The difference between £20,000 and £2,000 is not a difference in the degree of guilt. If I keep the Highway Code all my life and on just one occasion am caught for speeding, I am guilty and incur the weight of the Law. The two amounts represent a difference in their sense of guilt.
The woman was not more lost than the Pharisee. She only
sensed her guilt and need for mercy far more than Simon did. She was simply
more desperate and therefore more grateful. It is interesting that in the Bible,
the people who walked closest to the Lord were the people most aware of their
sinfulness. Abraham, for example, considered himself "but dust and ashes" (Gen.
18:27). Ezra, the godly scribe, prayed, "0 my God, I am ashamed and blush to
lift up my face" (Ezra 9:6). Peter fell to his knees and begged the Lord, "Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8), and when the Apostle John saw the
glorified Christ, he fell at His feet as though he were a dead man (Rev. 1:17).
The Apostle Paul called himself the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Simon the
Pharisee did not recognise his own need of forgiveness, nor that the behaviour
of this woman demonstrated her own. Jesus realised what Simon was thinking so
he told those at the dinner table a story about two men who were both in debt.
He would let Simon treat the woman in this way. Forgiveness
is needed by all.
2. Forgiveness is the Gracious Gift of
God (7:40-43)
Forgiveness is the greatest miracle God ever performs. Notice
what is involved in this miracle.
2.1 Forgiveness is Only by Grace
The point of the parable was that neither debtor could pay
so the money lender "cancelled the debts of both" (v. 42). This
same word is translated "graciously give" in Romans 8:32 and "freely given"
in I Corinthians 2:12. Forgiveness is not something we may purchase or earn,
because we are bankruptwe have nothing with which to pay. Paul wrote,
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"
(Eph. 2:8). The concept of grace was difficult for the Pharisees
to understand because their religion was based on earning merit through good
works. The Pharisee in another parable boasted of his good character: "God,
I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or
even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I
get." (Luke 18:1112). God is not impressed
by prayers like that. If we are saved it is only by Grace. God's riches at Christ's
expense. Forgiveness is only by grace.
2.2 Forgiveness is Received by Faith
The woman's tears did not save her, for no amount of remorse
or repentance can save us. Unless repentance is joined with faith in Christ,
it leads to even greater guilt and condemnation. This woman had already trusted
in Christ and her actions were a sign of her appreciation. How do we know that?
Because Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven" in 7:48. The tense of the
Greek verb means "They have been forgiven, they are forgiven, and they stand
forgiven." What was it that accomplished this miracle? Jesus said, "Your faith
has saved you." 7: 50. A careless reading of verse 47 would give the false
impression that people are saved by love. But nobody is saved by God's love.
God loves the whole world (John 3:16) and yet the whole world is not saved.
Sinners are saved by grace through faith in
Jesus Christ. It was this woman's faith that saved her. She heard God's
Word ("Come unto Me"), responded to God's invitation, trusted God's Son, and
experienced God's forgiveness. We are not saved by faith in faith either. We
are saved by faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone. Everybody has faith in something.
It may be technology, human progress or ingenuity. It may be their intellect,
inner moral code, their religious beliefs about God. The difference between
a Christian and a non-Christian is not that one has faith and the other does
not. The difference is in the object of faith. When you transfer your
faith to Jesus Christ, it becomes saving faith. Forgiveness
is only by Grace. Forgiveness is received by faith in Jesus.
2.3 Forgiveness is Certain
Jesus gave assurance to this woman twice. She heard Him say
to Simon, "Her sins . . . are forgiven" (v.47), and then He said directly to
her, "Your sins are forgiven" (v. 48). If you had asked her a week later, "How
do you know you are saved?" she would have replied, "Jesus said so." How do
people today know they are saved? The Word of God says so: "These things
have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you
may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Suppose this woman had depended
on her own feelings for assurance. While she was near Jesus, weeping and expressing
her love, she would have felt saved. But a few hours later, when she had calmed
down, and when the tears of joy had stopped, would she have felt the same way?
Probably not. We dare not depend on feelings alone for the assurance of salvation.
