34
January 1931
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
V. 45. Thou gavest me no kiss. In oriental lands, the kiss is a special mark of honor. Inferiors kiss the hand of a superior; equals kiss one another on the cheek. Hath not ceased to kiss. Not the hand nor the cheek, but the feet of Jesus were kissed. The verb suggests repeated kisses. The same word is used to describe the kiss of Judas when he identified Jesus to those who came to arrest Him (cf. Matt. 26:49). V.. 46. Thou didst not anoint. Anoint ing with oil was a very unusual mark of honor. Simon would doubtless have granted this if he had recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. She hath anointed my feet. She had given all the honor to Christ that it was in her power to bestow. V. 47. Wherefore I say unto thee. Simon felt that this woman was a sinner to be despised and shunned. The Lord Jesus had a word to say to him to correct his wrong idea. Her sins . . . are forgiven. He does not say they are overlooked. The terrible stain and the awful penalty of sin are not denied; but, the wonderful fact of forgiving grace for the vilest sinner is emphasized. For she loved much. Her love did not earn her forgiveness, but that love declared her penitence and proved the fact of her forgiveness. The same loveth little. This does not intimate that the Pharisee was so pure that he had little for which to be forgiven, but that he had a very low idea of his own sinful nature» Therefore, he could love but little. V. 48. He said unto her. These were the first words spoken to the woman. Thy sins are forgiven. The Saviour leaves no doubt in her mind as to her position. He tells her that, though she was unwelcome in the home of the self-righteous Pharisee, she was more than welcome in the heart of God. V. 49. Began to say within themselves. They dared not speak their thoughts aloud. Possibly the Lord caught the gloomy expression of their faces. Who is this that even forgiveth sin? On an other occasion the Scribes and Pharisees said, “Who can forgive sins, but God alone” (Lk. 5 :21)? If the Lord can for give sins, He must be God. V. 50. Thy faith hath saved thee. The Lord Jesus had commended her love (cf. v. 47), but it was her faith that, saved her. Go in peace. Literally, “go into peace,” a common Hebrew farewell. The woman had dwelt in a land of shame and misery. She went forth now into “Beulah Land.” * * * L esson Q uestions V. 36. Who invited Jesus to his home? What may have been his motive? V. 37. Who came unbidden? What did she bring with her? What was her motive in coming? V. 38. What did her tears indicate? What other expressions of love did she make ? V. 39. Did the Pharisee notice what the woman did? How did he feel about it? What did he think of Jesus? Why did he object to the woman’s touching Je sus? V.-40. What was the Pharisee’s.name? Why must he not be confused with an other man of the same name (cf. Mk. 14: 1-9) ? How did Jesus know his thoughts? Vs. 41, 42. What illustration did Jesus use? How great were the debts of which He spoke?, How does the illustration ap ply to the sinner? Gan we ever pay our debt to God?
