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The church of the 21rst Century has become very much like Simon the Pharisee. We have invited Jesus to sat at meat with us without worshipping Him while in contrast a rank sinner lavished love, adoration and praise upon Him. We are either identified with the Pharisee or the sinner. Most will quickly say "well I'm certainly not a sinner," which is the attitude most in the church take today. If we are not this sinner woman, then that makes us the Pharisee. We are one or the other. Jesus' heart is toward the "sinners" of us who have been broken like this woman who had nothing to bring but her tears, her glory, her praise and her service. If we are going to partake of HIM, we must worship Him as she did and not just invite Him to our "gatherings" as Simon did. She didn't leave a sinner upon touching Jesus- she left redeemed by her faith and forgiven! By Chris McDonald TEXT: Luke 7:36-42 - 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. [37] And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, [38] And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. [39] Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him: for she is a sinner. [40] And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said, Master, say on. The story of Simon the Pharisee and the woman in Luke 7 took place towards the beginning of the Lord's ministry. Israel had not yet hardened her heart totally at this time but the anger and unbelief of the religious elite of her day was already in full swing. This story would illustrate that unbelief and religious resistance to the max. While not reaching a state of total positive hostility, the actions of the woman and Christ this day would draw the attention of a smug Pharisee who would be part of those who would eventually label Christ a blasphemer and enemy of Israel. It's interesting that the Holy Spirit left the woman nameless but named Simon the Pharisee in the story. When one reads this story it's very easy to quickly identify with Simon the Pharisee while one would be hard pressed to get anyone to identify at first or admit for that matter they are in the sinner. Yet the Holy Spirit through Luke records one of the most powerful messages of Christ to the church as to His mission and call to this Earth found anywhere in the Word of God. Some in the hyper-faith movement declare we should never call ourselves "sinners saved by grace" but instead boast and pridefully declare we are the "righteousness of Christ." While both statements are true it's the spirit in which many of these hyper faith teachers proclaim it that mirrors the smugness and self-righteousness of Simon. We're not here today to argue theology with the reader in this journal; We're here to ask some serious questions about the depth of our passion and love for our Lord and as an outgrowth of that love - our love to other people, even those not in the Kingdom of God. This story told by Luke is simply about a sinner woman and a Pharisee. If you wish to identify with this sinner woman then you and I are in the same boat. I gladly identify with her and I'll get more into that in a second. Yet if one is too proud to identify with this sinner then there's a good chance one has by that decision chosen to identify themselves with the Pharisee. The Pharisees Desired Him That Jesus Would Eat With Them 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 The Bible says Simon the Pharisees desired Him to eat with him. Jesus didn't turn down the invitation to the Pharisee's house even though even at this point in His earthly ministry they had been one of His worst critics and condemners. I can't help but believe Jesus knew before hand what would take place in the house of Simon. This took place in the city of Nain shortly after Jesus had raised the widow's son from the dead. The term "sat down to meat" indicated that Jesus was given no prominent place at the table, and as stated, that He had to find seating for Himself. It is quite possible that Simon the Pharisee knew he was watched this day and that among his guests were men who would report his every action towards Jesus to the hierarchy of Israel and thus his cold, callous and self-righteous attitude toward Jesus was because of the fear of man and not the fear of God. One must understand that in those days the meals were not undertaking in the modern manner of sitting on a chair at a table but rather reclining on a couch, with one's elbows on the table, and his feet, unsandaled, stretched out on the couch behind. Meals were meant in those days to be times of relaxation, enjoyment and fellowship not merely times of satisfying hunger. So, the insult tendered toward Christ by this Pharisee's neglect of his guest, was of far greater degree than mere lack of courtesy. Hear what I say to you today. Self-righteous people always will invite Jesus to their house for show and position but then turn and insult Him by ignoring His place, position and authority in their lives and church services! The modern church does the same. We put Jesus' name our songs, our hymnbooks, our lyrics, our choruses, our messages, our Sunday school lessons, our bulletins. Some churches use His name as part of theirs to make sure people know that Jesus has been invited to their church or effort. As this story unfolds we will see that even though Simon invited Jesus to his house, he was not the least bit courteous or gracious to the Son of God. One, because he did not believe Jesus was the Messiah and two, I believe, was just a smugness in general that is a tell-tale sign of all Pharisees and the self-righteous. I want that last statement to sink in a minute. If there was ever a time when we needed to be humble in the church it is now. Yet it seems that at no other time in church history are we more smug, arrogant and proud. When we judge others harshly we had better get boomerang insurance because