Luke 8:1-3 | The Kingdom of God

Luke 8:1 “Soon afterwards” in the Greek (Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ καθεξῆς) and it means that this account took place soon after what we studied last time in Luke 7:36-50 | Anointing the Anointed One when Jesus was at Simon the Pharisees house. Dr. Luke tells us that Jesus “began going around” which is written in the Imperfect active (G1353 διώδευεν) and it means to make one’s way through^[1], meaning that Jesus was going throughout the Galilee region. Jesus, with his twelve apostles (Luke 6:14–16) departed from Capernaum with the intent to go to Jerusalem for Passover. The combination of “proclaiming and preaching” the good news is a bit emphatic, stressing Jesus’ teaching ministry on the rule of God,^[2] fulfilling Scripture (Isaiah 61:1–3, cf. Luke 4:18). Notice that the focus of Jesus’ ministry was not on healing and performing miracles, as such is common today. The main thrust of His ministry was to preach about the Kingdom of God and not healing. Healing was a sign of His Divinity, but His preaching about the Kingdom of God brought spiritual healing to all who heard and accepted (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-19; Romans 10:8-13). Miracles and healing are not proof that one has been sent by God. The magicians of Pharaoh, Jannes and Jambres did miracles (cf. Exodus 7:11; Exodus 9:11; 2 Timothy 3:8-9). Jesus rebuked the crowd after the five thousand were fed (John 6:1-14),

Luke 8:2 Jesus not only had the twelve with Him, but also women, who Dr. Luke tells us about them. Dr. Luke tells us that Jesus “healed” them. The way that this is written in the Greek is in the periphrastic past perfect passive, suggesting that the healing had taken place some time before this tour.^[3] The Greek word for “sicknesses” (G769 ἀσθενειῶν) refers to the state of being ill and thus incapacitated in some way - “illness, disability, weakness.”^[4]

The first woman that we see named here is “Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,” Again, as we saw last time, this is not the prostitute who anointed the feet of Jesus (Luke 7:36-50) because she is introduced as a new figure here.^[5] Mary who was called Magdalene after her hometown Magdala, which is located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee about three miles north of Tiberias. It is noteworthy that not one of the Gospels recorded for us the miracle of Jesus casting the seven demons out of her. Mary Magdalene is also mentioned at the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:47; John 20:1-18).

Luke 8:3 Joanna, like Mary Magdalene was there at the burial and resurrection of Jesus (Luke 23:55; Luke 24:10), and most likely at the crucifixion as well. Joanna’s husband was the steward for Herod Antipas, and some believe that he is the nobleman who’s son was healed by Jesus in John 4:46–53. Susanna is mentioned but nothing else is known about her.

It is interesting that Dr. Luke highlights three women who helped support the ministry and work of Jesus and the twelve. For Jesus to have women traveling along with Him was unheard of at this time. The rabbi’s at this time had a low view of women and refused to even teach them. What Jesus was doing here was politically incorrect for that time; so don’t let the modern movement stating that Christianity enslaves women and that they need to be liberated.

Luke 8:3 “and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.” Dr. Luke tells us that it wasn’t just these women that supported Jesus and His twelve apostles; there were others, men and women who helped with support.

What we will focus on the rest of our time is The Kingdom of God…01. What is the Kingdom of God?; 02. The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament; 03. The Kingdom of God in the Gospels; and 04. The Kingdom of God in the Future.

01. What is the Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are identical. The Kingdom of Heaven appears only in the Gospel of Matthew, which Matthew wrote to the Jewish people. Matthew probably used Kingdom of Heaven instead of Kingdom of God out of respect to the Jewish tradition against speaking the name of God.  Matthew does use the phrase Kingdom of God four times (Matthew 12:28; Matthew 19:24; Matthew 21:31; Matthew 21:43), and uses both Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven in back to back verses (Matthew 19:23–24).

The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven both refer to the salvation of mankind where God rules over the redeemed (Matthew 21:31; John 3:3-5; Acts 8:12). To preach the “kingdom of God” is to proclaim the Gospel and that sinner’s can be redeemed from Satan’s kingdom and brought into the Kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13–14). The Gospel is that Jesus came as a man, died in our place, was buried and rose from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1–6). You enter the Kingdom of God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). The Kingdom of God is for all those who trust in Him as their LORD and Saviour (Romans 10:8-13).

