SIMON, AND A WOMAN, A SINNER & THEIR PHYSICIAN

SIMON, AND THE WOMAN, A SINNER

Luke 7:36-50

        The subject in this article is peculiar to Luke. In it we see our Lord in contact with two personalities.

        We are compelled to consider them together, because His method with each is revealed in that with the other. In some of our articles, whereas two people are seen together, they are still so separate as to our Lord's methods, that they may be considered in separation.

        The city in which these events took place is nameless, and so is the woman. Reading the account, although we remember Luke is never strictly chronological, it would appear that He had recently been in Nain, which was twenty-five miles from Capernaum. The city referred to may have been Nain, or He may have gone back to Capernaum, and so it may have been Capernaum. The namelessness of the woman is characteristic of the Gospel accounts, for no woman specifically a woman of sin, is ever named.

        Whatever the city may have been, the two persons presented to us represent two remarkable extremes. They are the extremes of social position, and almost surely also of the locality of their residence. The fact that in our account we find them under the same roof is wholly due to the presence of Jesus. Luke is careful to tell us that when this woman knew that He was there, she went in. I do not hesitate to say that she had never been in that house before. Simon's dwelling would most probably be in a residential quarter, and the woman's somewhere nearer the crowded area of the city. Simon was a man who undoubtedly would be careful never even to be seen in the district in which this woman had lived and practiced her trade.

        As we look, we see these two under the same roof, with Jesus between them. Simon would be on His left hand, at the head of the table, acting as host. The woman, we are told, was behind Him. Kipling told us that West and East shall never meet. There may be an element of truth in that on the human level, but social differences constantly meet in the presence of the Lord. We are to observe Him, then, dealing with these two people from two entirely separated localities, of absolutely different social positions. Our business, then, is first to see the two persons, and then to watch the great Physician dealing with them.

        As to Simon, we are told that he was a Pharisee. This oft-times repeated description in the New Testament it should be remembered marks him as to his religious position, distinguishing him from the Sadducee. It means first of all that his religious conceptions were spiritual rather than naturalistic. If that tells the account of his fundamental religious position, we further know that he, in common with those of his order, was a ritualist, and along with the others a traditionalist, holding as our Lord said upon on occasion, the traditions of men rather than the commandments of God. Necessarily the Pharisees imagined that while thus holding the traditions of men, they were interpreting the commandments of God. This was their error, just as there are many people today, holding to some creed, and imagining that they are obedient to the commandments of God when they have no living relationship with them. There is no need to enter at all in detail into the matter; but we need to remember how tradition had been placed upon tradition in supposed interpretation of law, until the people were burdened beneath them. As our Lord said upon occasion, these men were binding heavy burdens upon others which they themselves did not lift with their little finger.

        We notice that Luke tells us that he "desired Him that He would eat with him." Thus his invitation expressed a desire of his heart. When we read that he desired that He would eat with him, it appears that it was an entirely hospitable action on his part. As the whole account is considered, however, we discover that the very manner of his reception of Jesus lacked all the signs of common courtesy in the East. It was the habit of the East to meet on the threshold a visiting guest with water for his feet. (Please do not confuse this tradition with what Jesus was teaching them in John 13 – see Threefold Communion article.) This action was ignored. It was the common method of the East to greet the visitor with a kiss. Simon gave Jesus no kiss. It was the custom to bring to the visiting guest oil for the anointing of his head. This was not done. All these omissions show that his desire was either that of curiosity, or hostility. There is nothing definitely to prove that he entertained hostility, except that we know the attitude of these Pharisees toward Jesus. Evidently, however, as his actions prove, his invitation lacked cordiality.

        But now something happened that must have filled this man with unutterable surprise and annoyance. When Jesus had entered, and taken His place at the table, without the water, without the kiss, without the oil, Simon saw a woman cross the threshold, swiftly pass round the board to the place behind Jesus. She was evidently a well-known character. Luke's method is always characterized by clarity, and yet extreme delicacy. He tells the account of the woman when he says: "A woman which was in the city, a sinner."

        That phrase "a sinner" was not a general statement. It was an expression synonymous for a harlot. Simon saw this woman enter his house, and passing round to the place where the feet of his Guest were found, stand there as the tears rained upon those feet, then stoop down, and dry the feet thus wetted with her tears, with the hair of her head. Moreover, bending over, she kissed those feet, or as the Greek word has it, kissed them much. (Song 7:1; Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15) In our English language we can correctly convey the idea of that word by saying that she smothered them with kisses. Then she poured costly ointment upon them. All this Simon observed.

