Jesus was our place to be at his feet

JESUS WAS OUR PLACE TO BE -AT HIS FEET
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Our Place—At Jesus' Feet BY SPURGEON
“At His feet.”
Luke 7:38
THE Easterns pay more attention to posture than we do. They are
demonstrative and express by outward signs much which we do not express,
or express less energetically. In their courts certainpositions must be takenup
by courtiers. Oriental monarchs are approached in positions which indicate
the greatnessofthe king and the submissiveness ofthe petitioner. So, in their
worship, the Easterns abound in postures significantof the humility which
should be felt in the Presence ofGod. The most of us think very little, indeed,
of outward postures. Perhaps we do not even think enough of them. Inasmuch
as in devotion we think little of the position of the body, let us pay all the more
attention to the posture of the soul.
And if it seems to us to be a matter of indifference whether a man prays
standing as Abraham did, or sitting as David did, or kneeling as Elijah did.
Yet let us take care that the posture of the soul is carefully observed. One of
the bestpositions in which our heart can be found is at Jesus'feet. Here we
may fall, or here we may sit and follow excellentexamples to our exceeding
benefit.
The first thing that is necessaryto spiritual life at all is to recognize the
Presence ofJesus andto come into relationship with Him. To look at Him is
salvation. As to look at the brazen serpent was healing, so to look at Jesus
Christ brings life eternalto the soul. After we have come to look at Jesus and
so there is a connecting link betweenus and Him through which salvation
comes to us, we are described as being in various positions with regardto our
Lord. We are on His heart. Just as the priest of old carried the names of the
twelve tribes, so does Jesus carryall His people on His heart–andthat is
where we are at this time.

There are favored times when, like John, we are on His bosom. We feel His
heart beating with true affectionto us. We not only believe His love but there
is a kind of sense–whichI may not call sense either, for it belongs not to the
grosserforms of sensation–butthere is a kind of spiritual sensitivenesswhich
causes us to feel that Jesus loves us. We seem to say, “Godis love, I know, I
feel.” Forin our very hearts the love of God is shed abroad by the Holy Spirit.
Then are we raised to His bosom. And it is a blessedposture to be in–
“Oh, that we could with holy John
Foreverlean our heads upon
The bosomof our Lord!”
We are described, also, as being in the hands of Christ. All His saints are in
His hand. He gives unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, for He
Says, “none shall pluck them out of my hand.” See your position in the hollow
of His hand, while in the Father’s hand the hand of Christ is embracedand
He tells us “none is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
Then, too, we are described as being on His shoulders. Does not the Good
Shepherd, when he finds the strayed sheep, castit upon His shoulders and
carry it home? When Aaron stoodpleading before the Lord he not only
carried the names of the tribes upon his breastplate but he had them in of gold
upon his shoulders. Christ carries us on the heart of His love and on the
shoulders of His power. Thus are we perfectly safe.
You see, then, where we are. And I do not want you to forgetthis, while I urge
upon all the Lord’s people that they should seek to be “at His feet.” You can
keepall the other positions and this, too. Though that were impossible for the
body, it is quite possible for the spirit. The highest delight and the fullest
assurance are perfectlyconsistentwith the lowliestreverence. You may rise
even to the Master’s lips, until you can saywith the spouse, “LetHim kiss me
with the kissesofHis mouth, for His love is better than wine.” And yet you
may still be lying at His feet, conscious ofyour unworthiness and bowed into
the very dust under a sense ofHis love.
We must leave those other positions and considerthe one in our text. And we
have only two remarks to make–namely, first, that at His feetis a becoming
posture. And, secondly, at His feetis a helpful posture.
1. First, AT HIS FEET IS A BECOMING POSTURE.This is proper
because ofthe majesty of His Person. As He is Divine, “at His feet” is
the creature’s becoming place. Jesus is “Godover all, blessedforever.”
Let us exhibit the lowliestreverence wheneverwe think of Him. He
comes very near us and we sing at the communion table–

