City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

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.”

Luke 7:36-50

Commentary

It is a common error of the incurious to assume the way things are are the way they must be. It seems obvious to us that others should not be able to read our minds; yet, in reality, God could have created a universe in which our thoughts were laid bare to the rest of the world. Can you imagine a world in which others would immediately know your judgmental thoughts about them? Then imagine how those judged might react, and if we were the ones judged, how we might react.

Here, Jesus is invited to dinner with a Pharisee at his home, and a woman, probably a former prostitute, begins washing Jesus’ feet while He is dining. The Pharisee judges Jesus, thinking to himself whether Jesus could be prophet if He did not know a prostitute was washing his feet. Of course Jesus knew that and much more; He knew this was a former prostitute, who was repentant and had a saving knowledge of who Jesus was, along with a deep gratitude and love toward God as a result.

I suspect most of us, if we knew this Pharisee was judging us, would be tempted to respond, “Who do you think you are, judging me?” But what is remarkable here is that Jesus, knowing the Pharisee’s thoughts, ignores the personal offense to minister something more important for the Pharisee, something more important than the Pharisee’s morality, or his holiness: his love of God. Then, with a short story, Jesus drives the point home to this Pharisee that despite all his religious training and education, this repentant prostitute loved God more than he did.

Application

“Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” (John 21:15). It is a question Jesus is asking you and me. It is one area where comparison with others will motivate you to a truer religion.  Your love of God is not dependent upon your intelligence, your education, what kind of family you were born into, or how much money you make. It is dependent only on you and your response to the King of kings, and it is the one thing you will take with you into eternity.

Prayer

Lord, help me to love you as you deserve to be loved. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.