The Strand Study Bible

LUKE 7:30

LUKE 7:50

1637

30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. 31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34 The 1 SON OF MAN is come eating and drinking; and 2 ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 35 But wisdom is justified of all her children . 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37 And, behold, 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 bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, 3 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 answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee . And he saith, Master, say on. Parable #4 - The two debtors [A lesson for the unsaved (Lk 7:36-50) - Learn to recognize the fact that all are equally powerless to pay sin’s debt (Rom 3:10,23 & Gal 3:21,22)] 41 There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed 4 five hundred pence, and the other fifty . 42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave themboth. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most ? 43 Simon answered and said, I 5 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, 6 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 6 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 6 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 forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little . 48 And he said unto her, 7 Thy sins are forgiven . 49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace .

1. Dan 7:13-14 2. Note - Men accused ( ye say ) Jesus of many things: of being a glutton and drunkard, of being a friend of the wicked, of being an illegitimate child (Jn 8:41), and of having a demon (Jn 8:48). Yet, when falsely charged, He never took offense. only judgment that counted –Heaven’s (I Pet 2:23). 3. or, “if he had any discernment” 4. or, “five hundred days worth of wages for the average worker” 5. Note - This word ( suppose ) betrays the fact that Simon himself had never experienced forgiveness or salvation. 6. or, “the ordinary courtesy” - Rom 16:16 & I Cor 16:20 7. Exo 34:6,7 & Psa 32:1-2 & 103:1-3 & Isa 43:25 & Dan 9:9 & Zach 3:2-4 & Rom 4:7-8 He always took comfort in the

7:47 Our Lord compared the total lack of the ordinary courtesies He received from the Pharisee, with the extra ordinary marks of courtesy He received from this woman; and yet, what our Lord was really comparing was her response to her forgiveness with the Pharisee’s response to his forgiveness. The conclusion –those who cannot admit their sinfulness cannot be forgiven . 7:50 This woman’s faith in Jesus is what saved her ( Eph 2:8-9 ). Abbot Thomas Keating in Crisis of Faith notes:

In this poor penitent woman, we have an example of someone who does know her own misery and wretchedness and how sunk in sin she is, who makes no secret of the fact to herself and to God (and to everybody else for that matter), and who appeals to the love of Christ to save her. She does not say, “Well, I owe you five hundred denarii and I’ll pay you back at the rate of five denarii a month on the installment plan.” Oh no! She just collapses at His feet and relies a hundred percent on His mercy. Imagine what she must have felt when Our Lord turned to her and said, “Your sins are forgiven.” That is all she wanted to hear. She did not ask to be a saint, she did not ask to be a mystic, she did not ask to be anything. All she wanted, and wanted desperately, was to get rid of her sins. She contacted Christ on His weak side, because that is precisely the reason that He came down from Heaven: “ I have come to save that which was lost .” Not partially lost, not just what is in bad shape, but what is absolutely hopeless – shot! 1

Salvation is nothing more than the sincere acknowledgment of need, and hope in His mercy. Parable #4 is aimed at unbelievers who fail to recognize that “ all” are equally powerless to pay sin’s debt (Rom 3:10,23 & Gal 3:21-22). The character flaw – assuming God smiles upon us because we sin less . He does not (Lk 13:1-5). NOTE – Whenever we witness to a lost person, we must emphasize that “ all” are equally powerless to pay sin’s debt . 1 Keating, Thomas. Crisis of Faith , Locust Valley, NY, Living Flame Press. 1970. Print