Luke Bible Study, Day 16
Today’s passage: Luke 7:36–50
Focus verse:“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)
Our next story opens with an interesting line. It says a Pharisee, named Simon, invites Jesus over for dinner.
Don’t rush past this.
Pharisees are religious insiders. They follow the law of Moses with much zeal. In addition, they adhere to thousands of other rules they made up over the years to guide them in best following the law of Moses.
To their credit, they are righteous, but they’re also legalistic—to the max. Today’s most legalistic person wouldn’t come close to matching their rigid, controlled existence.
Though Jesus loves everyone—including Pharisees, religious leaders, and insider Jews—he does criticize them. This is because they miss the point of what God intended when he gave his instructions to Moses.
Jesus wants to change their perspective. In response, they oppose him.
Given this, it seems strange that a Pharisee would seek out Jesus, let alone want to eat with him. But that’s exactly what the Pharisee, Simon, does.
However, when Jesus shows up, Simon doesn’t offer him the socially appropriate welcome for their culture: wash his feet, greet him with a kiss, or anoint his head.
Jesus, Simon, and the rest of his guests recline at Simon’s table. Now, if you envision Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper, with people sitting at a table, you have the wrong image.
At Simon’s home, they likely lie on their side, leaning on their elbow, with their head toward a low table and their legs pointing away. Hold that image.
A woman with a sinful lifestyle approaches Jesus. Surely Simon hadn’t invited her, so she must have crashed the party. She arrives ready to show Jesus how much she loves him. This might be her only chance.
She stands behind his feet (recall the image of him reclining at the table). Emotion overcomes her. She weeps profusely.
Her tears fall on Jesus’s feet. Lacking a towel to dry them, she uses the only resource available: her hair. She kisses his feet too.
Then she pours her perfume over Jesus’s feet. She doesn’t dab it on; she empties the bottle. Lavishly. The aroma fills the room.
In his mind, Simon judges them as only a Pharisee can. Inwardly, he criticizes the woman for her inappropriate lifestyle and Jesus for allowing a sinful woman to touch him, since he should know what kind of woman she was.
Jesus, knowing Simon’s thoughts, gives a quick parable about forgiveness. Then Jesus recounts how Simon neglected to wash and dry Jesus’s feet, greet him with a kiss, and put oil on him when he arrived.
But this woman did all those things.
Jesus says to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” As the other guests murmur, Jesus adds, “Because of your faith, you are saved.”
The woman’s path to salvation is simple: worship Jesus and love him.
Questions:
When have we judged others who didn’t meet our religious expectations?
Is worshiping Jesus and loving him enough for us to be saved?
[Discover more about saving faith in Romans 10:10, Ephesians 2:8, and Hebrews 10:39.]
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Read more about the book of Luke in Dear Theophilus: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus through the Gospel of Luke, now available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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