Jesus Speaks to Simon While the Woman Weepsby CBPepper
7:45Luke 7:45
Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
At Simon the Pharisee's supper Jesus contrasted the host's failure to give the customary welcoming kiss due so exalted a guest with the repentant woman Mary's unceasing kisses upon His feet from the time He came in. Her continual kisses expressed heartfelt gratitude for pardon, love, devotion, and thorough penitence and humbling for sin, supplying the loving honor Simon failed to show. Simon's omission showed how little he valued the great mercy that had cleansed him and how small his sense of debt and need, and his pride in feeling more righteous than others proved he did not truly love, so Jesus drew the contrast sharply to expose that failure, rebuke self-righteousness, and commend her fitting return of love. Love for God depends on clear and full conviction of sin by the law, for a self-righteous heart that does not see its own deformity cannot truly love Christ, but the humble soul awake to its peril sees His spotless beauty, grows more grateful for deliverance, and expresses that gratitude in loving words and deeds.
Setting and Custom
The scene is the supper at the house of Simon the Pharisee. Jesus accepted invitations to feasts and meals with Pharisees and publicans, and in accepting Simon's invitation He drew near to the rich and cultured in their lives and interests in order to reach their hearts and reveal to them imperishable riches. He used such occasions to teach lessons suited to His hearers, and by His conduct there He modeled for His disciples how to behave in company with both religious and nonreligious people.
At that house He taught truth with tact in a way that touched the heart. His presence and generous conduct gave those present opportunity to know His character and to see its contrast with narrow, self-righteous judgments. In that setting Simon himself acknowledged that the one forgiven most loves most.
A kiss was the customary welcome and greeting, the proper regard and courtesy due to so exalted a guest upon entering. Simon gave Jesus no such greeting kiss when He entered, showing neglect, lack of regard and unbelief, and only formal hospitality with a limited sense of obligation. But the woman had not ceased to kiss His feet continually from the time He came in, with repeated, constant and persistent affection supplying the loving honor Simon failed to show. Jesus set this contrast sharply before Simon to expose his failure to recognize his debt and the depth of forgiveness, and to turn him toward humility.
Contrasting Gratitude and Neglect
The woman who would not stop kissing the feet of Jesus was Mary, identified as Mary Magdalene, a poor and sorrowful woman whose repentance led to her pardon, and that pardon stands as an example of care for women. Jesus esteemed her more highly than Simon the Pharisee.
Her continual kisses from the time He entered expressed heartfelt gratitude and love, devotion and care, and thorough penitence and humbling for sin. They showed how she prized pardoning mercy, with gratitude and love ready to sacrifice all and with no doubt of His divine power. Her repeated acts supplied the loving service and honor that Simon's formal hospitality did not show, honoring Jesus with continued affection while the Pharisee's conduct failed to show such honor. Her attention stood in direct contrast with Simon's neglect and limited sense of obligation.
Simon's omission of the greeting kiss showed how little he valued the mercy he had received and his small sense of obligation and need. Though his forgiven sins were great, he had been cleansed from sin and leprosy by his Benefactor and miracle-worker, yet he thought his invitation itself was marked respect. He therefore neglected the proper regard due to so exalted a guest, the respect and love that casts out unbelief, and his lack of regard revealed unbelief. The contrast exposes not a lesser need for forgiveness but a small sense of need and obligation.
Simon thought he loved Jesus, but his pride in feeling more righteous than others and his self-righteousness proved he did not truly love Him. Jesus drew the contrast between no kiss and unceasing kisses sharply to expose Simon's failure to recognize his debt and the depth of forgiveness. He did so to rebuke such pride, to lead Simon toward humility, and to encourage and highly commend heartfelt acts of courtesy as the fitting return of love to Him.
Doctrine and Application
The measure of love for God is set by the clearness and fullness of conviction of sin, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. True love for Christ can never live in a self-righteous heart that does not see its own deformity and sinfulness in the light of the law of God. When fully awakened to its own sinfulness, the humble soul beholds the spotless character and beauty of Jesus and truly appreciates Christ. The more clearly are seen the perils to which sin exposed the soul, the more grateful the heart becomes for deliverance.
Gratitude to Christ is not to remain inward and unspoken but is to be expressed outwardly. Such expression is to take the form of loving words that acknowledge mercy received. It is also to take the form of loving deeds of devotion and care.
The contrast between continual loving attention and the host's failure to show even ordinary care becomes a pattern for judging failure to honor Christ through care and devotion. Those who withhold such care and devotion repeat the neglect shown at the supper. This failure is seen especially in rejecting or mistreating His messengers, which is itself a failure to honor Him.