“His sacredname a common word
On earth He loves to hear;
There is no majesty in Him
Which love may not come near.”
But there is majesty–there is Divine majesty. Jesus is our Brother but He is
the first-born among many Brethren. He has a human head but on that head
are many crowns. He wears a nature like our own but that Nature is in union
with His Godheadand we cannot think of Him without bowing with lowly
adorationbefore Him. The sun and the moon and the eleven stars make
obeisance to this star of Bethlehem. All the sheaves bow before this Joseph’s
sheaf, as it stands upright in the midst. Jesus, You are He whom Your
Brethren shall praise! All Your mother’s sons shall bow down before You, for
You are exceedinglyglorious. Behold, every tongue shall confess that You are
Lord and every knee shall bow before You. Therefore with gladprostration of
spirit we bow at Your feet even now.
We may wellbow at His feet when we remember the unworthiness of
ourselves. We are insignificant creatures. That is saying little. We are sinful
creatures. Eventhough we have been redeemed by His precious blood and
shall never come into condemnation if we are, indeed, Believers, yet we “were
by nature children of wrath, even as others.” Undeservedmercy has made us
what we are. And if, even now, His Grace were withdrawn from us, we are fit
fuel for the fires of Hell. There is nothing in ourselves of which we canglory.
And, when we come near to Jesus, ourplace is “at His feet.”
There may be some–no, Ithink there cannotbe among His people any that
would aspire to any higher position than “at His feet” when they think of their
sinnership–when they even think of their wanderings since they have known
His love, of their shortcomings and coldness ofheart towards Him. But if
there are any that can take a higher place, I know that I cannot. Oh, if I may
but sit forever at His feet! If I may only look up and bless Him, that He loved
me and gave Himself for me, it shall be everlastingly Heavento my spirit! And
do you not saythe same?
Oh, utter nothingness, you are something as compared with us. For we are
less than nothing! The blank of nothingness stood not in God’s way when He
came to create. But in us there was an opposition to the Divine will–a
something, I say, which was worse than nothing–which resistedour Lord’s
Grace. But He has triumphed, and He has saved us and now it is ours, with
deep humiliation, to lie “at His feet.”

“At His feet,” again, is a place well suited to us, because ofHis well-beloved
claims upon us. As many of us as have been renewedby Divine Grace we have
been rescuedfrom the slaveryof Satan. And we have come into the sweet
service of Christ and now it is our greatjoy to call Him Masterand Lord.
When we are right-minded we make a full submission of everything to Him.
We place “atHis feet” all our time, our talents, our substance. We desire to
bring every thought into captivity to His dear sway.
Our ambition is that He would rule us entirely. It is a scepterof Divine Grace
with which Jesus reigns over His trusting people, but it is quite as powerful as
the iron scepter. Oh, that He would use it and crush our lusts with it and
break our sinful desires with it like potter’s vessels,till we should be wholly
given up to Him!–
“In my spirit rule and conquer,
There set up Your eternal throne;
Weanmy heart from every creature,
You to love and You alone.”
This is the Christian’s desire. He would lie joyfully submissive at the Savior’s
feet, completely subjected by the conquering Lord.
Once more–He is All in All and we would lie at His feetto find salvationin
Him and seek it nowhere else. Perhaps I am speaking to those who long after
eternal life and are crying after salvation. Come, beloved Friend, I do not
know you, but my Lord does. Come and lie at His feet and cry, “I never will
depart until You speak peace to me.” You are not far from finding peace in
Christ when you are satisfiedthat you cannotfind it anywhere else. Whenyou
are weanedfrom every hope exceptthat which is found in Jesus, you will soon
have a hope in Him.
Come, lie prostrate there and say, “If I perish here, I will perish ‘at His feet.’
” None perish there. Beneaththe Cross, where the full sacrifice was offered,
there I castmyself. I will never stir an inch beyond this. If the eternal
thunderbolts can smite the Cross, they shall blast me at the same time, for
here I will stay. At Jesus'feet, I lie, in despair as to all else but with strong
resolve never to go awayfrom Him, resolvedwith Him to live or die. This is
what I mean, then, by the posture of being at Jesus'feet.
But now remember, dear Friends, that at Jesus'feet is the position which the
very brightest of the saints delight to take up. When John was in the Isle of
Patmos and saw His Masterwhom he loved, he did not essayto place his head
upon His bosom. Remember his words–“And when I saw Him, I fell at His
feet as dead.” Now if such a one as John the Divine lay there, that is a high

