptive attitude toward God, the Bible, and the need for salvation on the part of women than there is in men. The cold skepticism of Simon is not uncommon among men who are inclined to think they do not need help from God or men. It is hard for men to honestly admit to their own weaknesses and limitations. Children are usually the most receptive to acting in faith to the love and forgiveness of God. It is our responsibility as believers in Christ to connect with people of all ages and to adapt what we say to those to whom we speak. We should be “all things to all men.”
The open-hearted, unrestrained actions of the woman in the story are in direct contrast to Simon's calculating coldness. On top of that was the fact that her tears fell on Jesus’ feet, and she then wiped them off with her hair. Even more extreme in the sense of devotion was that she kissed His feet and poured perfume on them. The Lord Jesus knew who she was and why she was doing that openly obvious act of gratitude and worship. Her personal faith was in the Lord Jesus Christ, and she didn’t care what other people thought.
Teaching moments may occur at any time, so we must be prepared to take advantage of such times. Our preparation for those times happens when we listen to God through His word and are in fellowship with Him through prayer. The scriptures contain incidents, illustrations, prayers, and instructions for every situation in which we may be found and from which we can learn to instill in our minds God’s truth. Applying ourselves regularly to learning from God will prepare us to speak for God appropriately as the teaching moment opens us before us.
By making the lesson He wanted to pass on to Simon the rejector, Jesus told a short, pointed parable. There was no question about what He wanted to convey, but how He did it made it suitable, listenable, personal, and practical. Simon could not avoid the question but had to respond to a simple question and answer it personally. “I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.” The Lord never downplayed his answer but gave His own personal response to him. Simon knew exactly what Jesus was telling him, and the point He made was clear. That is the contrast between accepting Christ and rejecting him. It was impossible to miss!
The woman departed as a forgiven sinner, saved by God’s grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. She was able to live in peace, knowing God now accepted her in spite of her sinful past. Simon remained the skeptical religionist who would hear and likely look for other ways to criticize the Lord. His thoughts and those of others who knew that forgiveness of sins is a prerogative of God alone exposed their rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God. They would not accept that fact!
Love and faith are both taught in this whole chapter. The centurion’s love for his servant, the widow’s love for her son, and the sinful woman’s love for the Savior are all seen here. Faith in the Lord to heal the servant, faith in the Lord to help her in her loss, and faith in the Lord to forgive sins are all here to learn more about our Savior in whom we have put our faith and whom we love. “We love Him because He first loved us!”
An important part of Luke’s presentation of the Gospel is that women are considered as important as men in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. His openness to dealing with women as equals was in contrast to historical Judaism and many societies on earth today. Every person has a divinely given value of being worth more than the whole material world. Each believer in Christ has a role to fill in the life of a local church that is compatible with their gender and uniqueness. Every person who comes to God in faith comes humbly and with a sense of not being worthy of Him noticing us, let alone meeting our most fundamental need of forgiveness.
Not everyone comes to God in the same way, but all come with the same need. One person’s felt need may be expressed in ways that are different from other people's. Those who have a religious template that they say makes a person saved, misled, seeking sinners. God alone knows the validity of desire in the heart of a sinner. “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.”
God knows the motivation behind every action we take. This chapter reaffirms the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive our sins. In chapter five, a helpless man's sins are forgiven. Here, a woman known for her sinful lifestyle is forgiven of her sins. Love, faith, and forgiveness are a wonderful combination that is demonstrated in this chapter when our Lord shows to those people what should also be in all of the children of God in every place.
LUKE 8 FELLOW-LABORERS.