it's coming home to roost. I just hold my head down and shake it in remorse sometimes when I think about the people the Lord put in my path during those years who I probably offended and hurt by my arrogance and pride. I missed a great deal of opportunity to minister the love of Jesus to them because of my self-righteousness. I'm not an "expert" on ministry. There are those who are reading this who have been in ministry a million years longer than me so I'm not writing this out of a superior, "know-it-all" attitude or a Monday morning quarterback attitude. I know the ministry itself is a calling and Satan fights that calling at times in our lives constantly. Those on the front lines of ministry are also on the front lines of battle. Furthermore, the ones with greater exposure on a national level fight even greater devils. Satan sends evil spirits to sidetrack us and get us puffed up and prideful to blind us from the true calling of grace which is really what ministry is - LOVING PEOPLE WITH grace mercy and the love of Jesus. It's not about preaching and teaching even though that may be a part of it. It's about pouring water on the hands of those we serve and washing their feet if needed. The enemy knows too well that by attacking a man of God he has greater opportunity and access to attack multitudes of people because the leader he is attacking usually has people under his authority and leadership who will inevitably be affected if the leader gets off track. I know there are days when every demon in hell comes against the man of God and very few can understand the fight in the SPIRIT realm we go through except fellow ministers. There is a higher level of battle and a higher level of accountability toward God as well. That's why James almost BEGS those reading his epistle to NOT seek leadership. It's not for the faint at heart; it's for the sold out heart at all costs. Having said that I want to say this. Before the church here in America has revival there must be repentance of pride, arrogance and smugness among the ministry and the laity. There needs to be a humbling of our attitudes toward God and a breaking inside of the PRIDE and ARROGANCE that is keeping God away. One of the three original temptations in the Garden of Eden was about pride. Satan told Eve, "you will be as gods," if you partake and eat of the fruit the Lord forbid you to eat. That appealed to Eve's pride and the same lie appeals to our pride today. Ministry used to be defined as how we poured our lives into the lives of others and gave of our time, money and resources for the Kingdom! Today, all we do is seek to build bigger buildings, build bigger ministries, have bigger television audiences, make bigger names for ourselves. We know in the modern 21rst Century church the exact thing Simon knew in this story - IF WE INVITE JESUS TO BE PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IT WILL ADD PRESTIGE AND LEGITIMACY to our ministries in the eyes of the people we are trying to gather into our "GROUP." And that feeling pervades in the pews too. Those who attend our churches want Jesus to come and be there in name so it will feel like church. We want His name mentioned in our Sunday school lessons, our sermons, our songs, etc. But when it comes to becoming intimately passionate TO JESUS and worshiping JESUS that becomes a different story just as it did so long ago in the house of Simon. We Need Divine Revelation To Face The Days Ahead Before I dive into this narrative I want to interject this because it is very relevant to what I am writing. THE CHURCH NEEDS DIVINE HELP FOR NOT JUST THE PRESENT HOUR BUT THE DAYS AHEAD. There is absolutely NO WAY we will be able to survive what is about to transpire here on EARTH without our Heavenly Bridegroom directing us and speaking to us and being AMONG US as He was among those seven candlesticks in John's visions of the end times. We need HIM. We just don't need a little dab of His acceptance of what we're doing in our churches, we need HIM to be IN OUR CHURCHES every Sunday. There is a big difference which I will deal with in a moment with those who know about Jesus and those who KNOW and EMBRACE Jesus in His authority, power and grace. One can know about Jesus and be lost and on their way to hell. Wrath and judgment are coming. Harvest is coming. Both will affect everyone reading this article right now. Both will cause two things-a pulling TO God and a falling away FROM GOD - both in the ministry and the laity. God gives GRACE to the HUMBLE, but He resists the proud. Our PRIDE must go! We are too proud to allow the HOLY SPIRIT just come in and yank the controls out from underneath us and take over our people, our services and our church. Most pastors have had such an egotistical outlook on their churches for so long they have become detached from their sheep and even more sadly, detached from GOD. It just amazes me how pastors had made themselves so "inaccessible" to their people simply because of their "name." Friend the very SON OF GOD, the one who CREATED the universe was the most accessible minister in the entirety of the human race. JESUS NEVER CARRIED A SCHEDULE BOOK AROUND! He went aside for seasons to rest and get renewed but when He came back from those seasons, He moved in the power of the HOLY SPIRIT and ministered to multitudes. And preacher friend, you may brag to others of how much "revival" your church is experiencing but believe me when God shows up at a church there is not HOOPLA, there is BROKENNESS AND REPENTANCE on such a level people are not boasting, they are prostrate on the floors weeping, begging God to deliver them from their condition. That's the humility God is looking for today to move in America. That's what is at stake. That is the gauntlet. That is the key to this country's existence because if America as a nation doesn't repent she is going to be destroyed. But before we as the church can decree and cry