enough place for you and for me. “At His feet.” Oh, let us getthere! Down,
down, down, high looks!Proud thoughts, down with you! Legalhopes, self-
confidence, down with you! Away, away, with everything that lifts up man.
And may Christ, alone, be exalted while we lie at His feet. For if we do not
bow willingly, we shall have to come to it by a humbling experience.
The Lord has put all things under His feet. Let us put ourselves “atHis feet.”
If we will not acceptHim now to be our Masterand Lord, we shall be flung
into the winepress of the wrath of God and then shall He trample upon us in
His wrath and crush us in His sore displeasure. God save us from such a doom
and may we rejoice to be at His feet.
II. Now we shall attend to our secondobservation. We have shown, I think,
that it is a becoming posture. But now, secondly, IT IS A VERY HELPFUL
POSTURE.
Turn to my text and see that it is a very helpful posture for a weeping
penitent. “Behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew
that Jesus satat meat in the Pharisee’s house, broughtan alabasterbox of
ointment and stoodat His feet behind Him weeping.” It helps us to repent. Do
not go and stand at Moses'feet. You will never repent there. To stand at the
foot of Sinai and tremble may have its uses. But Gospelrepentance does not
spring from legalterror. Gracious tears are wept at Jesus'feet.
Oh, if you would have your heart brokentill the rock shall gush with rivers of
repentance, stand at Jesus'feet. Stand there now. If you would have a tender
heart, think of the Belovedwho died for you! Think of how those feet were
pierced. This woman could not see that, for it was not then done. But you can
see it and mark where the nail has bored eachblessedfoot.
“At His feet” is the best place for a penitent, for it helps faith. Foras you look
down at those dear feetand think, “He is God and He became a Man to suffer
in my place and those dear feet were piercedthat my heart might be delivered
from death,” you will find faith spring up in your soul at the sight of the great
Substitute. Such faith will bring with it pardon. Standing at His feet, you will
find Him turn His head and say to you what He said to the woman, “Your
sins, which are many, are forgiven you. Your faith has saved you; go in
peace.”
Repentance, apartfrom Christ, will need to be repented of. Repentance at
Christ’s feet is the only repentance worth having. When you weepfor sin, so
that you cannotsee Christ through your tears, awaywith them! Unbelieving
tears are not such as Goddelights in. But it is a sweet, sweetthing to taste a
salt repentance and then to taste the honey of a honeyed pardon–to have the

soul smarting and then to have it rejoicing, too, because it stands at Jesus'
feet.
And let me sayto all weeping penitents–Getawayto Jesus'feet, because it is
there your love will flow and there you will begin to think of doing something
for Him who will blot out your sin. Did not this woman unbind the luxuriant
tresses ofher head to make a towel? Did she not, instead of pitcher and basin,
use the fountains of her eyes, no, the fountains of her heart, with which to
bathe His feet? And then for ointment she broke the alabasterbox and kissed,
and kissed, and kissed, and kissedagain, those dear, dear feetof Him who had
brought salvationto her.
O Penitents, I pray you stand not outside in the cold porch with Moses but
come indoors, where Jesus welcomesyou. And stand at His feet and He will
give you that blessedrepentance after a godly sort, which shall bring you an
answerof peace and shall nourish life in your soul. “At His feet,” then, is a
helpful posture to the weeping penitent.
Now you have gotyour Bibles open at Luke’s seventh chapter, turn over to
the eighth chapter and the thirty-fifth verse. You know the story of the man
that had a legionof devils in him who used to cut himself and who lived
among the tombs. Now we read, “They went out to see whatwas done. And
came to Jesus and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed,
sitting at the feet of Jesus.”
At Jesus'feetis the best place for a new convert. What a state of mind and
body this poor man must have been in who was possessedof devils that
carried him overhedge and ditch and field and flood–he knew not where!
Men bound him with chains but like another Samson, he snapped them. He
tore himself with flints and knives and thorns. Poorwretch! He rested not day
nor night. And ever with his dolorous cry he made nights hideous, so that they
that passedby the cemeteries startled, feeling that they had come near the
gates ofHell.
A whole legionof devils dwelt within this poor wretch. And when Christ cast
all the devils out of him, he must have been spent and exhausted, just as after
a delirium there seems no life left. He wanted rest. Where was he to get it? He
satat Jesus'feet. Do you know why he rested there? It was because he felt the
devils could not press on to Jesus'feet. He felt quite sure the devils would
never enter into his body againwhile he satat Jesus'feet. Why, no, the devils
had been afraid of Jesus and had gone into the swine and rushed into the sea
to escape from Him.

