An ex-hooker becomes a lover and extravagant worshiper of Jesus. Find out what she has teach us in this message!
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The Lavish Love of a Forgiven Sinner
Luke 7:36-50
We come this morning in our study of Luke’s gospel to one of my favorite stories in Luke. It is an intriguing and fascinating account notorious sinful woman saved and transformed by the grace of God. The Gospel of Luke has sometimes been called “The Gospel of the Underdog” because Luke emphasizes Jesus’ ministry to women, tax-collectors, prostitutes, and Gentiles. In this account we find Jesus’ marvelous grace bestowed on a prostitute. This story is only found in the gospel of Luke. In 7:34 Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Well, here Dr. Luke gives us an example of a sinner that Jesus became a friend to. I look forward to meeting this woman in heaven one day. We can tend to think that this woman was just a character in a story. No, she was a real person saved by the grace of God that we will be able to fellowship with one day.
There are two people in this story that are complete opposites. I don’t think we could ever find two people more different. One is a man, the other a woman. One is an esteemed and respected Pharisee. The other is a despised and contemptible sinner.
This morning we are just going to work out way through this story and look first at the woman, and then Simon. After we have finished studying this passage, we’ll draw out some practical lessons for our lives.
1. The Woman
1) A Sinner
Although the Pharisee’s name, Simon, is given, this woman is unnamed. The only description of this woman is that she was a sinner. She was a notorious sinner. Most likely, this meant that she was a prostitute. She would have been well known in that city. When she entered a room, she would have been greeted with stares, and hushed whispering, and perhaps muffled laughter. She would have been treated as an outcast, someone who was despised by respectable Jews. Later in verse 47 Jesus says her sins are many. She had committed many serious dark sins. Now let me ask you, would you come to this church this morning if you knew that everyone in this place knew about your greatest sin? Maybe you have had a secret affair and have never told your wife. Perhaps one of you women had an abortion when you were young and have never told your husband. Perhaps one of you have spent long hours looking at pornographic sites on the Internet. Maybe you have stolen or embezzled money from your employer. Whatever the sin was, would you come here today if you knew that everyone here knew your deepest, darkest secret sin? I didn’t think so! It amazes me that this woman had the courage and determination to get to Jesus in spite of the fact that she would have to appear in the presence of so many holy religious men. She was to determined to get to Jesus that she didn’t care what anybody thought, or what they said about her.
2) A Loving Sinner
Her love is shown by what she came to do. She brought an alabaster vial of perfume to anoint Jesus with. We are told in Mark 14 that this perfume may have cost a common person a year’s wages! Undoubtedly, this was her most valuable and prized possession. Yet, she brought the best thing she had to lavish it on Jesus Christ. Perhaps she had used this perfume to lure her customers in the past. Now, she wants to pour it all out on Jesus Christ.
3) A Humble Sinner
The guests at this dinner were reclining at table. The table was in the form of a U-shape. The guests would lie down and prop themselves up on cushions while they ate. They didn’t sit at a table on chairs like we do today. So, this woman came up behind Jesus to his feet. Interestingly, she didn’t come right up to His face and talk to Him. No, she felt far too unworthy for that. No, she took the place of a servant, and stood behind Him at His feet. No doubt, her sense of sin prevented her from coming straight up to Jesus and looking into His face. Her sin had humbled her before Christ.
4) A Repentant Sinner
She had intended to bring the perfume, and anoint Jesus with it as a gift of her love, and go. However, once she got there she was overcome with emotion. Her heart was broken over her sin. I believe these are both tears of sadness and tears of joy at the same time.
This was not the first time she had met Jesus. We know that because Jesus says in verse 47, “her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much.” The whole point of Jesus’ parable is that the person who has been forgiven much will love much. Well, here she is showing great love as the result of having been forgiven much. Undoubtedly, this woman had been brought into contact with Christ. Interestingly, if you look at a harmony of the gospels, that which directly preceded this story was Jesus’ sermon in Mt. 11:28-30 in which He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Perhaps this woman had heard that sermon, and she had cast her soul on Christ, and trusted Him, and found forgiveness and peace with God. But, in any event, having found forgiveness for her many sins through Christ, she is now flooded with a sense of shame and regret for her past life. So, coming to Christ to anoint his feet, she is now flooded with sadness of how she has grieved God by her profligate lifestyle. Before she knows it, she is weeping on Jesus’ feet. She must have been horrified and embarrassed. Here she had come to do a good thing to Jesus, and she’s just making it worse! And folks, this wasn’t just a tear or two. She shed so many tears that she could wash His feet in her tears! Jesus says in verse 44, “she has wet My feet with her tears.” The word “wet” means “to rain.” This woman rained down her tears all over Jesus’ feet. She was sobbing convulsively.