out for national repentance we must repent ourselves! We must humble ourselves as this sinner did in this story recorded by Luke and honor and adore and lavish the SON OF GOD with our praises, our service and our love. That's what He is looking for. So many come to church to "get something from God." We hold revival "meetings" hoping the evangelist will wave a magic wand and make us all good and perfect, meet all our needs, end our problems and send us home squeaky clean Christians. Friend, that is NOT going to happen. When we come to church, our experience should be one of ministering TO THE LORD. It's His house! And we need to treat our Lord with more respect and LOVE than we do. He's not Santa Claus, He's GOD. He's not a bellboy we can just snap our fingers and demand to go fetch our bags and blessings. We can't just come to church and talk about "blessings, blessings, blessings," all the time. What about "we're undone, we're undone, we're undone, we're undone!" When's the last time we've come to church and just stopped everything we were doing and just fell on our faces and cried out to God to deliver us from ourselves? When's the last time we've shed tears over the lost outside our walls? I tell you what we do. We SMUGLY get behind our pulpits and proclaim that everyone in our church is ok and "that world" out there needs Jesus. FRIEND, IT'S NOT JUST THAT 'WORLD' OUR THERE THAT NEEDS JESUS, THE CHURCH NEEDS JESUS! THE CHURCH NEEDS A FRESH REVELATION OF JESUS. THE CHURCH NEEDS A TOUCH FROM on HIGH! THE CHURCH NEEDS TO BE SET FREE FROM LEGALISM AND LETHARGY. IT NEEDS TO BE DELIVERED FROM THE POWERS OF JEZEBEL AND THE WHOREDOMS OF IDOLATRY that have crept in and kept our hearts cold and calloused instead of on fire for a loving God. Let me tell you this - if the "church" at large don't get its collective act together soon, God is going to jump right over us and go into every bar in America and just start having revival right there. He's tired of being invited to our churches to "sit at meat," and not be adored, worshiped and lavishly loved on! He's hurt! Tommy Tenney puts is very well when he says, "its dangerous for us to be led by our 'number-crunching' intellect because we can over-analyze (miss) the purposes and causes of God we will end up like the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes who missed their hour of visitation." Friend, the church in THIS GENERATION cannot afford to do that! Too much is at stake. The harvest is at the door. Souls are in the balance and if we miss out God will still have the harvest, we will be the ones who will lose out though in eternity! People are sick of the manipulation and HYPE we shovel them every Sunday. They long to be in the LAP OF GOD. They long to just sit in their Father's lap and intimately tell Him how much they love Him and hear Him tell them back how much He loves them. God wants to reintroduce Himself to HIS CHURCH! He wants us to get reacquainted with HIM! He doesn't care how messy it gets when this happens. He wants to be intimate with US! And on this day in eternity, at a Pharisee's house, there was a woman who marked the road to this intimacy with her tears and dismantled her glory for the Lord. I'm sure the towns folks called her a sinner (or probably worse) and the church folks were probably harder than the towns folks. (CAN I SAY AND INTERJECT SOMETHING HERE - WHY IS IT THE CAB DRIVER WHO DOESN'T KNOW GOD HAVE MORE COMPASSION ON THOSE WHO ARE FALLEN THAN PREACHERS AND THE CHURCH??? THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION!) But she touched something in the heart of Jesus on this day by her humility that made Him respond to her and to the Pharisee at large; this lesson is one we as the church need to learn for this hour. A Woman Who Was A Sinner Luke 7:37 - And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, Who this woman was, we are not told, and it really does not matter as the Holy Spirit deemed it of little significance by not naming her. In addition, what "type" of sinner she was or what she was involved in was of no consequence either to the Holy Spirit. It is interesting to note that in the modern church world, these things seem to be of great consequence and important, but to God all that is important is the heart. From the way Luke describes her she evidently was someone known throughout the city of Nain, with her lifestyle being one of shame. It's a miracle this woman made it to see Jesus to be honest. I can't imagine the courage that she must have had to first seek out where the Lord Jesus was at meat, and then to be brave enough to go into the Pharisee's house and just stand there before the Creator of the Universe. That took courage. And I'm sure it took her going through some very very ugly comments from those she asked seeking Jesus. You know it's a real shame the church is very much the same today. You see the woman's situation is the same the world over. The world in general with no exceptions is hungry for God. There is something in the soul of mankind that thirsts for GOD. That's the way God created us. He put HIMSELF in us so that the only thing that would satisfy us would be HIM. Immorality, drugs, alcohol, money, greed, material things, are NO SUBSTITUTE for the living water only Jesus can give. This woman was no different. Those steeped in darkness in the clutches of Islam are human beings who are thirsty and seeking answers to why they are on earth. They think the Koran has the answer and obeying Mohammed promises eternal life but all they do is out of a deep cry to find GOD. The violence our country experienced was done at the hands of men who literally thought flying planes into buildings would bring them heaven. They are in need of LIGHT. They are in need of Jesus. Many others turn to drugs and other deadly habits in an effort to satisfy this craving. Satan has always sought to feed man the lie that fleshly gratification and