Luke 7:36
And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
Luke 7:36 opens the account of a meal at the Pharisee Simon's house, where Simon invites Jesus to eat and Jesus enters the house and sits down to eat. The host is Simon of Bethany, a Pharisee healed of leprosy who was drawn to Jesus by that healing. He had openly joined His followers and acknowledged Him as a teacher, and from gratitude he held a feast for Jesus and His disciples, while still only hoping He might be the Messiah without accepting Him as Saviour and without a transformed character.
Jesus' acceptance shows His genial and beneficent character and deliberate mission to seek the company of wealthy and influential people. He joined ordinary social gatherings, attended their feasts, and took interest in their lives in order to reach their hearts and reveal imperishable riches. By His presence He gave them opportunity to become acquainted with Him and know His character. Going into the Pharisee's house was not worldly conformity or approval of error but liberal mercy, refusing seclusion and self-righteous bigotry and giving no excuse for Pharisaical preeminence.
By His presence, precious teachings, and generous conduct He won the hearts of those who honored Him. He thereby revealed the marked contrast between His life and teachings and the spying, condemning, bigoted, and selfish ideas of salvation held by Pharisees who blamed every move not in harmony with their rules. Without adopting the usual conversation of such gatherings, Jesus used the dinner to give lessons suited to the needs of His hearers. He taught with tact and made truth clear and compelling rather than forcing belief, and thereby taught His disciples by example how to conduct themselves among both religious and nonreligious people.
At this meal He pardoned Mary Magdalene, showing Himself as a friend of women who is ready to help and forgive. The setting contrasts outward hospitality with the humility, love, and gratitude that follow forgiveness, since Simon felt superior to the sinful woman who came to Jesus and failed to show Jesus the care due an honored guest, while the woman's loving attention showed gratitude for mercy. Simon thought he loved Jesus, but his love was self-righteous and false, and it was exposed when Jesus honored a poor, sorrowful, repentant woman above him, showing that true love for Christ can never dwell in a self-righteous heart.
Not to see one's own deformity and sinfulness is not to see the beauty of Christ's spotless character, so the more humble the view of self the more clearly Jesus is seen and appreciated. The degree of love for God depends on the clearness and fullness of conviction of sin learned by the law and on seeing the perils sin brings and gratitude for deliverance. Jesus exposed Simon's neglect and unbelief but corrected him with patient kindness rather than public denunciation. Leading him with tact, He brought him to recognize that the one forgiven more loves more and that Christ must love most the person He forgave most, so that Simon recognized the greatness of his debt to Jesus, repented, and became humble and self-sacrificing.