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Love, Hardship’and Criticism.
‘ ‘ She loved him Much. ’ ’ Luke 7: 47.
This text gives us an account of Jesus in the home
of Simon the Pharasee. He is at meat in the Phari
see’s house, and the circumstances are very inter
esting. They are interesting in that they reveal
the character of Jesus as very few of the incidents
that we are considering do. There are three strik
ing facts connected with the feast that I want us
to consider.
First, there is the invitation from the Pharisee
to Jesus to dine in his house. I am sure that strikes
every one of us as an exceptional fact. The Phari
sees were the separatists of those days. They were
the men who had a religion of their own. Everybody
outside their religious circle was looked upon with
contempt. They had a social life all their own.
They had a political life all to themselves. They
lived and moved in their own circle.
Modern Pharisees.
They were such men as we see to-day in some
sections, indeed, in almost every section we find a
type of these ancient Pharisees. They are practi
cally as they were then. They have undergone very
. little change. They are still religious separatists
living to themselves. They have their religion and
look with contempt upon the religion of other folks.
They have their own little Pharisaical social circle
and are not interested in the performances of the
utside world. If the outside world gets into trouble,
it is simply trouble, and that is the end of it. If
on the other hand, in the circle of his own sect,
anything goes wrong, that is a terrible calamity.
He sees it, feels it, and appreciates it. They weep
-with those that weep, provided they are of the same
crowd. They laugh with those that laugh, provided
they belong to their set. Many good people are un
consciously living in this little circle.
So Jesus was invited into this home, a home dom
inated by such a spirit. I say again, it is a remarka
ble fact, and a rare occurrence to be found in Scrip
ture, where Christ was invited as the guest of honor
in a home like that.
Then another remarkable fact is this: That Jesus,
who knew T the thoughts and intents and dispositions
of people as perfectly as they could be known, even
more perfectly than they knew themselves, should
have accepted an invitation of that kind. I say this
is a remarkable fact, but it is only remarkable when
we look at Christ from the standpoint of man. It
is not in keeping with human nature to accept of
the courtesies and intentions of men who are so
entirely different in disposition. But when we look
at Jesus as he really is, when we look at the Divine
side of Jesus—at the character and disposition that
Christ ever manifested, it is not remarkable at all.
Jesus ever stood ready to enter a door that was
made open. It made no difference to him whether
it was the door of a Pharisee, his enemy, or the
door of his most intimate and beloved friend.
Wherever the door was found open, and the word
“welcome” written over it, Jesus entered.
If Jesus to-day is not in my heart and yours, sit
ting at a feast, it is because he has not found the
door ajar, and the word “welcome” over it.
Le n G . Broughton
I read the other day of a man, a prominent bar
keeper of Baltimore, who was traveling through the
South for his health. He had despaired of his life.
While down in Florida, he dropped into a meet
ing that was being conducted in a little church, and
the Spirit of God got hold of him in that meeting,
convicted him of his sin, and turned him about.
That night in the hotel where he was staying he
gave his heart to Jesus.
The first thought that came into his mind after
his conversion was his family. His wife was a very
worldly woman, who had no. sympathy with the
church. He thought how hard it would be to go back
home and face his family, where his criticism of
the church had been so prominent. “How can I
face my own record at home?” was the inquiry of
himself. Finally, the thought came to him, “When
I go back home, I will take my Jesus with me, and
if I have Jesus with me I think I can stand it.”
So in a few days he went home. He dreaded it,
and the nearer he got to his home the more the
dread settled upon him. He had to ring the door
bell. The servant came to the door. He was glad
it was the servant. He dreaded to face his wife,
for he had made up his mind that he would remain
firm.
After awhile his wife came in, and threw her
arms around his neck, and said, “I have given my
heart to Jesus, and our eldest daughter has also
given her heart to Jesus, and so we have a new
home to greet you with.” I need not tell you of the
great happiness of that home thereafter.
The Woman’s Conduct.
The other strange thing about this incident is,
the coming and conduct of the woman. Let us get
the whole picture fixed in our minds that we may
appreciate it:
In the first place, let ns remember that it was a
feast in a private home. As such this man of the
house was the master of that feast. He prescribed
all of its rules and etiquette, and it was a breach of
good manners and taste to attempt to interfere with
his prearranged program.
