The Lord was one day at Jerusalem, and a banquet was given him by Simeon.
There was a banquet table in the house, arranged according to the fashion
of that day. Instead of chairs for the guests, the guests sat reclining
on lounges.
Well, it was just one of these repasts that our Lord sat down to, along
with the wealthy Simeon and his many guests. But no sooner had He entered
than a certain woman followed Him into the house. She fell down at His
feet, and began to wash them with her tears.
It was the custom in those days to wash one’s feet on entering a house.
Sandals were worn, and the practice was necessary.
This woman had got into the house by some means, and, once inside, had
quietly stolen up to the feet of the Savior. In her hand was a box; but
her heart, too, was just as full of ointment as the box she carried. And
there was the sweetest perfume as she stole to His feet.
Her tears started to fall down on those sacred feet--hot, scalding tears,
that gushed out like water. She said nothing while the tears fell, and
then she took down her long black hair and wiped His feet with the hair
of her head. And after that she poured out the ointment on His feet.
At once the Pharisees began to talk together. How, all through the New
Testament, these Pharisees kept whispering and talking together!
They said, shaking their heads: “This Man receiveth sinners. Were He a
prophet, He would know who and what manner of woman this is that touches
Him, for she is a sinner.” No prophet, they insisted, would allow that
kind of a woman near him, but would push her away from him.
But Jesus read their thoughts, and quickly rebuked them. He said:
“Simeon, I have something to say to thee.”
Simeon answered: “Master, say on.”
“Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me
no water to wash 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
ointment thou didst not anoint, but this woman hath anointed my feet with
ointment.”
Simeon was like many Pharisees nowadays, who say: “Oh, well! We will
entertain that minister if we must. We do not want to, for he is a
dreadful nuisance; but we will have to put up with him. It is our duty to
be patronizing.”
Well, the Master said more to His entertainer, as follows:
“There was a certain creditor which had two debtors. One owed 500 pence
and the other 50 pence, and when he had nothing to pay----”
Mark that, sinner; the debtor had nothing to pay. There is no sinner in
the world who can pay any thing to cancel his debt to God. The great
trouble is that sinners think they can pay--some of them 75 cents on the
dollar, some even feel able to pay 99 cents on the dollar, and the one
cent that they are short they believe can be made up in some manner.
That is not the correct way; it is all wrong; you must throw all the debt
on God. Some few, very likely, will only claim to pay 25 cents on the
dollar, but they are not humble enough, either; they can not begin to
carry out their bargain. Why, sinner, you could not pay one-tenth part of
a single mill of the debt you are under to God.
Now, it is said in this parable the debtors could not pay their creditor
any thing; they had nothing to give, and their creditor frankly forgave
them both.
“Now, Simeon,” the Master asked, “which should love that man the more?”
“I suppose,” was the reply, “he that was forgiven the more.”
“You have rightly judged. This woman loves much because she has been
forgiven much.” And Jesus went on to tell Simeon all about her. I suppose
He wanted to make it plainer to Simeon, and He turned to the poor woman
and said:
“Thy sins are forgiven; go in peace.”
All her sins were forgiven--not simply part of them; not half them, but
every sin from the cradle up. Every impurity is blotted out for time and
eternity.
Yes, truly, she went out in peace, for she went out in the light of
Heaven. With what brightness the light must have come down to her from
those eternal hills! With what beauty it must have flashed on her soul!
Yes, she came to the feet of the Master for a blessing, and she received
it.