Love little or Love much?
Notes
Transcript
Luke 7:36-50
Luke 7:36-50
We are skipping verses 18-35 because we already did a deep study on John the Baptist.
But just in case you weren’t with us John the Baptist was the cousin of Yeshua and later arrested and thrown in jail when he decided to confront Herod Antipas of marrying his brother’s wife which was unlawful. But this back fired on John. So he sent two of his disciples to ask if Yeshua was truly the Messiah.
Now of course, John knew better than that but sitting in jail can cause one to wonder and begin to doubt. So Jesus responded to John’s men by saying “go tell John the sick are healed, the blind see, the dead are raised as we saw last week, and the good news is being preached to the poor—all as Messianic evidence that fulfills the OT prophets. First, Yeshua sends a stinging message to John “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
Yet when John’s messengers leave, Yeshua honors John’s purpose in ministry as the final prophet as Matthews adds.
“Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Elijah is the forerunner to the Messiah as mentioned in Mal 4.5
5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh.
The great and awesome day points to the “Day of the Lord” so this is why when Jesus rose again the disciples assumed the tribulation of the last days. But that was 2000 years ago! Yet Luke explains - Luke 1.16-17
“And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. “And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
But Luke 7.29-30 gives some insight on what the Pharisees felt about John. Let’s read that.
And when all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God’s justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the scholars of the Law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.
Even though Yeshua called John “the Elijah to come”, it was the spirit and power of Elijah in the first coming. The actual Elijah will return perhaps on of the two witnesses in Revelation 11
In regards to Jesus, the Pharisees expected a Messiah to arrive as a victorious king, like a Judas Maccabees to take down the Roman Empire but after listening to Him preach on humility and that his followers must endure persecution., they “didn’t want anyone like Jesus to be their Messiah!”
Meanwhile John was in jail and it was Herod Antipas’s birthday. His step daughter or niece Salome danced before him seductively. He was so moved that he promised to grant her “up to half his kingdom”. The dance was likely instigated her mother Herodias, so when Salome asked her what she should claim as a reward, Herodias smiled and promptly demanded “the head of John the Baptist” – Herod was grieved because he liked John but he had no choice to honor his pledge to Salome before his “elite guests.” John’s head was brought “on a platter”.
So now, we come to Verses 36-50 as a Pharisee named Simon invited Yeshua to dine with him so as was His nature He came to Simon’s house.
36 Now one of the Pharisees was asking Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.
While peasant homes were one-room, built of mudbrick, with a flat roof and minimal furnishings,
Pharisee homes were more spacious with separate areas for dining and courtyards. They could accommodate reclining banquets, like couches with cushions and low tables. Hospitality was central: Pharisees often invited guests to meals to have religious and social discussions. But this was a different meeting. Perhaps more secretive or quiet.
36 Now one of the Pharisees was asking Him to eat with him, [Simon] and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. [Remember this statement]
Again, eating was an intimate event. They would recline on the floor or on couches with cushions and low tables. But then the unexpected happened. An unnamed woman found out Jesus was there and she brought a jar of perfume. A very risky move.
37 And behold, there was a woman in the city who was a sinner. And when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume.
And standing behind Him at His feet, crying, she began to wet His feet with her tears. And she kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.
And she kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.
If you remember, Ruth though not considered a sinner was instructed by her mother in-law Naomi that she lie down at Boaz’s feet as an act of submission to her kinsman redeemer.
We will also see this familiar act happen again when Mary of Bethany pours out a an alabaster jar of perfume over His feet just before His crucifixion
But what did act here this represent? Perfume was extremely costly. In Jewish and Greco-Roman culture, women sometimes kept perfume for their wedding night or as part of their hope chest. It symbolized beauty, intimacy, and wealth. This unnamed woman had been seeking Yeshua and when she found out where she was didn’t hesitate to lay at his feet weeping and pouring the perfume on his feet and kissing them which would have been easy if Yeshua was reclined on his side. Her act was repentance and extreme humility. But why? Let’s keep reading.