02. The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament

The Kingdom of God is seen as an everlasting kingdom that exists from eternity past to eternity future (Psalm 29:10; Psalm 145:13). In Jeremiah, YHWH pleads with the children of Israel to stop following Gentile teachings based off of astrology and false idols (Jeremiah 10:1-5). And then He reminds His people who He is in Jeremiah 10:10. Jeremiah, lamenting that fall of Jerusalem, knew that the same God who allowed the destruction of Jerusalem because of the sin of His people, also has the power to bring back the restoration of Jerusalem (Lamentations 5:19).

The Kingdom of God is first seen in the Garden of Eden. God originally created the man Adam to have dominion over all of creation (Genesis 1:26; Hebrews 2:7). The Hebrew word for “rule” in Genesis 1:26 (H7287 רָדָה râdâh) means to have dominion, to rule over and is also used in reference to the “reign of the Messiah Himself in His Kingdom”[6] in Psalm 110:2. The original dominion over the earth was given to mankind, but the fall of Adam (Genesis 3:1-7) deeded the earth to Satan (Matthew 4:8-9; Luke 4:5-7; John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12; Hebrews 2:8; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 5:1-14; Revelation 20:2-3).

We see evidences of the Kingdom of God displayed in the lives of many of the Old Testament saints, who the writer of Hebrews tells us were justified by faith in God before the Law was given, even though they never saw the fulfillment of the promises of God (Hebrews 11:13-16). Paul tells us that the Law was given “because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.” (Galatians 3:19) In order for the Law to be fulfilled, in God’s perfect timing, He sent His Son to be a man to redeem mankind from sin so that we might be sons of God (Galatians 4:4-7).

Enoch was evidence that the Kingdom of God was still in effect, just not on earth like it was originally laid out. Moses records for us that Enoch “walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24), a sign of the rapture of believers to come (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Moses tells us that Noah “found grace in the eyes of YHWH” and that he “was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:8-9) while Peter says that Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5). Here we have two Godly men, who were not circumcised according to the Law (Leviticus 12:3), yet they are regarded as righteous faithful men who are mentioned in Hebrews 11:5 and Hebrews 11:7. If you look at Hebrews 11:6, you will notice that the writer of Hebrews has Enoch and Noah bookend a great verse about faith.

Abraham came after Enoch and Noah, and it was he who was the one that God made the covenant of circumcision (Genesis 17:10-17; Acts 7:8). The sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham was circumcision, and yet God instituted it after Abraham was called by God to step out in faith and he left his homeland (Hebrews 11:8-11) and his false pantheistic idolatrous religion (Joshua 24:2). Paul tells us that circumcision was supposed to be an outward sign of the condition of your heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; Deuteronomy 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; Colossians 2:11) in Romans 2:25-29. Paul goes on to tells us that Abraham was made righteous before he was circumcised (Romans 4:9-15)! Paul tells the Galatians that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6) and that “we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.” (Romans 3:28-30). Moses tells us that when Abram “believed in YHWH; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

Moses introduces us to Melchizedek, who received tithes from the spoils of war by Abram in Genesis 14:1-24. Moses records for us that Melchizedek was “a priest of God Most High” who met Abram bringing out “bread and wine”, the elements of communion (Genesis 14:8; Hebrews 5:10; Hebrews 7:1).  This was all before the Law of Moses was given, so Melchizedek would have been uncircumcised, not from the tribe of Levi and a descendant of Aaron (Leviticus 21:16-23) and was not anointed according to the Law prescribe by Moses (Exodus 29:1-37).  Melchizedek blessed Abram in Genesis 14:19-20, which is significant because the greater always blesses the lesser, and Abraham is regarded as the father of our faith (Romans 4:16-25; Galatians 3:1-29)! The writer of Hebrews tells us that Melchizedek was a pre-incarnate Christ, saying “Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:20; see also Psalm 110:4)

So we see some examples of the Old Testament saints who were justified by faith in God before the Law was given, even though they never saw the fulfillment of the promises of God (Hebrews 11:13-16). Peter tells us that righteousness comes from God and His Son in that God sent His Son to die for sinners, “To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:” (2 Peter 1:1)