While he satat the feet of that greatOne who had rescuedhim from so
terrible a fate, he seemedto feel, “I am safe here.” At Jesus'feethe plucked
up courage and gatheredstrength! With his new clothes on (he had not worn
any for many a day) and his tangled hair combed out againand his poor face,
that had been coveredwith filth, all cleansedagain, I can hardly imagine the
pleasurable sensationand the happiness that he felt! Except I remember how
I have sometimes felt myself, after sharp pains and long diseases, whenI have
come forth to breathe the air again, free from pain. Convalescenceis very
sweetand fairly pictures how souls feel when they get Christ at last. “He has
savedme but, oh, I am weary, I am weary. I will sit at His feet.” And as we sit
at His feet, we feelall weariness passaway.
“Old things are passedaway. Behold, all things are become new.” We see a
new Heaven and a new earth and we are made completelynew creatures.
Where should we sit but at His feetwho makes all things new? You that have
found Christ and now greatlyneed rest, do not try to find rest anywhere but
in Him. Come and sit “at His feet.” Have no more cries, no more fears, no
more doubts, no more despairs. Christ has savedyou. Sit still and remember
what He has done and what He is doing. Sit still and look up at His dear face
and say, “Blessedbe the altogetherlovely One who plucked me out of the jaws
of Hell and delivered me from betweenthe teeth of the dragon.” O dear
Friends, there is no rest like resting at Jesus' feet!–
“Here it is I find my Heaven
While upon the Cross I gaze.”
Now, turn with your finger a little farther to the forty-first verse of the same
chapter and you will find out that “at Jesus'feet” is a very helpful posture for
a pleading intercessor–forone who is himself savedand is pleading for others.
“Behold, there came a man named Jairus and he was a ruler of the
synagogue:and he fell down at Jesus'feetand besoughtHim that He would
come into his house: for he had only one daughter, about twelve years of age
and she lay a dying.”
Many of us know what it is to intercede with God for others. But there is no
interceding that is so efficacious as that which is done at Jesus'feet. When
your heart breaks–whenyoufeel that you do not deserve the mercy that you
are seeking for–when, like Abraham, you cry, “I have takenupon me to speak
unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes,”it is then that you prevail. Lie
“at His feet.” But do not lie there as if it were somebodyelse’s feet. Let it be
Jesus'feet, the feet of your dear Lord, who came to save you. Lie there and
say, “Lord, save my daughter. Lord, save my wife,” or, “Lord, have mercy