lust will satisfy man's thirst for God. Man always pay a high price for this delusion including eternal separation from God if he doesn't repent. Regardless of WHAT a person does it's still an effort on their part to find God. That's why the occult and psychic hotlines have become a five-billion dollar industry. People are wanting answers. And no matter WHAT this woman had done to have received the label of "sinner," she came looking for Jesus and was ready to endure any score, ridicule, laughter, sneers, jeers or worse, just to have a moment in eternity with the one she had heard about evidently. Get this picture for a second. I mean friend, this is what everything in life period is all about. You have a Pharisee in the house who has invited Jesus to his house for mainly show, yet he is a religious as religious can be. He probably has never smoked a cigarette, never cheated on his taxes or his wife, never stole a dollar, never said a cuss word, never lost his temper and is well-respected, affluent among the town of Jerusalem. Then all of a sudden in comes a woman who felt so much shame, so much remorse, so much hurt she stood behind the Lord weeping. Hear what this writer says to you today. The world MUST know and hear about Jesus who is THE Sinner's only answer! Jesus is the only answer to the drug problem in America which now topples $2.5 BILLION annually in sales and profit. The pornography industry in this nation brings in another 1-2 billion dollars annually yet no matter what humanistic efforts are pushed to stop the spread of such - there is only one answer and that answer is Jesus Christ! The priority of God and the priority of HEAVEN is the taking of the Word of God to the entirety of the world. Nothing must stand in the way of this all important task but so much does stand in the way of that today. The Holy Spirit through Paul declares "HOW SHALL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER?? and HOW SHALL THEY PREACH except they be sent?"! (Romans 10:14-15). I don't know how this woman heard about Jesus but hear about Jesus she did and she recognized He was her answer! And as a result two people - a Pharisee and a sinner - both found themselves in the presence of Jesus with two totally different perspectives of the Master. Brought an Alabaster Box of Ointment 7:37c - When she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house...brought an alabaster box of ointment... When this sinner woman KNEW that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, she went out and bought the most precious of ointments. That ointment represented her thankfulness for who the Lord WAS, NOT for what He had done for her. As of this moment, He had not done ANYTHING for her. That is the attitude that is choking us here in the church. We are seeking the Lord for what He can DO, instead of just loving Him for WHO HE IS. When we see HIS HEART instead of HIS HAND, we will spare NO EXPENSE for our worship. We will spare no expense for our praise. We will be as the widow woman and GIVE IT ALL! We won't hold back. We won't second guess whether God is speaking to us about giving that extra $100 to the Kingdom. No, no, no! We won't be worried about the COST, we'll be passionately concerned about the CHRIST. It is said that this type of ointment was very expensive, and much used by wealthy Roman ladies. What the cost represented to this woman was not known however, she used it in the holiest of purposes and on the HOLIEST of all! You see sinners always bring the most costly things to Jesus. It's Pharisees that are stingy and criticize those who "go all out" for Jesus. God spared no expense for our redemption and He spares no expense today for His children. To heaven, the price of a soul is greater than any price man can pay. God sees greater value in a soul than a building. In His kingdom, PEOPLE ARE the building. I don't know the price she paid for the ointment but to her it was worth it to be able to minister to Jesus. Remember this fact; broken, humble "sinner" people rarely see anything as too costly to them worship the One who redeemed with. They are always quick to offer sacrifice to the Lord of Glory.
That alabaster box
of ointment was not cheap. Sinners never bring anything cheap to Jesus when they
meet Him face to face. Many of them have realized that the One who has saved
them is worthy of ALL praise and glory and NOTHING is too expensive to lavish
upon Him. Sadly, those of us in the church don't tend to have those same
"values" when it comes to our Savior. This ointment represented the brokenness of this woman's life. She couldn't
bring Jesus a good reputation. She couldn't bring him her financial portfolio.
She couldn't bring Jesus her string of successes. She couldn't bring Jesus her
long list of church affiliations. NO. She was a SINNER, so she could only bring
the ointment. That one in the ghettos, the streets, the brothels, the bars, the insane wards - THEY ARE ALL JUST ALIKE in the sight of God. They are no worse off that some of you reading this who have been Christians for 40 years. Why do I say that? Because in God's sight - all have a SOUL. And on that basis all are just the same. There are no exceptions to the requirements to inherit eternal life. The rules apply to all the same way. We must come through the CROSS! We must come through Jesus, the one who SAT AT MEAT this day in the home of Simon the Pharisee. You see religion separates you from the sinner man but it also separates you from GOD! And Stood At His Feet Weeping... Luke 7:38 - And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment She stands at His feet behind Him weeping, representing an act of Repentance. She had been brought under conviction for her sinful lifestyle and sensing that HE had the answer to the craving in her heart, which her sin had never satisfied, and in fact could never satisfy, she now seeks out Jesus, determined to approach Him at any cost.