2. Jesus’ judgment of the two sin ners (40-47). a. Illustrated by a parable (40- 43). b. Emphasized by the application of. the parable (44-50). * * * A pproach to the L esson HO ST IL ITY toward Jesus at this time was increasing rapidly, but His rup ture with the Pharisees was not yet com plete. The Pharisee of the present story seems not to have been moved by a spirit of hatred in his invitation to Jesus to. come to his home. Rather, it would ap pear that he had some affection for Him and a sense of obligation to Him. What ever may have been his motives in wel coming the Master to his home, all of which were perfectly clear to the Lord Jesus, his invitation was accepted. Hs Hs ♦ H eart of the L esson I. The Two Sinners (36-39). V. 36. One of the Pharisees. We are not told who he was nor what was his station among others of his class. Neither are we informed as to his motives, whether he had a desire to learn or was merely moved by curiosity. Sat down to meat. tested by all, and not least by those who prided themselves for their high standards or Pharisaical righteousness. When she knew. Perhaps she had been told that Je sus was there, or, as a passer-by, she may have looked in at the open door and seen Him. An alabaster cruse o f ointment. The orientals prize very highly every kind of fragrant ointment. If this was the same sort used later by Mary of Bethany, it was of great value (cf. John 12:3, 5). V. 38. Standing behind at his feet. The guests reclined on couches with their heads toward the tables and their feet outward. Weeping, she began to wet his feet. These were tears of a penitent sin ner. The Greek word suggests loud lam entation. The uncovering of her head and the loosing of her hair were in themselves considered a mark of shame. She wiped His feet with her hair because she had brought no cloth with her. Kissed his feet. Literally, “kissed repeatedly.” The same language is used of Judas (cf. Matt. 26: 49) ; but how different was the attitude in the two cases! Anointed them. Perhaps this much she had premeditated, while the rest came “impulsively under the rush of feeling.” II. The Two Judgments (39-50). V. 39. The Pharisee . . . saw it. The self-righteous Pharisee was shocked that Jesus permitted the touch of this woman. He did not speak, but the Lord Jesus read his thoughts. Possibly his countenance showed his feelings. Saying, This man. The language suggests that he despised both Jesus and the woman. I f he were a prophet. Some ancient texts read, “The prophet.” It is not impossible that the Pharisee, astonished by the miracles of Jesus, was wondering whether He was the expected Messiah. Would have perceived. More correctly, as in the margin, “re clined at table.” V. 37. A woman, a sinner. Her his tory is not given, but she is definitely classed among out casts. She was de
BLACKBOARD LESSON
if ARKoTCHRIST'S FRIENDSHIP O M A N S I M M E R » . E E P S F O R S I N S . a s h e s h i s f e e t . I PES WITA H E R HAIR I N S FORGI VENESS . frierxdskij) Forgives Forgets Faults. /.OH. FE8.IS.f95/. Jesus had “perceived” her tears of peni tence and her love, expressed by her ac tions and her gift. The Pharisee “per ceived” that the Lord Jesus had made Himself ceremonially unclean. That she is a sinner. She was indeed a sinner, but a forgiven, saved sinner. Such grace as had been shown her was not understood by the Pharisee. Christ received sinners ; the Pharisees repelled them. V. 40. Jesus answering said. He an swered the critic’s thought. Somewhat to say unto thee. The emphasis is on the pronoun as if to say, “In your thoughts you have been finding fault with Me; now I have a word to 'say unto thee.” This Simon is not to be confused with “Simon, the leper” in whose home Mary of Beth any anointed Jesus. Teacher, say on. There is not necessarily any display of feeling or show of discourtesy in this answer. V. 41. A certain lender had two debt ors. Such an illustration would be readi ly understood, for debt was a very com mon thing in that land of poverty, and lenders were usually usurers. One owed five hundred shillings. The denarius, or shilling, was a silver coin, about seven teen cents in value. It was the equivalent of a day’s wages of a laborer. Neither of the debts were, therefore, very large. In the illustration, the greater debt repre sents the woman’s idea of her great sins; the smaller debt," Simon’s idea of his in significant infractions of the law. V. 42. Not wherewith to pay. Poor debtors were often held in bondage to their debts all. their lives—a perfect pic ture of the sinner whose debt to God he can never pay. He forgave them both. Works of righteousness cannot save a Pharisee. His forgiveness must be on the basis of mercy (cf. Eph. 2:8-10). Will love him most. We might conceive that neither might love Him; but the ob vious and expected answer is that which Simon gave. V. 43. To whom he forgave the most. Simon’s words, “I suppose,” show that he was not quite ready to reprove himself by a positive and direct answer. Yet he ad mitted that a sense of God’s great grace awakens great love. Thou hast rightly judged. And thus he had unconsciously condemned himself. V. 44. Turning to the woman. For the first time, Jesus showed that He noticed her. Up to this point He had shielded her by calling no attention to her action. Seest thou this woman? Simon had seen her, but only with scornful glances. Now Christ compels him to see and consider what her tears and her gift had meant. I entered into thy house. When He entered as a guest, He should have received the ordinary courtesies due to Him. Thou gavest me no water. A most common duty of a host was the bathing of the feet of guests (cf. John 13:4, 5; 1 Tim. 5:10).
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