39 Now when the Pharisee, who had invited Him, saw this, he said to himself, saying, “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.”
In Talmudic thought, avoiding a sinner from touching you was rooted in the laws of ritual purity and the fear of moral contamination.
Pharisees sought to remain ritually prepared or pure for worship and socially distinct from the impure, which is why Yeshua's acceptance of this woman shocked them.
It’s interesting that Simon said to himself, but Yeshua heard his whisper just as he will hear ours!!
maybe you recall when God rejected Saul as King, the prophet Samuel was sent to find another one but gave this advice.
“Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; [Saul] for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
This principle of “outward appearance” is consistently reinforced throughout Scripture and explains why Yeshua will have a lesson for Simon.
James 2 condemns a scenario where people treat a wealthy person in fine clothes differently from a poor person in dirty clothes.
Peter said in Acts 10 after he watches the Holy Spirit come upon the Gentiles.
Peter said: “I most truly comprehend now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does righteousness is welcome to Him.
Our human tendency is to evaluate the worth of a person by the external appearance. Be it wealth, expensive clothing, social status, or appearance. But God looks at the heart! And He knows our heart more than we do!
40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”
41 “A moneylender had two debtors:
one owed five hundred denarii, [about $25,000 or more today] and the other fifty. [$2,500] 42 “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he graciously forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” 44 And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
Roads in those days were dusty, unpaved, and littered with animal debris. Plus, people wore open sandals, so feet got dirty.
So it was an act of hospitality to refresh travelers after a journey and prepare them for reclining at meals. Simon would have even had servants to do this. To neglect this was seen as inhospitable! Yet Simon didn’t do this for Jesus!
Large jars of water were also kept near the entrance of homes.
45 “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. 46 “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.
After washing a guests feet, a kiss on the cheek or forehead symbolized symbolic act of honor and acceptance. Together, these gestures communicated: “You are welcome here, you are respected, and you belong.” The omission of a kiss was a social insult, signaling neglect of basic hospitality. Simon didn’t offer this either.
In Jesus’ day, “anointing the head with oil” meant refreshing and honoring a guest. Like offering water for feet or a kiss of greeting anointing the head with oil was a normal courtesy. Simon’s failure to do this highlighted his lack of respect.
47 “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
Again, like the lame man the four men broke through the roof to get him to Yeshua to be healed, he speaks as God, forgiving her.
48 Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” 49 And those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Again, the word faith in the Greek is “pee-stees” and means we trust in God’s ability to fulfill His promises. And such faith will save or deliver anyone when they choose to trust God’s word on how one is born-again. The initial response is an outward expression of love and devotion to Jesus. It’s not like some denominations that say our faith is supposed to be private but in reality it is quite willing to express itself publically and without shame.
So this narrative offer us a huge lesson. There is a huge trap for those who are involved in religion most of their lives. How did Simon miss his moment to really know Yeshua?
In the first century, Pharisee children were raised to become guardians of tradition and interpreters of the law, with their daily lives revolving around faith, discipline, and community leadership rather than wealth or leisure. While some Pharisees had money or property, their identity was rooted in religious authority and scholarship, not wealth.
That was the Sadduccees who because of their priestly lineage to Zadok and wealth, they had the political authority.
So imagine growing up always assuming you are chosen by God, a follower of Torah and avoiding sin. They do everything right so in their minds “they’re self-righteous”. Luke 18 gives a perfect illustration of a Pharisee - “He prays to himself saying ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
“But the tax collector, is like this weeping woman standing some distance away, unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
So the lesson is quite simple - We can love little or love much?
How will we know?
Simon - religious - reasonable - willing to serve God
The woman - prostitute - sinful - but took the risk to repent publically
You see Simon was apparently a nice guy but he was indifferent to Jesus in the way he “invited Him” to his home.
He did not show common hospitality. We don’t know why but Simon probably wanted to debate and analyze more than accept who Jesus was. He loved little.
This unnamed woman took a risk and sat at Yeshua’s feet weeping, repentant and her tears were combined with this expensive perfume and she kissed his feet