If the woman had based her assurance on the words and attitudes of the people
around her she would have had very little assurance. The guests shunned her
and Simon criticized her.
Feelings change, but God's Word never changes. People
make mistakes, but God's Word is always true. The assurance of salvation must
come from the Word of God, witnessed by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:9). Forgiveness
is only by Grace. Forgiveness is received by faith in Jesus. Forgiveness
is Certain.
2.4 Forgiveness is Costly
In the parable of the two debtors, the creditor took a loss.
Since the debtors were bankrupt and he "cancelled
the debts of both," he had to pay the price of their debt. Salvation is free,
but it is not cheap.
It cost Jesus Christ His life on the cross. I doubt
that anyone in that room knew how much it cost Jesus to say to that woman, "Your
sins are forgiven." I wonder if any of them were at Calvary when He said, "Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness
is needed by all. Forgiveness is the gracious gift of God.
3. Forgiveness Results in a Changed Life
(Luke 7:44-50)
The woman's faith in Christ changed her. The condemnation
and terror of the Law did not make her a new person, nor did the religious system
of the Pharisees. It was the grace of God. "Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come." (2 Cor. 5:17) What
are some of the new things that characterised her changed life?
3.1 There is a New Love
The woman was not ashamed to show her love for Christ openly.
People were watching, and some of them were embarrassed,
but she went right on anointing Him and kissing His feet. God displayed His
love for us openly at Calvary (Rom. 5:8), so why should we be timid about openly
showing our love for Him? The woman displayed her love devotedly and sacrificially.
The Greek verbs indicate that she repeatedly anointed His feet, kissed them,
and wiped them with her hair. It was not a quick once-and-for-all action, like
a nervous teenager kissing his grandmother goodbye! No doubt the ointment was
expensive she did not give Him something that cost her nothing.
She had not received cheap forgiveness and she did
not bring cheap worship. It is worth noting that this woman devoted to Christ
all that previously she had used for sin. The harlot used kisses, beauty, and
spices to lead men into sin (Prov. 7:6), but the forgiven woman gave all of
these to her Saviour. There is a new love.
3.2 There is a New Freedom
The Lord sent the woman away, free from her past. "Your
sins are forgiven" The people, and presumably Simon the Pharisee also questioned
Jesus right to say these words. He may have invited Jesus into his house but
she had invited Jesus into her heart. Simon was still
therefore a slave of his religious system. She was free. "So
if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
(John 8:36). Forgiveness brings a new love
and a new freedom.
3.3 There is a New Peace
Because she was forgiven, this woman had peace with God.
Jesus said, "Your faith has saved you, go in peace" (v. 50). The Apostle Paul,
another former Pharisee understood this when he confessed, "Therefore, being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Rom. 5:1). Literally, Jesus said to the woman, "Go into peace."
It is as though peace was the realm into which she walked and now would live
day by day. Grace and faith lead to peace, and peace is the atmosphere we breathe
as children of God. Jesus Christ said "Go into peace." He speaks that same word
to you if you have already or will today trust Him for salvation. The woman
went out a changed person. Simon the Pharisee could have too but it seems he
missed his opportunity. His problem was spiritual blindness. We can see
that in the way he viewed himself and in the way he treated Jesus and the woman.
First, Simon did not see himself as God saw him. He thought he was a
righteous person, acceptable to God, when in reality he was bankrupt and condemned.
He saw the sins of other people but could not see his own. He did not even realize
how discourteously he had treated Christ.
Second, Simon really did not see the woman. He saw only her past. Jesus
Christ saw her present and future. Simon saw only the outside, but the Lord
saw her heart.
Third, the basic reason for Simon's blindness though was that he did not really
see the Lord Jesus Christ. He called Him "Teacher"
(7:40), but in his heart was saying, "If this man were a prophet. . ." (7:39).
Only when we have come to know Jesus Christ personally, as both our Lord and
our Saviour, can we ever see ourselves and others as God sees us. And when we
do, we will respond as this women did. In thankfulness for God's grace, our
forgiveness, his love, freedom and peace.
I am grateful to Warren Wersbie (Luke: Be Compassionate) and Robert Walker (Politically Correct Parables) for material used in this sermon.