In these Oriental feasts in those days, the houses were left open, and uninvited guests and strangers frequently passed in through the open courtyard into the guest-chamber, and looked on. In addition, there was a great class distinction in society, and for certain individuals, such as Simon the Pharisee, who was not doubt wealthy, to have the lower class stand at a respectable distance, observing the opulence and wealth which was at times employed on these occasions, was a matter a pride. These onlookers would then go out and tell others how grand and glorious such an occasion was, which boosted the reputation of one such as Simon. For this woman to break protocol, in fact, coming into the very dining hall itself, standing at the feet of Jesus, weeping, portrayed her heart and her need for God. She didn't care what others felt about her - she had to get to Jesus!
You see broken people as this woman see their condition before God and weep when confronted with His presence. She realized that He, and He Alone could change her life. She sensed that which millions have sensed and that Jesus Christ is the GIFT of GOD, and the holder of eternal life! When one truly comes to Christ, it's not some cold, callous intellectual decision, although it certainly does affect the intellect. Accepting Christ goes DEEPER than just the acceptance of knowledge about Him in the mind. IT touches the recesses and deepest parts of one soul!, That is why Paul the Apostle writes in Romans 10:8-10 that one believes with the HEART!
I've not seen too many born again
experiences without tears! Tears are not why we are saved and certainly not a
tell-all sign one has believed but friend when a truly contrite person see themselves as God
sees them and it will break our heart. It will not cause us to laugh, and joke
and make mimic of things but it will cause us to howl and moan over the
barrenness of our hearts. It will NOT cause us to look at our fellow man and
JUDGE him for HIS failures while we sweep our own under the rugs. NO, NO, NO.
There is a power to the tears of the heart.
There is power to the cries of the saints. Today, to hear most of the church talk we don't come anywhere remotely CLOSE to this type declaration or weeping. No, we brag about how great our little group is here or our little group is there. We have no real passion for the lost. The thought of millions, perhaps billions, spending eternity without God in hell doesn't even shake us any more. I remember when I was young and heard a message on hell or the rapture it would scare me to death. Today our young people just sit back and yawn at those messages now. WHY? Because our words are drier than the Arizona desert in July solely because we have not caught a glimpse of HIM and WEPT! Jesus wept many times for the nation of Israel. He prayed for Jerusalem and wept bitterly over her. He cried "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how OFTEN I would have taken you under my wing but YOU WOULD NOT and now your house is left for desolation." How long has it been since we've wept over our nation like that? How long has it been since we have wept over our own heart's condition like that? ...And Began To Wash His Feet With Tears, And Did Wipe Them With The Hairs Of Her Head While her tears spoke of repentance, washing his feet with tears and wiping them with the hairs of her head was a token of subjection and obedience. begins to then take the tears of her brokenness and washes his feet with tears. After this she kneels down further and wipes the Lord's feet with her head. You see all of these "acts" were acts of WORSHIP. Her hair and hands were "tools" perhaps of her trade perhaps if she was a prostitute. Even if she was not such, now since she met the Lord, she was using those same tools to WORSHIP HIM! She was using these same tools to bring GLORY to HIM. She removed her own glory for HIS. Get that? I want to let that sink in. SHE REMOVED AND LET DOWN HER OWN GLORY FOR HIS GLORY! And that is the sin of the 21rst Century Church. We have refused to stop seeking our own glory for HIS. Jesus said that a man who seeks his own glory is corrupted by that pursuit. How corrupt are we in the modern church with that in mind? Should we ask ourselves in the modern church whether or not the things we do are for HIM or for US? That's a sobering question but one that needs to be asked. This sinner woman didn't have a motive or an agenda. She was a sinner. She had nothing to be proud of - yet she WORSHIPPED HIM. It is stated that this was a custom among the Jews, Greeks, and Romans. It was a mark of affection and reverence. It was practiced by supplicants in making an important request and by conquered people as a token of subjection and obedience. So, by this act, she was telling Jesus that she yielded to his Mastery, in effect, accepting Him as the Messiah. He was not His Lord and Master but in a way that she had never known before. Slaves, at times, did this to their Master so, in effect, she was telling Jesus that because of what He had done for her, she would be HIS slave (Love) for here forward. Paul in essence did the same thing (Eph. 3:1) This was done in her heart, with yet NO WORDS having been passed between the woman and Jesus. Luke 7:38d - ....and anointed them with the ointment In those days, and at such a gathering the duty of the HOST was to assign someone to wash the feet of the guests. Most roads were unpaved and with most wearing little more than sandals their feet became dirty. Upon coming to a gathering of this nature, immediately upon entering the house, the person assigned this task was to remove the sandals from the feet of the guest and then wash the feet of the dust and grime of the road. The insult tendered toward Christ by Simon the Pharisee, ignored Jesus in this respect, with no on washing HIS feet. Consequently, the Holy Spirit would attend to this common courtesy ignored by Simon, causing Jesus' Feet to be washed with the