At Simon the Pharisee's supper Jesus contrasted the host's failure to give the customary welcoming kiss due so exalted a guest with the repentant woman Mary's unceasing kisses upon His feet from the time He came in. Her continual kisses expressed heartfelt gratitude for pardon, love, devotion, and thorough penitence and humbling for sin, supplying the loving honor Simon failed to show. Simon's omission showed how little he valued the great mercy that had cleansed him and how small his sense of debt and need, and his pride in feeling more righteous than others proved he did not truly love, so Jesus drew the contrast sharply to expose that failure, rebuke self-righteousness, and commend her fitting return of love. Love for God depends on clear and full conviction of sin by the law, for a self-righteous heart that does not see its own deformity cannot truly love Christ, but the humble soul awake to its peril sees His spotless beauty, grows more grateful for deliverance, and expresses that gratitude in loving words and deeds.
Setting and Custom
The scene is the supper at the house of Simon the Pharisee. Jesus accepted invitations to feasts and meals with Pharisees and publicans, and in accepting Simon's invitation He drew near to the rich and cultured in their lives and interests in order to reach their hearts and reveal to them imperishable riches. He used such occasions to teach lessons suited to His hearers, and by His conduct there He modeled for His disciples how to behave in company with both religious and nonreligious people.
At that house He taught truth with tact in a way that touched the heart. His presence and generous conduct gave those present opportunity to know His character and to see its contrast with narrow, self-righteous judgments. In that setting Simon himself acknowledged that the one forgiven most loves most.
A kiss was the customary welcome and greeting, the proper regard and courtesy due to so exalted a guest upon entering. Simon gave Jesus no such greeting kiss when He entered, showing neglect, lack of regard and unbelief, and only formal hospitality with a limited sense of obligation. But the woman had not ceased to kiss His feet continually from the time He came in, with repeated, constant and persistent affection supplying the loving honor Simon failed to show. Jesus set this contrast sharply before Simon to expose his failure to recognize his debt and the depth of forgiveness, and to turn him toward humility.
Contrasting Gratitude and Neglect
The woman who would not stop kissing the feet of Jesus was Mary, identified as Mary Magdalene, a poor and sorrowful woman whose repentance led to her pardon, and that pardon stands as an example of care for women. Jesus esteemed her more highly than Simon the Pharisee.
Her continual kisses from the time He entered expressed heartfelt gratitude and love, devotion and care, and thorough penitence and humbling for sin. They showed how she prized pardoning mercy, with gratitude and love ready to sacrifice all and with no doubt of His divine power. Her repeated acts supplied the loving service and honor that Simon's formal hospitality did not show, honoring Jesus with continued affection while the Pharisee's conduct failed to show such honor. Her attention stood in direct contrast with Simon's neglect and limited sense of obligation.
Simon's omission of the greeting kiss showed how little he valued the mercy he had received and his small sense of obligation and need. Though his forgiven sins were great, he had been cleansed from sin and leprosy by his Benefactor and miracle-worker, yet he thought his invitation itself was marked respect. He therefore neglected the proper regard due to so exalted a guest, the respect and love that casts out unbelief, and his lack of regard revealed unbelief. The contrast exposes not a lesser need for forgiveness but a small sense of need and obligation.
Simon thought he loved Jesus, but his pride in feeling more righteous than others and his self-righteousness proved he did not truly love Him. Jesus drew the contrast between no kiss and unceasing kisses sharply to expose Simon's failure to recognize his debt and the depth of forgiveness. He did so to rebuke such pride, to lead Simon toward humility, and to encourage and highly commend heartfelt acts of courtesy as the fitting return of love to Him.
Doctrine and Application
The measure of love for God is set by the clearness and fullness of conviction of sin, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. True love for Christ can never live in a self-righteous heart that does not see its own deformity and sinfulness in the light of the law of God. When fully awakened to its own sinfulness, the humble soul beholds the spotless character and beauty of Jesus and truly appreciates Christ. The more clearly are seen the perils to which sin exposed the soul, the more grateful the heart becomes for deliverance.
Gratitude to Christ is not to remain inward and unspoken but is to be expressed outwardly. Such expression is to take the form of loving words that acknowledge mercy received. It is also to take the form of loving deeds of devotion and care.
The contrast between continual loving attention and the host's failure to show even ordinary care becomes a pattern for judging failure to honor Christ through care and devotion. Those who withhold such care and devotion repeat the neglect shown at the supper. This failure is seen especially in rejecting or mistreating His messengers, which is itself a failure to honor Him.