The Sinner Woman And Jesus
(Luke 7:36-50)

By Pastor G. Reckart
Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved

The world today is filled with sexual riot.  All about us society is driven more and more by sexual advertisements and open enticements by males and females.  Little girls as young as 8-10 years old are now dressed in sexually provocative clothing.  Society sees nothing wrong with near nudity on the streets, in shopping malls, and our other public places. Children of very young ages are engaged in sexual activity the majority of which is never reported or made known.  Kiddie porn is a multi-billion dollar a year business. Children in third world countries are placed into prostitution as young as 4 and 5 years old.  Mothers and fathers are selling their children into sex slavery.  Sex slaves are all around us and we would be shocked if we really knew the truth. Some of these are purposely addicted to drugs by boyfriends or pimps and not given their daily fix until they perform sex acts for cameras or until they bring in a certain amount of money by their acts of prostitution.  

Girls sell themselves for as little as fifty cents.  Of course the more younger prostitutes who still have nice figures can take in hundreds of dollars for a night.  But all about us the sin of sexual immorality advertises itself. Foolish girls and women expose their bodies and give suggestive smiles.  They loose their sense of shame. Men have been programed by societal customs to accept this behavior even from their daughters and wives. Television and movies spread this every hour.  Homosexuality and lesbianism are promoted daily on many TV programs destroying a generation of youth.  The devil has captured the world through the lust for sex.  Every day this spirit surrounds the righteous. We live in Sodom and Gomorrah.  The demonic power of lust wars against us and tries to overtake our minds and self control.

Because of this wild and wicked generation of sex hunters and chasers there will be men and women hurt and scared for life.  Death via sexual license is all about us with AIDS being epidemic. Many little children subjected to sexual abuse around the world are now infected with AIDS. Many desire escape but there is none. The horrors, shame, condemnation, and humiliation will be with these until they can escape?  Indeed, when they do escape will there be any time left for a good life? Will these be so destroyed they will never have personal esteem or self respect again? How many will kill themselves to end the mental misery? How many will be physically hurt for the rest of their lives?  As I review this spiritual condition I can see where men and women, boys and girls, need a way of escape.  They need Jesus and the Church in a special way.  They need someone to help them escape using the power of God and prayer.  There was a woman in the Bible who wanted to escape and Jesus was her only hope. She was a sinner, she did not deny it. But the time came she wanted a personal exodus from her bondage to wickedness.

The heart of the female is very soft as compared to the brash bold attitudes of most males.  It is said that females are emotionally driven whereas men are more stoic driven. Females will cry easy while the man from the time he is a small boy is told "don't cry, you are a big boy now."  Men are taught not to be sensitive to things that hurt them. So men are trained to be irresponsible and more hardened about things that females cry about.  Men are taught to handle life with tooth and claw. So, when a female comes to a crisis she normally goes through a horrible time of crying and depression.  Men on the other hand are more likely to laugh at this weakness and under their tough stoic skin not let their feelings care all that much.  For this reason females tend to judge themselves a little more rigid then men. Females trapped in addictions and body destruction via drugs, immorality, and alcohol, are more likely to want an escape.  Many men go into the gutter and never come out of it.  Of course there are women who go into the gutter and stay there until their body is so wrecked and destroyed the next stop is the grave.  For males and females Jesus always offers a door of opportunity to escape.  If these do not do so when Jesus is near and the timing is right, they will likely die in their lost condition and have no one to blame but themselves.

When a male or female hates what they are and have become they will promise themselves quite often to stop their madness and escape.  What holds them in their situation in spite of their desire to be free, to change their lives, and to live a more sane and happy life? It is the captivity and bondage of sin.  Males and females do not understand that sin is a nature and its power is greater then addiction to cocaine or heroin. A person cannot control the power of sin once they are in a captured situation.  Sin demands wickedness that brings shame.  It wants total possession of the whole body.  Here is where demons work against them. One sinful act may open the portal for the whole body to become possesssed. At first these litle things may seem exciting.  The world sure paints it this way. Excitement and fun are associated with all manner of evil.

It is sad to see a girl who has discovered her body is attractive to boys and men want to then show it off by wearing provocative clothing.  She joins the excitement and fun of advertising. They love being recognized and so offer their beauty as an attraction for men to enjoy.  Tell her to stop this and it makes many of them turn into raging animals whose conduct then becomes so wild their shame is blunted.  They become hardened in their heart and if anyone tries to counsel them about this sin they will likely explode with language unfit for the ears of children or the house of God. A filthy mouthed female gives evidence she has reached the gutter of shame. All that remains is a hope she comes to her mind and realizes how stupid she is.  The day her stupidly becomes real is the day she can climb up out of the gutter and begin correcting her life of shame.