tears of this woman, and then "anointed." Some evidence exists in historical narratives that Simon's other guests were not treated as harshly by the Pharisee. But a sinner woman took it upon herself to lavish service, worship, adoration and love upon the Son of God. As one commentator wrote, "and as a sinner washed and anointed His feet, likewise sinners gave Him the only crown He wore - a crown of thorns. " The sinner woman had no reason NOT to worship Him. She knew what she had done and how much forgiveness and love this Man had to whom she was lavishing her worship and love upon. Simon on the other hand had every reason TO worship Jesus and he just sits there without moving and doing anything. We come to church on Sunday and sit there like a knot on a log and just stare the preacher down daring him to say something to "stir" us. Dear God we don't need to be sitting there like a knot on the log. We have a REASON to rejoice and WORSHIP OUR LORD! Glory to God. I mean friend if He has saved you like He has saved ME YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SIT STILL without falling on your face and thanking HIM! You won't be able to sit still and have no emotion! Some say, "well I'm just not an 'emotional' person." That is so bogus. We are very emotional people - ALL OF US. If someone crosses us or we go to our favorite sporting event believe me some of us act worse than our 3-year olds! If there is a huge sale at the local shopping mall then we get VERY emotional about it. God help the modern church. Some people that attend church now a days sit on their pew so pious and holy and won't clap their hands, raise their hands, or move a muscle when the worship service starts. Some churches are so dead it isn't funny. There is not enough of GOD in most churches to save a fly. There is no conviction, no healings, no passion, no effort to worship Jesus. The modern gospel message has degenerated into a "blessing-club" type message that offers us everything from GOD without calling for a lifestyle where we give EVERYTHING TO GOD! Yet, the question is simple. Is there anything GREATER to get emotional about than our LORD? Is there anyone in the UNIVERSE who is WORTHY of our praise??? Is there anyone in the UNIVERSE who is more WORTHY of our worship and service????? NOOOO! He is WORTHY of ALL PRAISE AND GLORY!! HE IS WORTHY! And a sinner woman saw Him as being WORTHY of her tears, worthy to wash His feet with her tears, worthy of the costly ointment, and worthy of service in anointing His feet with oil Yet SIMON found this disgusting in his eyes and an opportunity to not be a worshipper but a judge. AND RELIGIOUS PEOPLE ALWAYS DO! This Man If He Were A Prophet....Would Have Known Who And What Manner This Woman Who Touches Him Was.......For She Is A Sinner Luke 7:39 - Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him: for she is a sinner. This smug Pharisee watches all of this worship take place over Christ and instead of worshiping Christ with the woman, he smugly says within himself, "this man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him! for she is a sinner!" This self-righteous statement portrays the fact that Simon the Pharisee did not know Jesus and had made up in his mind that Jesus was not the Messiah. The way he sought to link the validity of Jesus was the Lord's handling of the woman. All the things that pointed to Jesus being the Messiah were there and abundantly given in the Old Testament Scriptures - the Psalms and the Prophets. Yet with all the information in the world a smug Pharisee refused to believe while a sinner woman by merely hearing of the miracle of the widow's son at Nain fell on her feet in a moment's time accepting the Lord with all her heart. Israel had envisioned a Messiah who would use his power to overthrow Rome and make them the leading nation inthe world once again, as in the days of Solomon. Their view was contrary to what the Prophets had foretold would happen to the Messiah but the religious elite held it to the proverbial T. And the religious elite of modern Israel still holds out hope that one is coming to do the same. So knowing this man was a peasant from the despised town of Nazareth, in Simon's mind, He simply could not be the Messiah and the fact He would embrace a sinner woman with a reputation a mile long only proved Simon's point to a greater degree. His smug statement judged both Jesus and the woman. Let me tell you this neighbor. Simon was wrong on BOTH counts! Jesus DID know what manner of woman this was and WHO SHE was. We are either this woman or we are Simon. Religion is always untouchable. In its self-righteousness, it wants nothing which will embarrass it. Yet to the contrary, Jesus accepts any and all who come to Him. In reality, which speaks of the Eyes of God, Simon the Pharisee, which the Holy Spirit is very careful to delineate, was in far worse spiritual condition than this poor woman. And yet, this Pharisee had an impeccable reputation in the city, while the reputation of the woman, as is obvious, was not too good to say the least. I'm certain very few people would want to identify themselves with this sinner but she is the type person that Jesus came to earth for. He knew exactly "who and what manner of woman" it was that touched Him. Thank God one day in my past the Lord didn't care "who and what manner a person" I was but He saved me just the same. He delivered me. He set me free from sin. He set me free from bondages in my life. He put my feet on the solid rock. He lifted me up above the shadows. He put a new song in my heart. He forgave me of my past, my sins and my failures. He washed me in His blood. WHY? Because I was a sinner! Because I was worse than this precious "sinner" woman in this story. I want to LAVISH the Lord with my praise. I want to LAVISH the Lord with my tears - a sign and type of brokenness before Him. When I weep before Him it is a sign my dependence to even breath is on Him. I