upon my wandering, willful boy and save him, for Your mercy’s sake.”Plead
with your whole soul. Pleadimportunately. But do not plead despairingly.
If you are at Jesus'feet, you are near to the Fountain of help. You are near to
Him who tenderly loves you, One who would not have had feet if He had not
loved mankind, for He took His body upon Him out of love and His feet are a
part of His frame. Oh, to realize the presence of Christ when we pray, for if
not, we pray out into the open common, or across the cruel sea. I like praying
right into the Mediator’s ear. It is grand praying when Jesus is near and you
speak to Him as a man speaks to his friend. Thus do I pray now–“Lord, have
mercy upon my congregation. Save the people. Lord, have mercy upon those
whom I have prayed for many a time, who still are not renewedin heart.”
We always prevail when we pray so. When I know that I have gained Christ’s
ear I look out for the answeras confidently as I expect an answerto a letter
that I send by post. Some of our prayers do not go that way for want of our
believing that He is and that He is the Rewarderof them that diligently seek
Him. But when we believe that He will hear us, He does hear us. So, Jairus, if
your daughter is sick, pray for her, but do it “atJesus'feet.” You have an
ungodly relative and you have prayed often but perhaps you have not prayed
at Jesus'feetand I urge you now to try that hallowedplace.
This fourth time will you turn a little farther, to Luke 10:39. “She had a sister
calledMary, which also satat Jesus'feetand heard His word.” So that “at
Jesus'feet” is the fitting place for a willing learner. A lowly sense ofour own
ignorance so that we do not dare to sit higher than “at His feet,” but a
believing confidence in His infinite wisdom so that we sit “at His feet” to learn
of Him–this is suitable. How much better scholars we should be if we tried to
learn at Jesus'feet! Some even of the Lord’s people are a deal too knowing.
Many a boy at schooldoes not learn anything of an excellent master, for he is
conceited–he knowsnothing and he teaches himself.
I am afraid we are like that scholar. We know nothing and we teachourselves.
We have prejudices–opinions ofwhat the Truths of God ought to be. This is
evil–but, oh, it is very sweetto feel, “I do not know anything. I come and take
the Bible and ask it to photograph itself upon my heart”! Some minds are like
stained glass windows. Theyshut out much of the light and the little light that
does struggle through, they colorafter their own manner. It is better to be
plain glass so that the Lord’s light, with all its colorand delicacyof shade,
may come in just as it comes from Heaven, with nothing gatheredfrom
ourselves. Beloved, I pray the Lord to free us all from prejudice, from self-
conceitand from opinions which originate with others.

We must learn at Jesus'feet. Not at the feet of man, when man goes away
from Christ. At times the Lord may send a man whom He teaches and what
we gather from him may be God’s ownvoice to us. Still we must always be
ready to discriminate betweenwhat the man says of himself and what he says
in his Master’s name. For there is a grave difference. “At Jesus'feet” we must
take up our seat. Dearyoung men that are beginning to study theologyand
that wish to become teachers ofothers, do not give yourselves up to any
system and say, “I follow this doctor, or that.”
John Wesleyis not our master–but Jesus Christ is. John Calvin is not our
Master, but Jesus Christ. It does not matter how greatand goodthese men
were–theywere worthy of the love of all the Church of God but we call them
not Rabbi. We may follow the man as far as the man follows Christ but not an
inch farther. We must sit at Jesus'feet, humble, teachable, child-like,
confidently believing what Jesus says but having no “know” ofour own–
taking it all from Him.
But my time fails me and so I must take you to the last instance that I will give
you in Luke. Look at Luke 17–andthe sixteenth verse–the chapterwhich I
read to you. We find that the Samaritan who had been healedfell down on his
face at His feet, giving Him thanks. Well, then, that position is most helpful to
every grateful worshipper. I think I see the angels and the blood-bought ones
commencing one of their celestialchorales.The eye of my imagination is
almost smitten with blindness as I gaze upon the scene. Theyare all brighter
than the sun and the whole company shines with the light of more than a
thousand fold midday.
Hear them as they commence the rapturous strain! Their notes–how sweet,
how seraphic–asthey praise the eternalFather and the glorious Lamb of God!
We hear the song. How it swells!Hearkento the soft touches of the harpers
harping with their harps! Do you note how the singers and the players of
instruments seemcaught up in the ecstasy?But mark! As the song rises they
begin to bow. As it rises higher they bow lowerand lowerand lower. Hark!
The enthusiastic fervor of their love has made them lift their loudest
hallelujah.
And lo, they casttheir crowns atHis sacredfeet! The whole company is still
lifting up the song to its utmost glory but soonthey fall on their faces,
prostrate before the Throne. “At His feet” is their loftiest position. Let us
imitate them, and making the worship more ecstatic than before, bow before
Him–