Then, too, we will remember that it was a pre
pared feast. I do not know how long he was about
it, nor do I know the extent of it, but I know that
it was a prepared feast. Jesus seemed to be the
most honored guest, and for him largely the feast
was prepared.
Also it was an occasion to be enjoyed by invited
guests. Nobody was there except the invited com
pany.
Now, bearing these things in mind, we are pre
pared to consider her strange conduct. They were
at the feast and in conversation. Doubtb'ts Jesus
was leading them, as he usually did, up to a climax
of spiritual teaching. As they were thus engaged
in conversation, in came this woman. She was not
invited, and it was a great breach of the customs of
the time for a woman to be at such a place where
men were. Most certainly she was not invited.
The first sight that is had of her she is stand
ing at the table, at the feet of Jesus. And not only
standing there, she makes a disturbance; she is
weeping and crying. She has in her hand an ala
baster box of ointment, a very exceptional thing.
Only a few people enjoyed such luxuries. In her en
thusiasm she broke the box of ointment and began
to pour it on the Master’s head and feet. Then she
dropped down at the Master’s feet, and began to
wipe them with the hairs of her head.
That was the rudest thing that I can possibly
imagine a woman to be guilty of; and the Phari
see so understood it, and made complaint: “If this
man were a prophet, he would have known who and
what manner of woman this is that toueheth him;
for she is a sinner.”
pany.
The Golden Age for March 29, 1906.
Welcome to Jesus.
Now remember that this criticism by the Pharisee
was not spoken. The record says, “He spake with
in himself,” —he simply thought it. That was
enough. It was simply a thought, but it was articu
late enough for Jesus to understand it.
Jesus and our Thoughts.
Jesus understands not only our spoken words,
but our thought words. He does not have to have
us speak for him to understand. You did not have
to speak a word of complaint for Jesus to hear it;
Jesus knew it. You did not have to speak
words of criticism for Jesus to hear them;
your every thought of complaint was understood
by him. Jesus seems to be in himself a kind of
thoughtograph. How awful the responsibility, es
pecially when we remember that we shall have to
give an account at the last day for every idle word
and thought.
The answer to the Pharisee’s thoughts is very in
teresting. Jesus said to him, “ Simon, I have some
what to say unto you. I heard what you said; I
heard it though you did not say it. I heard your
thoughts, and I want to answer them: ‘There was a
certain creditor which had two debtors: the one
owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And
when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave
them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will
love him the most?” Simon answered and said, “I
suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.” And
he said unto him, “Thou hast rightly judged.”
And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon,
“Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house,
thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she has
washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with
the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but
this woman since I came in hath not ceased to kiss
my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint:
but this woman hath anointed my feet with oint
ment. Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins, which
are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but
to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.”
Why a Sinner?
Now, let us go back to get again the picture of
this -woman, for just here is a very deep and impor
tant truth. Some one may ask, “What kind of a
woman was this?” I know the world says of her
that she was a public, street woman. I do not be
lieve it. Certainly she was a woman of refinement,
for only such women had such boxes of alabaster
ointment. But says one, “How do you account for
the fact that she was a sinner? Simon said she was
a sinner, and Jesus said she was a sinner. How do
you account for her being a sinner if she moved in
such a circle?”
There are two standpoints from which she was
judged a sinner:
First, she was judged a sinner from the stand
point of a rigid Pharisee. Everybody outside the
Pharisee’s church was a sinner in his opinion. She
did not belong to the Pharisee’s church. And oh,
how many thousands there are like him!
Jesus judged her a sinner from an entirely dif
ferent standpoint. Jesus judged her a sinner because
of unbelief. She was an unregenerate woman, wheth
er* she moved in the circle of alabastrine or not.
That is the thought of all others that I should
like to stamp upon your heart. I think we need
more teaching with respect to this one truth than
anything else I know. There is such a difference
in the world’s view point concerning sin and sin
ners.
I remember once speaking to a woman in an af
ter-meeting. She had not stood as a Christian. I
walked up to her and said: “I see you are a sin
ner, and I should like to talk to you.”
'She said, “I am not a sinner, I am a lady.”
I replied, “Yes, you are a lady, but surely you
do not understand the nature of sin,”