In the book of Luke chapter seven (7), a sinful woman learns that Jesus was in the house of a certain Pharisee.  She made careful plans to go there and see him.  But before she went she considered this great man, a man of miracles, some claimed he was a prophet; and yet others said he was the Christ, the Messieh of Israel.  According to the Rabbis, when Messias came he would tell them everything and assist each of them to come into their spiritual inheritance.  Messias was to banish evil and to establish a righteous kingdom in Jerusalem and throughout Israel.  He would forgive sins and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers.  Her own life had been filled with shameful conduct. She had forgotten when she first got into prostitution, the profession did not allow much for memories just demanded a daily repeating of what she did yesterday, last week, last month, and last year.  The cycle of fulfilling the lust of men's desires was daily.  Her payment was a few coins.  Once she became a sexual garbage can for every man's seed, she lost all sense of being a holy mother with little children who would pray and love God.  From man to man and day to day she had lived her life.  She was in the gutter and began to see how stupid she was.  Her life consisted of no more then sex with dirty and filthy men who could care less they were destroying her soul.  She was a social outcast. This was the life she chose to live.  But, according to rumors around the city the Messieh had come.  Deliverance had come to the house of Jacob.  She would go see Jesus.

So far as we know she took her money and went to the market place and purchased some very expensive ointment. She then slowly made her way to the house of Simon the Pharisee.  She did not draw attention to herself today because she was determined to be out of that business for ever. She came to the house and saw the crowd of people milling about talking to one another.  It appeared the house also was filled with people there to see Jesus.  With determined heart she made her way little by little through the crowd until she was standing in the house.  She could see Jesus not far off.  She had come this far and was compelled by an inner force to keep moving closer to him.  At last she stood behind him. She looked at him and could tell this was not an ordinary man.  She listened to him talk and his words were of such softness but yet contained respect and authority.  She looked at the Messias and her eyes began to swell up with water. A tear eased out of the corner of her eyes and rolled gently down her cheeks and dropped onto her garment. Inside of her there was something happening she could not explain. It was as if a life-time of hurt and shame were being healed as she stood there. The awesome feeling she was experiencing was unlike anything she had ever felt.  She did not want to disturb the Messias with her crying but she could not stop the tears and feeling of release. The liberty was so precious she could only fall to her knees.

There behind Jesus, she took the precious ointment and poured it upon his feet.  When she did so it was the first time we have record that Jesus let it be known he was aware of her presence.  He did not stop the woman. She took the hands of sin and shame and slowly spread the ointment all over his feet until it dripped upon the floor. There was so much of it she was ashamed of the mess she had made.  She had no cloth at hand except her clothes and there was no way to move about in the crowd to use any portion of it.  So she bowed her head close to his feet and wiped them with the hair of her head.  She transferred the ointment from his feet to her head.  As she took her long hair and wiped his feet she was unaware that Simon the Pharisee was staring at her. She came to see Jesus and find a solution to her life.  No one mattered at that moment but herself.  Men had used her and then threw her out but today she wanted a new life where she would no longer be the cast off of those who were destroying her soul. She kissed the feet of Jesus in a final act of thankfulness and moved backward to stand up and go away.

Jesus observed silently as the woman anointed his feet.  He could see she was weeping.  He could feel the warm tears drop on his feet as she took her hands and spread the ointment over places the nails would later pierce.  He could tell in her nervousness she had poured out to much and now she was wiping his feet with her hair. She finished and then gently kissed his feet and moved backward and started to go away.

He could see something in the eyes of the Pharisee. He observed him staring at the woman.  Something was going through his mind.  There was some contempt there. He could tell the Pharisee was judging the woman.  Pharisees have a way of seeing a person in the midst of salvation and find a way to condemn them.  He was sitting there condemning this woman now and was also condemning him.

It is here we get the contrast of two men and two religious systems: Jesus and Simon the Pharisee and the Church and the Temple!