        Now watching him carefully, and in the light of the narrative we understand exactly what he was thinking, and the reason for it. We may state the reason first bluntly by saying he saw a fallen woman fondling Jesus, and Luke tells us the result, "He spake within himself"; and our Lord knew exactly what he was thinking. This is revealed to us by Luke.

        "This Man, if He were a Prophet, would have perceived who and what manner of woman this is which toucheth Him, that she is a sinner."

        Let us carefully watch the process of his thinking. First of all his thought of the woman is expressed in that phrase already referred to, when he saw her as "a sinner"; and it is evident that there was contempt in the cool, calm, calculating soul of Simon. Then his thinking about the Lord took shape. He was convinced that He was no Prophet, or He would have perceived all the truth concerning this woman. Even though He had never seen her, He would have known what manner of woman she was. His conception, therefore, of a prophet of God was also a revelation of his conception of God. As a matter of fact, his thinking was a clear revelation that he did not know God at all. His thought of God precluded the possibility of his believing that any authentic representative or Prophet of God would permit a woman of this character to shower upon Him evidences of love and affection. Thus we see the man, cold, self-centered, satisfied in his thinking, and in his conception of God, and so utterly contemptuous of this woman, and believing that in this attitude he was interpreting the Divine attitude. As we look at him. we are reminded of something which Jesus once said to some of these very men: "Go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matt. 9:13) Of the tenderness of God, of His compassion, of His mercy, these men had no knowledge. Simon was of that company. He had a certain knowledge of God which was purely intellectual, and doctrinally conceiving of Him in His holiness and righteousness; but knowing nothing of the great fact of His grace and mercy. That conception of God created his conception of a prophet of God; and moreover, was the reason for his contempt for this woman.

        From Simon we turn to look at the woman herself. As we have seen, Luke tells the dark and terrible account of her past in that simple and yet terribly revealing description of her as a sinner. That was the true account of her past. It was a dark and terrible one. There is no need to call that fact in question for a single moment. Yet if I may employ a personal word, based upon a somewhat lengthy experience, in which one has repeatedly been called upon to meet and deal with such a woman, I have found over and over again that behind the account of the sinning there was some tragedy. About this woman, of course, we know nothing, but we are compelled to recognize what Simon was conscious of, the account of her past. But let us look at her as she is seen on this occasion.

        First of all we see her violating all Pharisaic traditions by coming into that house at all. It was contrary to such tradition that any woman should come uninvited into any house. It would seem that she either had no consciousness of these conditions, or at any rate for the moment they were entirely forgotten, as she resolutely entered. It is possible, and even probable, that she hardly saw the assembled guests, or Simon himself, having eyes for One alone, Whom she had learned was in the house, and Whose being there was the reason of her coming.

        Further, she certainly trampled on her own personal feelings when she entered. There was no doubt whatever that she was aware of the feeling against her, and the house of Simon would never have attracted her. It is important that we should remember that if our character and attitude are those of Simon, this kind of woman will be as anxious to keep out of our way as we are to keep out of her way. Something, however, irresistibly attracted her, and made her forget, or made her unconscious of the glances of Simon, and the probable cynicism of his other guests. The reason for her going was that she was filled with adoring love for one Person. She entered, and that love was clearly seen in her falling tears, and expressed itself with abandonment in the kisses rained upon the feet of Jesus, and in the fragrant beauty of the ointment she poured upon His feet. (Song 7:1; Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15) Thus we see her, in the past a sinner, but at the moment a woman characterized by all the beauty and refinement love-mastered.

        Now we turn to watch our Lord dealing with each in turn. As He talked to Simon we need carefully to remember that everything He said to Him was an attempt on His part to reach and win the mind and heart of this man. Let it be bluntly stated that our Lord's love for this woman did not exceed His love for Simon. He was on His way to the Cross for the woman, and for Simon. He was in the world seeking to save that which was lost, and to Him Simon was as surely lost as was the woman. As we watch Him, then, we see Him going after the man, attempting to reach his heart, and bring him to an understanding of God.

        First, let it be observed that He accepted Simon's invitation, in spite of His certain knowledge of the man and his attitude. As we have over and over again reminded ourselves by reference to our first article in these Great Physician series He needed not that any should tell Him what was in man, for He knew.

        Further, He remained, in spite of the signal failure in the manifestations of hospitality. He noticed all this, He missed these tokens. Now He said so, but these facts did not deter Him from sitting down at the table. He went into that house as surely seeking to save as He did at any time in any place.

        The second stage in His dealing with Simon is that He spoke to him in answer to this thinking. Luke tells us that "Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee."