I believe she was sobbing because the Holy Spirit had broken her heart over her past sin. Romans 2:4 says “the kindness of God leads you to repentance.” Well, she has found our Lord to be so gracious and kind in forgiving such a sinner. So the dam broke, and the floods are let loose.
5) A Joyful Sinner
Because she has found forgiveness with God, she is filled with joy, gratitude and thankfulness. Can you imagine how she must have felt to know that though she had sinned any hope of heaven away, God had forgiven her of every sin. Oh, the happiness and joy that must have flooded her heart to know full and free forgiveness!
6) A Worshipping Sinner
After she had completely embarrassed herself by getting Jesus’ feet all wet, and sobbing convulsively at this public dinner, there was only one thing to be done. She needed to dry His feet. However, she didn’t have a towel. So, quickly, she let down her long hair and used it as a towel to dry His feet. She had used her hair many times in the past to attract men. Now, she used it as an instrument of worship.
Furthermore, she kissed His feet. In verse 45 Jesus says, “Since the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet.” She kissed His feet over and over and over. This was a woman full of love for Christ who had to show it in some demonstrable way.
Now, this must have been a very awkward situation. Here is a hooker, who has used her long hair and perfume to lure men to have sex with her, lavishing her hair and perfume and kisses all over Jesus. The whole thing may have looked very sensual. A woman was never to let down her hair in front of another man. In fact, some of the Rabbis taught that if a woman were to let down her hair in the presence of another man, that was grounds for divorce. It would have been easy for some of those Pharisees dining with Jesus that day to suggest that perhaps He had become overly intimate with Him sometime in the past. But, neither this woman nor Jesus cared what others thought. Jesus didn’t draw His feet back from her in disgust. This woman didn’t flee when she remembered who was watching her. She lavished her worship upon Him, and He accepted it from her.
Folks, what a great picture of a true worshipper. When you worship, do you ever look like this woman? If you have been completely broken over your sin, and then filled with joy over God’s forgiveness, your worship will look a lot like hers!
7) A Believing Sinner
We know that she was a believer because Jesus says in verse 50, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Jesus didn’t forgive her because of her love, or her tears, or her gift of perfume, or her kisses. Friends, we are not justified by love. If we are justified by love, we are all going to Hell. No, she and we are justified by faith. Her faith came first. Then she obtained the forgiveness of all her sins. Her forgiveness led to an outward display of love.
At some point Jesus preached forgiveness of sins to even the most vile of sinners and she heard His message . Perhaps she had heard of the story of the woman caught in adultery in which he said, “Neither do I condemn you.” Maybe she heard Him give the parable of the Prodigal Son in which the Father ran to greet his son when he returned from the far country, and smothered him in kisses. One way or the other, this woman had heard of God’s gracious forgiveness from the lips of Jesus, and she believed!
8) A Forgiven Sinner
Notice Jesus’ words in verse 48, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Of all the words you could ever hear in this lifetime, what would be the most wonderful words? I think it must be the words this woman heard, “Your sins have been forgiven.” All other words pale in comparison with the sweetness of those words, don’t they? The Bible says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). Oh, thank God for His forgiveness!
Now, let’s turn our attention to the other person in this story, Simon the Pharisee.
2. Simon the Pharisee
1) Aloof Toward Jesus
When Jesus entered Simon’s home, Simon didn’t wash his feet. Simon didn’t even call a servant to wash Jesus’ feet. In fact, Simon didn’t even provide a basin of water for Jesus to wash his own feet. Furthermore, Simon did not give Jesus the customary kiss on the cheek or forehead. Nor did Simon provide oil to anoint Jesus’ head. These were all common courtesies that were customary when you dined at someone else’s home. No kiss – no oil – no foot washing. From all of this we get the impression that Simon was aloof. He was standoffish. Yes, he was curious about Jesus, but you would never say that he loved Jesus. No doubt Simon had heard many things about Jesus and His miraculous ministry. However, he had also heard that Jesus denounced the religious moralists and called Pharisees white-washed tombs. In fact, Simon may even have been looking for something to incriminate Jesus. By this time in Jesus’ ministry the Pharisees had begun to discuss how they could kill Him.
Not only was Simon aloof from Jesus, but he was
2) Blind to Jesus
At first Simon thought that perhaps Jesus was a prophet. However, when the woman was touching and kissing Him, he said, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner” (Lk.7:39). The irony is that Simon said this to Himself, but Jesus read his heart. Verse 40 says, “And Jesus answered him.” Although Simon doubted that Jesus could be a prophet, Jesus proves that He is more than a prophet by reading his heart and answering his thoughts before he even asked a question. This forgiven prostitute had a far greater understanding of Jesus than this religious Pharisee!
