Luke 7:36-50
Related Sunday School Lesson, Family Bible Series, October 3

This writer thinks that most Christians do not understand the confronting power of Jesus Christ. In our evangelistic efforts it would do us good to realize that when we bring people into contact with Jesus things begin to happen in the soul that we can never personally affect. The biblical account of the sinful woman who anoints the feet of Jesus brings us into contact with the truth that Jesus changes lives completely. He and only He can work in this way.

 

Love Expressed (Luke 7:36-38)

In these three verses we are introduced to a woman who has been brought into contact with her own sinfulness and condemned state. She also sees Jesus as the only one who can do anything about her condition. I think that this woman had come into contact with Jesus before she came and anointed His feet. She had probably seen or heard Him speak about heavenly things.

There must have been a moment when His words pierced her soul and brought her to sorrow and repentance. In anointing His feet, she was humbling herself and showing love and appreciation for the only person who had ever helped her. Only He had filled up the hole in her soul. Finally she had found what was missing and she was overwhelmed. Her action showed deep respect for Jesus and it also showed her utter dependence upon Him for forgiveness.

The best way to show her love and respect was to humble herself and anoint His feet. Having nothing of this world, she expressed her love the only way she knew how. She humbled herself and anointed His feet.

 

Love Contrasted (Luke 7:39-46)

When Simon the Pharisee saw the woman's actions, he completely missed the point. In fact, being a good Jew and living under the law, he would have thought that her actions were in an effort to gain favor with Jesus and earn acceptability by Him. The person who has sinned the most is always the most appreciative, as Jesus said. But, we must understand that ANY sin is not acceptable to God, large or small.

In fact, humans grade sin, God does not. All sin violates Him and must be redeemed before one is acceptable to Him. Furthermore, Simon the Pharisee felt that when one had fallen so low that they were not worthy of redemption. No amount of work would ever get them back.

That is why grace and faith are so important. No amount of work will ever redeem even the smallest of sins. Only faith in Jesus Christ will do that and that is gained by grace. It is a gift. As Christians, we must realize that no one is beyond the reach of God's Grace.

No one who is still being convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit is beyond redemption. It is not just for people like us. It is also for people who seem to us to be outside the possibility of redemption. Simon had shown no real respect for Jesus. He had no real identity with Him. In fact, he was probably only curious about Jesus and wanted to know more.

Two different people were relating to Jesus in two different ways. One was evaluating Him from a human standard and the other was reacting to Jesus out of gratitude for what He had done for her. She was free and forgiven. Simon remained as he was.

Let's never forget that when we witness to the lost, we can never bring about forgiveness and freedom but Jesus can. We must always focus on Him and rely on Him to change a soul and affect a life in a way we can never achieve. This woman came to express her love for the man who had answered all the questions of her soul. He still does that today.

 

Love Commended (Luke 7:47-50)

No one gets into heaven by osmosis although many, many Christians feel that they can and have. Being the child of a Godly parent does not get us in. Coming to church every Sunday for one's entire life does not do it. Starting off in the cradle roll and progressing through the divisions of the Sunday School does not make a Christian.

Only Jesus can redeem the soul and make a Christian out of a sinner and our faith in Him is the key to the whole redemption process. The woman in this story was saved because of her faith in Jesus (v. 50) and not because she had done certain things to acquire salvation.

Paul tells us of justification by faith in Jesus and James tells us that our works are an outgrowth of our faith. We do not work to gain entrance into heaven, but a true Christian will have good works that will be the proof of their salvation. The unregenerate human being will not and cannot do the works of God.

Godly works such as the ones the woman in our passage performed come from a person who has had a personal life-changing experience with Jesus Christ. Christians of today need to portray this same Godly devotion before a lost and dying world.

When the world sees Christians who are serious about their faith and their walk with the Lord, then they will see that there is something different about us. Our faith must usher forth in devoted service to the Lord, then we will be taken seriously.