Luke 7, Part Two

That generation (vs. 29-35)—Jesus always had a strong following among the multitudes; “even the tax collectors justified God” (v. 29), accepting the baptism of John. Yet, as noted so many times before, it was the religious leaders of the day with whom Jesus had His dispute—and John, too, for that matter, for “the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him [John]” (vs. 30). It was a popularity thing with them, and both John and Jesus drew larger crowds than they did. Plus, their self-righteousness might have led them to conclude that they had no sins to forgive (see the next story), so why be baptized (baptism was always for the remission of sins, and still is, Acts 2:38). No amount of evidence was going to convince these hard-hearted Pharisees (vs. 32-34). John did one thing and they condemned him, Jesus did the opposite and they censured Him as well (v. 34). But wisdom and truth will win out in the end (v. 35).

Who loves the most? (vs. 36-50)—“Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him” (v. 36). Given this fellow’s attitude as demonstrated later in the story, it’s possible that he is hoping that some of Jesus’ popularity would rub off on him. A woman came in to the Pharisee’s house—a very, very bold act. She was a well-known “sinner” (v. 37), though we have no idea what her sin(s) amounted to. But coming uninvited into this man’s home while a meal was being served…this was the height of presumption. But she wanted Jesus’ forgiveness, and was so desirous of it that she risked grave rebuke and reprimand. Jesus accepted her, however, so she got away with her actions. Here is an awakened sinner. She “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” (v. 38). The Pharisee (whose name was Simon, v. 40) was scornful and “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’" (v. 39). Jesus knew his thoughts, and related a short parable about a creditor who had two debtors, one who owed him a small amount and the other who owed him a substantial sum. “He freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” (v. 42). The answer seemed obvious, and was—the one who owed the greater debt. Jesus then made the application. Simon, a self-righteous Pharisee with little, if any, cognizance of his own sins, showed the Son of God very little respect and no sense of mourning in the presence of He Who could forgive sins. But the woman, convicted of her mighty transgressions, showed much contrition and sorrow (vs. 44-46). “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." Then He said to her, "’Your sins are forgiven’” (vs. 47-48). There is a palpable application here. Many who grew up in the church and have basically been “good” people seem to have very little recognition of their sinful condition and need for forgiveness; or at least, their appreciation appears minor. Those who come from the world and realize just how wicked they have been tend to value their salvation the most. This isn’t always the case, of course, but, as a preacher, I’ve seen a lot of apathy among church members over the years, and I have long thought it was because of ingratitude—simply not appreciating the forgiveness of their sins due to a weak sense of being a sinner; most of us haven’t been overtly “wicked,” which is a good thing, naturally, but might tend to lessen our thanksgiving for the Lord’s mercy towards us. To conclude the narrative at hand, some of those at the table wondered “Who is this who even forgives sins?” (v. 49). Only God can do that, of course, so this is another instance of Jesus, implicitly, claiming deity. He doesn’t bother to explain that; let people come to their own conclusions. He ends by commending the woman for her faith, her belief that Jesus could, indeed, forgive her of all her transgressions. She could now be at peace in that thought (v. 50).