The Old Testament saints were justified and made righteous before the Law because of their faith in Christ, “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20) “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Romans 3:28) “nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

Remember, the commentary of the Old Testament is the New Testament, as we have just seen right now. No New Testament text under question should ever be used to invalidate the clear utterances of the Old Testament. Old Testament problems are to be settled by an appeal to the New Testament, and if still not clear, the deciding voice is to be based off of the totality of Scripture to the question that has arisen.[7]

03. The Kingdom of God in the Gospels

The New Testament era begins with several verbal announcements. We have recorded different people who were spoken to by the angel of the Lord about the Kingdom of God. It was spoken to the priest Zacharias (Luke 1:11-17), Mary (Luke 1:26-35), Joseph (Matthew 1:20–25), and to the shepherds of Judea (Luke 2:8-15). The Magi from the east anticipated the Kingdom of God (Matthew 2:1-6). Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45), Mary (Luke 1:46-55), and Zacharias (Luke 1:67-79) all sung about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is called the gospel or good news (Mark 1:14–15), was announced by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1–2), by Jesus (Matthew 4:17), by the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:5–7), and by the seventy sent out by Jesus (Luke 10:1, 9, 11).[8]

The Kingdom of God is referenced by Jesus as being “in the midst” of men when He answered the question of when the Kingdom of God was coming (Luke 17:20) when He said, “…For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:21) The King James translates this as “for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” Which is not a good rendering of the Greek, for there it makes no sense that the Kingdom of God could have been “within” the hearts of the Pharisees to whom Jesus was speaking. The Pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy by saying that His miracles were being accomplished through the power of the devil (Matthew 12:24). The long awaited Kingdom of God, foretold by the prophets had come so near to the men of that generation in the form of Jesus that they had actually seen the face of the King, witnessed His supernatural works, and many yet still denied Him and the Kingdom of God.[9]

04. The Kingdom of God in the Future

The last book of the Bible, Revelation (G602 apokaluqiv apokalupsis) is the book of the Kingdom of God in conflict with and victorious over the kingdoms of this word. In Revelation 6:1-18:24, where there are the seven seals, the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of judgment. It is “the wrath of God (that) will come upon the sons of disobedience,” (Colossians 3:6, cf Romans 2:5) “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” (2 Thessalonians 1:7–9).

In Revelation 19:1-21, John records for us the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the wedding feast (Revelation 19:7-10) and the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 19:11-19), where the Battle of Armageddon which is when all the nations of the earth are gathered together to make war on Israel, and Jesus wipes them all out. After this, the Beast (the Antichrist), the False Prophet and those who took the mark, are thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20-21), and that concludes the end of the Tribulation. Satan is bound for one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-6), and this time period is known as the Millennial Reign of Christ.

Those who survive the Tribulation will enter the Millennium in their natural bodies and bear children and repopulate the earth (Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 65:18-25). We who are His saints will be reigning with Him in our spiritual bodies! John is then told that after the one thousand years, Satan will be released from the Abyss and will make a final attempt to seduce the nations. During the Millennial Reign of Christ, there will be many who outwardly profess faith in the Christ without actually placing faith in Him. So when Satan is freed he will deceive many. So now Satan and those deceived will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Hell). This surprises people because the think that Satan is in Hell right now. But he isn’t! Hell was created for Satan (Matthew 25:41), and will not be filled up with people who reject Christ until the end of the Tribulation or when Hades is thrown into Hell (Revelation 20:14). The Millennial Reign proves that it doesn’t matter what type of environment you live in, because in even the most perfect of environments, man will still refuse God. We then see the Judgment at the Throne of God (Revelation 20:7-10). Next John tells us about the New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1-22:21), where God will dwell with mankind (Revelation 21:3), wiping away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4)! John says that the New Jerusalem is square in shape and surrounded by a great wall with twelve gates, which each gate has a name of the tribes of Israel (Revelation 21:10-14). Now this city is measured at 1,500 miles squared (Revelation 21:15-16). What that means is it’s about 3 Billion square miles in size. (The current estimation of the world’s population is about 7 Billion people.) If even 3 Billion people are in heaven, there will be enough room for people to have one square mile to themselves. The pavement for the streets will be gold (Revelation 21:21), there will be no temple because the LORD is the temple (Revelation 21:22). There will be no sun or moon because the glory of God will be the light (Revelation 21:23-27). John then tells us about the River and Tree of Life found there, bearing fruit year round (Revelation 21:1-5).