3) Blind To His Sin
As all religious moralists, Simon was proud and self-righteous. He believed that God was pleased with Him because of His outstanding devotion to the Scriptures and obedience to the Law. Little did he know that God saw him as morally bankrupt. Look at this little parable that Jesus gives him in verses 40-43. In verse 42 Jesus says, “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both.” It was not just the fellow that owed 2 years wages to the moneylender that needed forgiveness. It was also the guy that owed 2 months wages. And both of them were unable to repay. Both were bankrupt. Sure Simon was outwardly respectable. This woman’s sins were outward. Simon’s sins were inward. The woman’s sins were of the flesh. Simon’s sins were of the spirit. But both were so much in debt that they could never repay. Remember that Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Sin is a debt that we can’t repay. Sadly, Simon was spiritually blind to the wickedness of his own heart, and his own damning spiritual condition.
4) Blind To The Woman
In verse 44, Jesus said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?” He’s looking right at the woman, but he’s talking to Simon. Now, Simon is probably thinking, “Of course I see this woman! How could I not see her after she has made such a scene at my Dinner Party!” But Jesus is wanting Simon to really see her. When Simon looked at this woman what did he see? A dirty, vile, despised prostitute. A no account, good for nothing harlot! Even though this woman was despised and rejected by the people in her city, she was accepted, prized, loved and esteemed in the courts of heaven. In truth, she was a forgiven saint, an heir of glory, a daughter of the Most High God, and a favorite of heaven. She was clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and adopted into the Father’s family. Folks, it’s always dangerous when we look with greater contempt on others than the sinfulness of our own hearts.
Now, let’s derive some lessons for life from this passage.
Life Lessons
- Where Does Love for Jesus Come From? Mark it down as an undoubted truth. Any person who has faith to the saving of his soul, will manifest that in love for Jesus Christ. Galatians 5:6 says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” Faith is the root; love is the fruit. Once you truly see Christ for who He is, you can’t help but love Him. But where there is not this fruit of love, you can always tell there is no root of faith. If a person tells you, “I believe in Christ. I’m a Christian”, but you don’t see any display of love for Jesus in his life, you’re probably looking at a self-deceived person. Paul says in 1 Cor. 16:22, “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed.” Never be content with making a profession of faith in Christ while your life shows no evidence that you love Him.
- How Can We Obtain More Love For Jesus? That is the overarching lesson of this passage. What an important lesson this is. Perhaps the reason we have so little love to Christ, is because we have such a small estimation of what we have been forgiven of. I don’t think it is just Simon that is blind to his sin. Even Christians, in some measure, remain blinded to their own sin. If God were to open up to us, even for just a minute, all of the wickedness of our heart so that we saw it just as God sees it, and then said to us, “My child, your sins have been forgiven”, we would be overcome with joy and relief! My friends, if you want to have more love for Jesus, as God to show you how much sin He has forgiven you of.
- How Can We Best Worship Jesus? I think the woman gives us an answer to this question. How did she display her love for Christ?
- By Giving The Best We Have – She brought that alabaster vial of perfume, perhaps worth a year’s wages. What is the most valuable thing you have? Is it your time? Is it your home? Is it your husband, wife, or child? Give that thing to Jesus. Bring it to Him, just as she brought her perfume to the Lord, and lavish it on Him. Let Him have it to do with it as He wills. Give Him your time every day. Give Him your children to be missionaries if He so wills to another part of the world. Give Him your home or banjo or jewelry or computer. If He wants you to part with that possession in order to sell it and use it for His work, let it go!
- By Worshiping Him With Our Hearts – Look at her weeping her eyes out all over his feet. This woman was not some unfeeling stoic. Her worship of Jesus was with emotion. In some churches showing any emotion is frowned upon. I look on it as a good sign if people in the congregation are being moved emotionally. It’s a bad sign if we can worship the King of kings without feeling a thing! Some of us are more thinkers and some are more feelers. Those of us who are mostly thinkers, need grace to feel the greatness of Christ.
- By Worshiping Him With Our Bodies – This woman got involved in worshiping Jesus with her whole body. She used her hair as a towel, and then used her hands to anoint the feet of Jesus with perfume. She did something bodily in expressing her love to Christ. So too, Biblical worship from the Psalms utilized the entire body. In the psalms we read of worshipers standing and kneeling before the Lord. Sometimes they are raising their hands. Sometimes they are shouting or clapping or playing an instrument or singing or dancing. Their whole body is involved in displaying love for God. When we gather here at The Bridge, are you embarrassed to display love for Jesus with your body? That ought not be!
- By Seeking His Approval Over The Approval of Others – If this woman was a man-pleaser she never would have approached Jesus at this feast in public! What she did took guts, and courage, and determination. Too often we allow the fear of man to stop us from displaying love for Jesus. We think, “If I raise my hands during this song, what will that person think?” “If I get on my knees and worship, what will they think?” Now, of course there is always the danger of doing things just to attract attention to ourselves. However, I think we err most of the time on not showing our expressive worship because of the fear of man. May the Lord set us free from the fear of man in order to love Jesus with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength!
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