see myself for who I am and then I behold Him for WHO HE IS -that will make you weep! I want to LAVISH my worship and praise upon Him just like this sinner woman lavished her alabaster perfume upon His head. I want to kneel in humble submission to Him and kiss his feet. I want to wash His feet with my tears and dry them with my hair. All of these acts are acts of WORSHIP. When I kneel down in the privacy of my home and lift my hands to him - I'm worshipping HIM! When I open my heart up to His love by communing with Him through prayer, supplication and intimacy - THAT IS WORSHIP. A sinner with the revelation this woman received this day has no problem worshipping God! Jesus Christ would be at home in a bar if His redemptive purposes took Him to the bar to save someone who was lost. He wouldn't be there to partake of the swill, but He wouldn't be intimidated by where He would go to save a soul! And He's not intimidated by where He goes today to save men's souls! Remember this: a sinner woman IMMEDIATELY recognized Jesus for who he was while a religious Pharisee who supposedly knew the Law of God and the prophecies concerning Jesus sat there and was BLIND TO WHO THE LORD WAS AND HIS REDEMPTIVE PURPOSES ON THIS EARTH. You can say "well that was Simon," we are so much more enlightened today than Israel was during those days. Yes we are and that will be our greater judgment. That's why Jesus declared the "publicans and harlots" would enter into the Kingdom quicker than the religious. Many will miss God in this great hour of visitation because of their religious arrogance and spirits. That's why it's easier to see a drunk come to know Jesus than it is a church member. That's why it is easier to have a drug addict who is saved be so fired up for Jesus that cities and nations are changed for the glory of God! The Story of the Pharisee and The Publican Luke 18:9-11 - And He spoke this parable unto certain which trusted themselves that they were righteous and despised others; Two men went up into the Temple to Pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with Himself, God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. Jesus deals with the spirit of Simon in a future parable later in Luke when He would speak of a Pharisee and a publican and describe the twin curse of self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is that which is produced as the result of a works religion. As well, the self-righteous despise others who depend on the grace of God alone. Religion, which is always man-devised, is the most destructive element in the world, and in fact, ever has been. Two men went to the Temple to pray but only ONE would be heard. This tells us that people go to church every Sunday to pray but in reality it is a fruitless exercise. The Pharisees claimed to have believed all the Bible of their day and would have been called the Fundamentalist if you will of their day. While it is certainly not wrong to believe all the Bible, it is so easy to allow one's beliefs of this nature to breed self-righteousness, as sadly, it does in many cases. Simon claimed to be such a one yet he belonged to a group that hated Christ, yet in their own eyes were religious in the sight of God. The Pharisee stood up and said "I thank God" I'm not like the others around me! This is proof as was the proof of Simon's statement that neither knew who God was, or the condition of their own heart! That is a serious statement you need to hear again. The Pharisee smugly pointed to the sins of others but was oblivious to his own condition! Much of the Church operates in this fashion! Someone hot makes one feel superior to point out the sins of others. Or else one's sins do no seem so bad, if they can find worse sins in others, whether real or imagined. From the inference given by Christ, I think it is obvious that none of us have any right to point at someone else, as did this Pharisee. The Lord was displeased and angry at this spirit in the Pharisees of old and HE is angry at the attitude today! Through the writing of Matthew, the Holy Spirit shows heaven's attitude to the self-righteous 1. Pharisees shut of the Kingdom of Heaven against men but neither go in themselves - Matthew 23:13 2. Pharisees show a false piety of worship making long prayers as show but in reality receive greater damnation - Matthew 23: 14 3. Pharisees zealously drive people to themselves and in essence make their followers harder to win to the Lord than any group in the entire world - Matthew 23:15 4. Pharisees are blind guides, fools yet many promote themselves as leaders of others when in fact they don't even know God - Matthew 23:16-17. 5. Pharisees pay tithes and and do all sorts of religious things but OMIT the weightier matters of the law- judgment, mercy and faith - Matthew 23:23 6. Pharisees worry about the outside appearance of people, not the intent and motives of the heart - Matthew 23:25 7. Pharisees outwardly appear righteous but they kill the true prophets - Matthew 23:31
Jesus called them a "generation of vipers and snakes" and asked them the question "how shall you escape the damnation of hell?" Which brings me to a serious question of this story. Where was Simon's heart in relation to this woman's? I've heard some say Simon was saved but I submit to you today neighbor that Simon's attitude was not one of the Kingdom of God. I submit to you that it is different to know about Christ and have a head knowledge about Christ and never actually believe in HIM without heart! The woman's actions and attitudes illustrated a heart who had been changed and had believed. Simon never exhibited that spirit ever in this discourse.
I pray Simon at some point realized what he had witnessed illustrated that Jesus was the Messiah and he placed his trust in Him. The Bible is silent. I will submit to you that religious people die and go to hell! Redeemed people born again by the Spirit of God, and forgiven by Jesus die and go to heaven!