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9–13, He said “⁹ “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰ ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ¹² ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”  When we pray, “Yours is the kingdom” or “Thy kingdom come” (KJV), what we really are saying is, Maranatha (1 Corinthians 16:22), Come Quickly LORD Jesus!

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^[1] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:1). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

^[2] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:1). Biblical Studies Press.

^[3] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 8:2). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

^[4] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:2). Biblical Studies Press.

^[5] Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Lk 8:2). Biblical Studies Press.

[6] McLain, Alva J. The Greatness of the Kingdom [BMH Books; Winona Lake, Indiana, 1992], Ch 5, p43.

[7] McLain, Alva J. The Greatness of the Kingdom [BMH Books; Winona Lake, Indiana, 1992], Ch 19, p261-62.

[8] McLain, Alva J. The Greatness of the Kingdom [BMH Books; Winona Lake, Indiana, 1992], Ch 20, p268.

[9] McLain, Alva J. The Greatness of the Kingdom [BMH Books; Winona Lake, Indiana, 1992], Ch 20, p272.

Luke 7:36-50 | Anointing the Anointed One

Luke 7:36–50 This specific account is not recorded by any of the other Gospel writers. This account takes place in Galilee, during the Galilean ministry of Jesus (Luke 4:14-9:50), while the other account of Jesus being anointed takes place in Bethany (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-11). In that account, Mary the sister of Lazarus anointed the head of Jesus during the last week of His ministry while the woman in this account anoints the feet of Jesus (Luke 7:38). The woman in this account is not identified, and it is not Mary Magdalene as is commonly believed, and there is no Biblical proof that it was Mary Magdalene, for Dr. Luke introduces us to Mary Magdalene in Luke 8:2, and the way that he talks about her is as if it’s the first time we are meeting her. Dr. Luke would have told us about her here if she was the woman here. There are those who try to use the Jewish Talmud, which mentions a licentious woman named Mary Megadella, and her name was used as an epithet for prostitutes at this time. The people who make the claim that it was Mary Magdalene base it off of the fact that Jesus cast out of her seven demons (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2) and they conclude that demon possession means a person will be immoral, or that their immorality leads to demonic possession. There is no connection between demon possession and immorality. What has arisen as well from this false claim is that the name Magdalene has come to mean a repentant courtesan.^[1]

What furthers the confusion between this account (Luke 7:36-50) and the other anointing done by Mary of Bethany (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-11) is that both homeowners are named Simon. Here it is Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:40), and the one in Bethany was at the house of Simon the Leper. Simon was a very common name in Israel. In the New Testament there are many different men mentioned whose name was Simon. There were two apostles named Simon (Simon Peter and Simon the Zealot in Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:14-15; Acts 1:13), a brother of Jesus (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). Judas Iscariot’s dad’s name was Simon (John 6:71; John 13:26). There was Simon the Cyrene who was forced to carry the cross of Jesus by the Romans (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26), Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:9-24) and Peter stayed at Simon the tanners’ house in Joppa (Acts 9:43; Acts 10:6; Acts 10:32).

01. The Prostitute (Luke 7:36-38)

Luke 7:36 “Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him” Sometime after Jesus finished talking to the people about John the Baptist (Luke 7:24-35 | Messenger of the Messiah), Jesus is invited by a Pharisee to come to his house and dine with him. This is interesting because as we saw last time, the Pharisees accused Jesus of being “a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” (Luke 7:34) The present tense of the Greek verb for “you say” in Luke 7:34 (G3004 λέγετε) indicates that some of those that Jesus was talking to were the very ones that had accused Him of being “a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” (Luke 7:34) It would seem to be that this Pharisee was only inviting Jesus to gather more evidence against Him, as we have already seen in this Gospel how they were constantly attacking Jesus (Luke 5:17-39 and Luke 6:1-11).

