Hello Everyone,

Take time to read Luke 7:36-50 it is attached.

Where are you in this story? Who are you in this story?

Are you the woman? – In those days women were not invited to nor accepted at banquets. They were 2nd class citizens. Jewish rabbis did not speak to women in public. They did not eat with them in public.

A woman of this type would not have been invited to the house of Simon the Pharisee. Though her sins are not named, we get the impression that she was a woman of the streets with a bad reputation. She was from the “red torch” district!

- She sensed a desperate need in her life.
- She knew she was a sinner.
- She was deeply convicted about her sin.
- She approached Jesus in spite of all the strikes against her.
- She gave her most highly valued possession – perfume…that which she used to wear to attract men to herself she now used to anoint Jesus.

- Her hair, a woman’s glory, she humbly used it to dry His feet.
- She surrendered herself in total humility.

Are you the woman?

If you are not the Woman then are you the host? –Simon, the wealthy Pharisee, was the host of this banquet. The homes of the wealthy always had an open courtyard, usually in the center of the house. Sometimes the host would allow the public to stand around the outside of the courtyard and listen to the discussions, especially when the guest was a great teacher or some celebrity.

- He, too, was a sinner in great need. But he did not realize it because his chief problem was blindness – spiritual blindness.

At the end of v. 39 - It was easy for him to say, “She is a sinner!” but impossible for him to say, “I am a sinner!” Both phrases have 4 words, but only one is life changing.

- He was considerate, but self-righteous.
- He considered himself better than the woman.
- He sensed no need for forgiveness in his own life.
- He was a good moral person – good in religion; good in outward behavior.

And sadly, the Bible says that many good people are lost and on their way to hell, because they don't realize you can't get to heaven by being good, only by being saved.

Which person are you? All of us are in one category or another – either we sense our great need for salvation or we don’t. Look at Jesus’ words in v. 41-43. The parable that Jesus told does not deal with the amount of sin in a person’s life, but the awareness of the sin in his heart.

Oh How HE Loves Us!

Pastor Phil