Monday,  November 11 (October 29), 2024
Philip. 4:10-23; Lk. 7:36-50

How did it happen that Simon the Pharisee who respected the Lord and invited Him to dinner, seeing how kindly He dealt with a sinful woman, was tempted to think of Him with reproach: “This man, if he were a prophet, would have known…”[Lk. 7:39]?  Probably he got too busy serving food and drinks and lost his sense of what is right and wrong in the eyes of the Lord.

These two realms, social and spiritual, are quite unlike from one another in their principles and qualities.  But our mind gets easily swayed into one or another, depending on what it is presently busy with, and begins applying wrong principles.  By social rules of that time it was completely inappropriate to have any contact with an overtly sinful woman; so, Simon is reasoning along these lines, forgetting that repentance purifies everyone and brings sinful and righteous ones together. He is reckoning that the sinful woman should not be present here to begin with, and if the Savior does not push her aside, He probably does not know who she is; and if He doesn’t ─ is He truly a prophet?

Simon did not say anything, he only thought about that; nothing has changed in his appearance or his hospitality, ─ but the Lord saw through his heart and reproved him accordingly.   He proved that it is precisely the sinners who need to come to Him, and the woman whose heart drew her to adore the Savior had more affection for Him than Simon himself who just offered Him dinner.

Focus on externals brings about unwelcome sense of self-righteousness, while turning inside always reminds the soul of her sinfulness in the face of the omniscient Lord.

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