Luke 7:36 “and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.” Reclining at the table to eat was the common posture at this time. When they were eating, they would place their place their “left elbow…on the table, and the head rested on the hand, sufficient room being of course left between each guest for the free movements of the right hand. This explains in what sense John ‘was leaning on Jesus’ bosom,’ and afterwards ‘lying on Jesus’ breast,’ when he bent back to speak to Him (John 13:23: John 13:25).”[2] “They were all sitting, or rather ‘lying’ - the Mishnah sometimes also calls it ‘sitting down and leaning’ - around the table, the body resting on the couch, the feet turned away from the table in the direction of the wall, while the left elbow rested on the table.”[3] At this time, you walked everywhere and all the roads were either dusty of muddy, so it was wise to keep your feet as far away from the table as far as possible. Alfred Edersheim writes that “it is the manner of slaves to eat standing, therefore now they eat sitting and leaning” [4]

Luke 7:37 “And” In the Greek, this verse literally starts out καὶ ἰδοὺ, “and behold”, showing an emphasis that something shocking and amazing was about to happen.

Luke 7:37 “there was a woman in the city who was a sinner” The Greek word for “sinner” here is (G268) ἁμαρτωλός hamartōlŏs and it refers to an immoral woman, a prostitute.

It was common practice at this time for outsiders to hang out during the banquets so that they could watch the important people and hear their conversations. Since everything was open, they could go throughout the banquet hall and even have conversations with the guests. At this time, women were not invited to banquets. Jewish rabbis had nothing to do with women in public. They wouldn’t speak to them or be found eating with them in public. A woman of this type would never be welcomed into the house of Simon the Pharisee.

We know from A Harmony of the Gospels by A.T. Robertson, that just before this event Jesus had given a gracious invitation to all in Matthew 11:20–30.

Matthew 11:28–30 “²⁸ “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

Is it possible that she heard the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28–30, or she heard from others what He had said? Maybe this is when she turned from her sin and trusted Jesus as her Saviour?

Luke 7:37 “and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume,” Knowing that Jesus was going to Simon’s house, and that the doors would be opened, she came with “an alabaster vial of perfume”. Dr. Luke points out that the vial in which the perfume was stored was made from alabaster, which was an expensive kind of marble most likely quarried in Egypt, which implies that this perfume was valuable. Perfume was not only an important part of the trade of a prostitute, but was also used by many women at this time. A flask with this perfume was worn by women round the neck, and hung down below the breast...So common was its use as to be allowed even on the Sabbath. This ‘flask’…was used both to sweeten the breath and perfume the person.[5]

Luke 7:38 “and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping,” This woman came in and was standing, taking the position of a slave, behind Jesus but at His feet. Perhaps she did hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28–30, knowing that He had already issued an invitation, and now, when she is in the presence of her Saviour, all she could do is weep. David lamenting said, “I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries. Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For YHWH has heard the voice of my weeping.” (Psalm 6:6-8) David stated after confessing his sin with Bathsheba that “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. ¹¹ For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.” (2 Corinthians 7:10-11)

The Godly sorrow that Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 is like what was displayed in Peter (John 21:15-17) after he denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26:70-75; Mark 14:68-72; Luke 22:57-61; John 18:25-27). The worldly sorrow that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 is displayed in Judas, who after betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15), realized that he betrayed innocent blood and tried to give the money back (Matthew 27:3-4). When he left, he threw the money into the Temple Sanctuary and hung himself (Matthew 27:5; Acts 1:18-19).

This prostitute standing behind her Saviour, weeping so much that “she began to wet His feet with her tears” (Luke 7:38). The Greek word for “wet” here (G1026 βρέχω brĕchō) literally means to rain,^[6] to cause something to become wet.^[7]

Luke 7:38 “and kept wiping them with the hair of her head,” The Greek verb for “wiping” here (G1591. ἐκμάσσω ĕkmassō) is in the Imperfect, Active, Indicative, meaning that she was continually wiping His feet, not just a one-time action. In that culture, washing the feet of another was considered humiliating, something that was only down by the lowest of slaves, something that our Saviour displayed at the Last Supper in John 13:3-5. But what would have really shocked the people there was even more than this sinful woman washing the feet of Jesus, but that she let her hair down. For a Jewish woman to let her hair down in public was thought of as improper and even immoral.