        Up to this point, according to the record, Simon had not spoken openly, but our Lord knew his thinking concerning that woman, and concerning all that he saw happening. To the statement of Jesus that He had something to say unto him, Simon answered, with unquestionably a tone of superciliousness, "Master, say on." Simon had already made up his mind about Jesus that He was no prophet, or He would not have permitted that kind of woman to approach Him, but if He had something to say, let Him say it.

        The next action of Jesus was that He told Simon an account, or if we choose, we may say He uttered a parable to him. He took him away for a moment from the things happening around him, and apparently from things more grand and fundamental. He asked for the exercise of his judgment in the presence of a account so simple that it easily might have been told to and understood by a child. There was almost a touch of humor in the account, as an account, because it led to an inevitable answer. There was a man who had two debtors; one of them owed him fifty, and the other five hundred pence. The application, which perhaps Simon did not at the moment make, was concerned with the thinking of Simon about the woman, especially in comparison with himself. Being a Pharisee, his theology would not allow him to declare that he was not a sinner, but he was a small one by comparison, say, fifty pence. The woman was ten times more sinful than he that is as five hundred is to fifty. Still, considering the account, if this creditor forgives both, which of the forgiven would love him most? Simon evidently followed the account, and was thinking; and moreover, was thinking accurately, for his answer was the true and inevitable answer. There would seem to have been some touch of superciliousness as he said: "I suppose, he to whom he forgave the most."

        We ask why he did not immediately say, certainly, he to whom he forgave the most. He was really dodging an issue with his own conscience. Nevertheless his answer shows that Christ had led his thinking to the point of a correct deduction. Our Lord at once declared this to be so, as He answered, "Thou hast rightly judged."

        But the great Physician was not done with him. He now called upon him, in the light of that account, and his own finding concerning it, to consider the woman. Luke tells us quite revealingly, that He turned to the woman, while still addressing Simon. What He said first took the form of a question: "Seest thou this woman?"

        Certainly Simon saw her. It was seeing her that had aroused his criticism and his hostility to Jesus. Simon had said in effect that the Lord could not see her, or could not perceive her. The question asked him was as to whether he himself could see her. Then He proceeded by putting the woman into contrast with Simon, and revealing her. In effect He said, Simon, I will help you to see this woman by putting her into contrast with yourself, and that not on any high spiritual level, not even on the level of the morality in which you are confiding, I will contrast her with you on the level of common human courtesy. I came into your house. You gave Me no water. She has remedied your rudeness by bathing My feet with her tears. You gave me no kiss of salutation, but she has smothered My feet with her kisses. You gave Me no oil, the coarser material, for My head, the utmost member of My body, but she has brought ointment, the finer material, and anointed My feet. Thus as our Lord placed this woman by the side of Simon, He revealed the fact that Simon was coarse as sackcloth, and the woman fine as fine-spun silk.

        He then declared that all Simon had seen in the woman was the activity of a great love, resulting from a moral cleansing. She loved much, because her sins were forgiven. Our Lord's meaning must never be interpreted as suggesting that she was being forgiven because she loved. Quite evidently she had met Jesus before, and was already a forgiven woman. This had been the inspiration of her coming into the house of Simon, and of all that had happened there. Simon could not see her as she was because he was looking at her as she used to be. That is a common trouble with Christian people. In dealing thus with Simon, He was surely, as we have said, seeking after his soul. He was showing him that a prophet of God was a representative of God, and that God's great concern was that the sinner should find forgiveness and freedom from pollution in order to the fulfillment of the highest ideal of life.

        What happened in the issue we are not told. As I ponder it carefully I have it in my soul at least to hope that in some fair morn of morns, when I have crossed the borderline, I shall meet Simon in the Glory-land. I have no proofs of this, but at least we may wistfully wonder as to what the ultimate effect of the whole happening had upon the soul of Simon.

        His dealing with the woman, of course, is self-evident throughout. First, He accepted her out-pouring of love. He welcomed her tears and her kisses and her ointment. He then proclaimed the reason for those tears, those kisses and that ointment. "Her sins which are many are forgiven." That which had provoked the flow of tears was the moral cleansing of her nature, which had taken place and the out-springing of her adoring love as a result. Finally, speaking to her, He said: "Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."

        The Greek preposition there is eis, and I would like to render that word thus, "Go into peace."

        The woman, that was a sinner, cleansed from her moral depravity, now mastered by an adoring and thoughtful love, evidenced in tears and kisses and ointment, was bidden to go forth into life in peace, peace with God, peace within her own soul, peace in spite of all human opinion.

How beautiful those feet. (Song 7:1; Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15)