There Is A Little Of Simon In All Of Us Now, let me get down the brass tax of matters in this journal; THERE IS A LITTLE OF SIMON THE PHARISEE IN ALL OF US. This does not mean that all who profess Salvation are like Simon the Pharisee and therefore worse that a woman of th e streets if in fact, that was what she was. It does mean that many fall into that category and, as well, God looks on the heart, while men judge from appearances. This woman's interaction with Christ shows how quickly the Grace of God can change an individual. ALL self-righteous Pharisees, as Simon however would probably have demanded a long period of penance, or some such trial period, before her testimony, could be accepted, it ever. Jesus accepted her immediately, and if the truth be known, she was probably never accepted by the religious establishment then and would not be accepted by the religious establishment today. Even the best of us who try really hard not to be religious fall short of our pursuit of living a "religion" free life. The modern church many times ends up acting like Simon more than we do the woman. God cleans a sinner up and saves him/her and brings them into our church. Instead of rejoicing what the Lord has done in their lives we murmur and complain about their "past" when the Lord wants them to become part of leadership and the ministry of the body. Preachers are certainly to be held to a higher standard than the laity but the question becomes by whose standard are we holding up? We can say "we hold the standard of the WORD" as our banner but if we boast in that we had better have our own closets clean before we judge another. A leading Christian magazine has become nothing more than a glorified "smut" rag reporting on all the failures and misdeeds of preachers. They use the guise they have a right to "expose" sin in the camp. Well what about the sin in their OWN camp? And if they say they have no sin in their camp they lie. There is NO ONE who has NO SIN in their camp. We all have failed God and have areas of inadequacies. But if we choose to live by the law we will die by the law. If we choose to become a judge of others we then align ourselves with SIMON the PHARISEE and we will miss out on God's eternal purpose. Do you think Simon cared anything for this sinner woman? NO. And sadly most of the modern church cares NOTHING for the sinners around them either. Jesus knew exactly "who and what manner" of woman this was. He also knew "who and what manner" of man Simon was too. Simon may have wanted to act "pious" and "righteous" to his friends, but he was sitting by the one "who tried the heart." Jesus looked into Simon's heart and was not that impressed with his religiosity. No, Jesus wasn't impressed at all but he was moved with the attitude of the sinner. I was when He saved me. HE STILL knows today. Thank God He knew what type people we were and HE STILL LOVED US. Oh, Glory to God. He knew what type people we were and He still DIED FOR US. He knew what type people we all were but HE STILL WAS BURIED in the EARTH for three days and three nights where He secured for us all eternal salvation. He took the keys of death, hell and the grave away from Satan STILL KNOWING WHO and WHAT manner of people we were! He still LOVES US to day! It is the ultimate form of arrogance and hypocrisy to look at another and take the attitude of Simon. That's how many in the church act. We feel so holy and righteous because we are faithful members of our local church. We leave our church services and drive down the road going home and see a drunk or homeless person begging for food. Then the "Simon" rises up in us and we think, "well, Lord I sure am glad I'm not that type 'manner' of person." "Lord, I sure am glad I'm not like them." WELL FRIEND YOU ARE LIKE THEM. You may not be guilty or bound by the same sin but you have no right to brag or boast! THE ONLY GOODNESS we can claim in ourselves in Jesus and HIS SPIRIT - NOTHING MORE. I Have Something To Say To You........Master, Say On.... Luke 7:40 - And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said, Master, say on. We will complete this journal in the second part of this writing titled "They Both Had Nothing To Pay." Jesus was about to lay the plan of redemption and heaven's gauntlet down for all eternity for the entire human race. It's sad Simon was so blind to what was going on, because the Lord was about to do something powerful in his midst. The Lord was about to bring salvation to a sinner woman who did nothing but worship Him, adore Him, LOVE HIM and minister to Him. As we close let me say this. You can judge others if you like but you do it to your own peril. You are either Simon the Pharisee or the sinner woman. There is no gray area in this story. I'll identify with this sinner woman seven days a week and twice on Sunday. We have plenty of Simons in the church today but I leave you with a warning. Whatever measure you meet out in judgment to others is coming home to you one day. The Lord's plans are redemptive. He came to save ALL humanity, not just a select few. He came for the poor, not just the rich. He came for the brokenhearted, not just those who have never had a problem. He came for the outcast, the derelict, the downtrodden - the SINNER who recognizes his/her need for God. This woman came in a sinner but she didn't leave that way when she met Jesus. Which one are you? Heavenly Father we come to you in the name of Jesus, Jesus, please deliver us from ourselves and our pride and arrogance. Give us a heart like this sinner woman to WORSHIP you and to LAVISH our love on you in these last days. Let nothing be spared in our devotion to you. Keep us from religious pride that blinds us to you and your love for others. BURN in us the desire to do what You want us to do! Thank you for the great harvest of souls coming in the near future. In Jesus name. Amen
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Spirit Journals - "Because it's getting late and it's harvest time" |