After she washed the feet of Jesus, she then began “kissing His feet” (Luke 7:38)The Greek verb that is used here for “kissing” (G2705 καταφιλέω kataphilĕō) is an intense, descriptive verb, for it means to kiss earnestly.^[8] These are the only lips except those of the traitor that are recorded to have touched our Saviour, and only then does she pour forth her only wealth, her expensive perfume by “anointing them with the perfume.” (Luke 7:38)

Typically the anointing was done on the head (1 Samuel 10:1; 2 Kings 9:3, 6; Psalm 23:5), but the prostitute anointed Jesus on His feet. The Greek title “Christ” (G5547 Χριστός Christŏs^[9]) and the Hebrew title “Messiah” (H4899 מָשִׁיחַ mâshîyach^[10]) both mean the anointed one. A notorious sinner, a prostitute, anointed the anointed One! The actions of this prostitute are a beautiful picture of a sinner that’s been forgiven. The kissing of the feet of her Saviour was a symbol of her love and affection for Him. By doing this, she was publicly displaying her love for Jesus. She displayed her humility and conviction of her sins by washing the feet of Jesus. She displayed a heart of worship by breaking the vial of expensive perfume and anointing His feet.

02. The Pharisee (Luke 7:39-43)

Luke 7:39 Jesus was called a “great prophet” after He raised the widow’s dead son in Nain (Luke 7:11-17), and obviously Simon the Pharisee knew that people referred to Jesus as a prophet. Simon couldn’t understand how a man that was regarded as a prophet, did not know about this woman, much less allowing her to wash, kiss and anoint His feet.

Luke 7:40 Jesus proved that He was a prophet by knowing what Simon was thinking, and responding to his thoughts (cf Luke 5:22; Luke 6:8)!

Jesus now tells a simply story, using the mode of reasoning used by the religious leaders in Luke 7:41–42.[11] The denarius was equivalent to a day’s wages, so five hundred denarii was almost a year and a half’s wages, while fifty denarii was about two months worth of wages. One of the debtors owes only 10% of what the other owed, yet they were both debtors who were unable to pay what they owed. In front of the creditor, they are the same, for they are both in debt (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12). Because they both couldn’t pay, they were both in the same position, debtors with a debt that was unable to be paid. This simple parable or analogy illustrates that it is not the amount of sin in the life of a person but the awareness of sin in a person’s heart. How much sin must people commit for them to be considered a sinner? Simon and the prostitute were both sinners. The prostitute was guilty of sins of the flesh (2 Corinthians 7:1), for all knew her sins. Simon’s sins were unknown, for they were hidden beneath a veneer of spirituality, but he was guilty of sins of the spirit, especially pride. Simon’s sins were hidden from everyone but God. Both of them were bankrupt, with no means to pay their debt to God, Simon was just as spiritually bankrupt as the prostitute he just didn’t realize it.

Forgiveness is a gift of God’s grace because Jesus paid the debt in full (John 19:30; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 6:10; Hebrews 10:11-12; 1 Peter 1:18–19; 1 John 1:9). In John 19:30 the Greek word for “It is finished!” is Τετέλεσται Tetelestai (G5055) and it literally means that Jesus has accomplished everything on the cross that was foretold about in the Scriptures.  Paul and Peter both tells us that He died for all mankind, not just for the Jews in Romans 6:10 and 1 Peter 1:18–19. Paul tells us “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Luke 7:42 “When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both.” The Greek word that is used here for “graciously” (G5483.  χαρίζομαι charizŏmai) to cancel a sum of money that is owed, to forgive a debt.^[12] This Greek word is used to describe the forgiveness from God to believers in Christ, and how we are to display that same forgiveness to those who have wronged us (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13). The creditor in this story took upon him self the debt when he forgave the debts of the two men, a picture of God forgiving the sins of mankind, taking it upon Himself and having His Son die to pay the debt (Romans 5:8). Jesus then got to the point of His illustration, “So which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:42)

Luke 7:43 After the illustration given by Jesus, the answer was obvious to Simon.