The Pharisee was a sinner the same as the woman who had just washed his feet with her tears and the ointment. True, he may not have been as big a sinner as she, but he was still a sinner sitting there in his black temple robes. Jesus saw the Pharisee as his face changed into a proud smirk. The Pharisee was thinking that if Jesus was a real prophet he would have known what manner of woman had just kneeled at his feet and used her evil hands to wash his feet in that precious ointment.  The words "what manner of woman" signifies she was not a respected woman and additionally indicates her business was prostitution. Jesus observed the woman's attitude and could see into her heart.  She wanted to escape, get a personal exodus from sin.  She wanted a new life.  And he would give it to her.  He would forgive her and release the power of sin that held her a prisoner.  

To the Pharisee he spoke:

A certain creditor had two debtors: one owed five hundred pence and the other owed fifty.  He release their debt and forgave them both. Which one would love the creditor the most?"  

The Pharisee answered:

The one to whom much had been forgiven.  

Jesus answered and said: "thou has rightly spoken."  

The Pharisee got the message.  Who would love Jesus more today, he or this sinful woman. If he loved Jesus more it would mean he was the bigger sinner.  Not in this life time would he make such a public confession. So he let the woman who was a great sinner love Jesus more then he.  The Pharisee sat their in proud pomp and resisted this kind offer to show the measure of his love. There would be salvation in this house today but the Pharisee in his own residence would not be the one to get it.

The Pharisee rejected the words of Jesus. He counted the woman was still a sinner and if Jesus was a righteous man he would not have allow a prostitute to touch him with her sinful hands.  Simon sat there smug and confident he now had Jesus cornered and pegged.  To his satisfaction he now believed Jesus was no prophet or he would have sent that woman away scurrying with loud cursing that would have shamed her for the rest of her life. Jesus saw this proud self-righteousness and decided it was time to shame this religious bigot.

Jesus spoke:

Simon when I came to your house you did not wash my feet as is the custom when a guest is invited to eat.  Jesus was invited but not wanted. But this woman did what you omitted to do and washed them with her tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head (note: no artificial veil here or she would have removed it and used it). You Simon gave me no kiss of shalom which is custom when a host meets his guest at the door.  You did not anoint my head with oil and bless me with the blessing supposed to be upon your house.  I say unto you Simon that her sins which were many are forgiven. For she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven they love little (please endulge my pharaphasing here to bring out historical practice).

Jesus turned to the woman and for the first time spoke directly to her.  He looked at the woman who had come up behind him because she was to ashamed to stand in front and face him.  He looked at a woman sorrowful to tears for her sins and her life.  Here before him was a woman who humbled herself to her knees and cried.  She asked for nothing but her heart came searching for a miracle of deliverance. What manner of woman was this? Her sins had brought her down to the gutter and shadow of death.  But this day, at his his feet he would stop her from going to hell.  He would block her path for the rest of her life and give her hope. She desired to escape her evil life of sorrows and shame.  She had come to this house to see him and she had done so.  She would leave delivered from her sins and no longer under condemnation. Jesus spoke words that no man had ever said to her before. The sweetest words she had ever heard came into her ears:

Thy sins are forgiven!

There, in the midst of a crowd of people she received a miracle. She could feel a weight liffted off of her. She felt pure inside. She began to smile as joy filled her heart.  She was forgiven, ...the Messieh said so.

The crowd, well no one within it had their sins forgiven at this house.  No one but this one sinner woman heard the words: thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace!

The Pharisee, well, even though he heard Jesus tell the woman she was forgiven he did not accept it. She was still a prostitute until the temple Rabbis declared her forgiven. The Pharisee turned to some there in the crowd and spoke softly in rebellion: "who is this that forgives sins also?"

There in the midst of a miracle was confusion, doubting, judgmentalism, bigotry, and spiritual rejection.  The Pharisee could care less if this woman was ever right with God.  All that mattered was himself.  Jesus looked at this Pharisee and turned to the woman and said:

Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace!

Here we get our final observations:

Jesus never said to the Pharisee "thy sins be forgiven."

Jesus never said to the Pharisee "thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."

My heart and soul goes out to every female who is trapped in a life of sexual immorality.  I know the power of sin is great and controls their body. The day they want to escape is the day they find Jesus. Each of us, regardless of our sins should prepare for a time to cry and kneel.  Yes, we cannot wash Jesus feet with tears and ointment. But the females can bring their long uncut hair and present it before the altar.  We all can come and change the rest of our lives.

Regardless of how long you have been involved in immorality you can be free.

You will one day hear Jesus say: thy sins be forgiven thee and thy faith has saved thee, go in peace.

Let there be no Pharisee in any of us!

Pastor Gary Reckart
2008