03. The Pardon (Luke 7:44-50)

Luke 7:44–46 Simon was guilty of sins of omission, not properly welcoming his guest, while the prostitute was guilty of sins of commission. Everything that Simon neglected to do, the prostitute did, and she did it from a forgiving heart. Both spoke loudly in their actions. The prostitute accepted God’s free offer of salvation and openly expressed her love. Simon the Pharisee rejected the offer, thus he was not forgiven. David talks about the blessing of being forgiven in Psalm 32.01-05.

Luke 7:47 It was easy for Simon to call this woman a sinner, but impossible for him to call himself a sinner. Jesus publicly forgave this woman. The perfect tense verb in the Greek for “have been forgiven” describes an action that was completed in the past with ongoing effects in the present indicates that the prostitute had already been forgiven before she came to Jesus that day. She was not forgiven because of her love for Jesus, but her love for Jesus was a result of her forgiveness. She loved much because she had been forgiven much.

Luke 7:48 Now talking to the prostitute, Jesus confirmed her forgiveness; again the verb for “have been forgiven” is in the present tense.

Luke 7:49 The heart that is unregenerate hates grace. Jesus can forgive sins because He is God (Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 44:22; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Daniel 9:18-19; Micah 7:18-20; Acts 13.38-39; Romans 3:24; Romans 4:5-8; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13)!

Luke 7:50 Jesus then tells this forgiven prostitute that her faith has saved her, and that she is to go in peace. Jesus would later say to the chief priests and the elders of the people “…Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.” (Matthew 21:31) Jesus was clear that the prostitute was not forgiven and saved because of her tears and anointing the Saviour’s feet, but because of her faith.

Paul reminds Titus of this in his letter to the young pastor at Crete, “⁴ But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, ⁵ He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4–7)

It is important to be reminded that lost sinners are not saved by the love of God or their love of God. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) The Greek word for “so” is G3779 Οὕτως (Houtas) and it means in this way, as follows.^[13] Jesus was sent by God to make a way possible for man to be reunited with God, because “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9) Jesus did not reject the tears, kisses and anointment from the prostitute because her works were evidence of her faith. Jesus said, “Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” (Luke 7:35) James tells us “faith without works is dead” (James 2:14–26). Faith plus works do not save us; we are saved by faith that leads to works (Galatians 5:6). Just as the prostitute knew that Jesus forgave her sins because He told her (Luke 7:48), today, we have the Word of God in written form that tells us that by faith our sins are forgiven (Psalm 32:5; Psalm 51:1-19; Psalm 103:12; Proverbs 28:13; Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 44:22; Isaiah 45:25-26; Isaiah 55:6-7; Micah 7:18-19; Acts 13:38-39; Romans 4:7-8; Ephesians 1:6-8; Ephesians 4:32; Hebrews 8:12; 1 John 1:9-10).

The focus of this account is usually on the sinful woman for good reason. But Jesus used this sinful woman as evidence of the power of the Gospel (Romans 1:16-20), and He demonstrated that He has the authority to forgive sins and change lives. Ironically, this woman is the very type of person that Simon and the rest of the Pharisees would despise the most, yet she was the one forgiven and accepted by Christ. In truth, the self-righteous, hypocritical religious leaders are the worst type of sinners, because they think that they do not need a Saviour.

Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) “for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6) “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:14)

When Jesus healed the centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10) that was a miracle. An even greater miracle was when He raised the widow’s dead son in Nain (Luke 7:11-17). But the greatest miracle of all in this chapter was saving this woman from her sins and making her a new person. You can be terminally ill, and if you are healed all that does is delay the day that you die. But if you have the miracle of salvation, you have been given the greatest miracle, because it meets the greatest need and has the best results. For with salvation, whether you are healthy or not, when you die you are going to heaven and “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

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^[1] Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Lk 7:37). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

[2] Alfred Edersheim, The Temple-Its Ministry and Services Ch 12, p76

[3] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Peabody; Hendrickson, 1993], Bk 3, Ch 21, p389, 1.565

[4] Alfred Edersheim, The Temple-Its Ministry and Services Ch 12, p76

[5] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Peabody; Hendrickson, 1993], Bk 3, Ch 21, p390, 1.566

^[6] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

^[7] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

^[8] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

^[9] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

^[10] Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[11] Cf. Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah [Peabody; Hendrickson, 1993], Bk 3, Ch 21, p390-92, 1.567-69

^[12] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

^[13] Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.