“Lo, at His feet, with awful joy,
The adoring armies fall!
With joy they shrink to nothing there,
Before the eternal All.”
So let us praise Him for all that He has done for us. And, as we praise Him, let
us sink lowerand lower and lower, till in ourselves we are nothing and Christ
alone lives in us. Let no thought of self, nor wish for self, nor dream of self
intrude but let Jesus be All in All. “At His feet.” There shall our Heavenbe
found. When our soul is deepestbathed in grateful praise we shall fall down
on our faces and worship the Lamb. The Lord bless you, and keepyou at His
feet forever. Amen.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Loving And Forgiving
Luke 7:36-50
W. Clarkson
The peculiarity of Oriental customs, togetherwith the earnestnessand
eagerness ofthis penitent, will accountfor her effecting an entrance into the
house of this Pharisee, and gaining accessto the feet of our Lord. The lessons
we gain from this most touching incident are -
I. THAT THERE IS FREE AND FULL FORGIVENESS FOR THE WORST.
It is somewhatstriking that, although Old TestamentScripture abounds in
passageswhich attestthe greatness ofGod's mercy to the repentant, the Jews
of our Lord's time had no place for such in their systemor their practice. This
could not be from unfamiliarity with the sacredrecord; it rather arose from
ignorance of themselves. Theydid not acknowledgeany sin in their own souls,
any shortcoming in their own lives. Simon probably thought that Jesus was
putting the debt which representedhis obligation (fifty pence)at a high figure.
And, thus mistaking themselves, it is not to be wonderedat that they took a
false view of their neighbours; that they lookedupon those who were
outwardly bad as hopelesslyirrecoverable. Butnot so the Saviour. By action
as much as by language he made it clearthat the guiltiest of men and the

worstof women might come in penitence and be restored. That is the valuable
and lasting significance of his attitude on this occasion. His treatment of this
woman, togetherwith his gracious words to her (ver. 48), are to us, as they
ever will be, the strong assurance thatthose whom we most unsparingly
condemn and most scrupulously exclude may find mercy at his feet.
II. THAT NOT HER LOVE BUT HER PENITENCE WAS THE GROUND
OF HER FORGIVENESS.WhenChrist said, "Her sins, which are many, are
forgiven; for she loved much," he did not, could not, mean that her love was
the ground, but that it was the consequence ofher forgiveness. He meant to
say, "You cansee that she has been forgiven, for you see how she loves, and it
is only they who have been forgiven what she has been forgiven that love as
she loves. The fulness of her love is therefore the proof (not the ground) of her
forgiveness."Whatled to her forgiveness was herpenitence. Those bitter
tears she shed (ver. 38) were the tears of a true contrition; they meant a holy
hatred of her past sin, and a sincere determination to lead another life; and
not being repelled, but accepted, by this Holy and Merciful One, deep and
strong gratitude arose in her; and penitence, love, and a new and blessedhope
surged and strove togetherin uncontrollable emotion within her heart. When
God shows us our fault, we go at once to the merciful Saviour; trusting in him,
we are receivedand restored;then a pure, deep, lasting love arises in our
souls;it is the simple, natural, beautiful outgrowth of penitence and faith.
III. THAT THE SENSE OF GOD'S GRACE TO US WILL DETERMINE
THE FULNESS OF OUR AFFECTION TOWARDHIM. "To whom little is
forgiven, the same loveth little." If we have a very imperfect sense ofour guilt,
and therefore of God's mercy to us, our response in gratitude and love will be
far below what it should be. It is, therefore, of the gravestimportance that we
should know and feelour own faultiness in the sight of God. For clearlyit is
not the magnitude of our past sin, but the fulness of our sense ofguilt, which
determines the measure of our feeling in the matter of gratitude and love.
1. It is for this that we must look. We shall find it as we dwell on the greatness
of God's goodnesstowardus in his providence and his grace;in the poverty
and feebleness ofour filial return to him for all his love and care and kindness
toward us; in the fact that he has been requiring purity of thought and
rectitude of soul and sincerity of motive, as well as propriety of word and
integrity of deed.
2. Forthis also we must pray; asking for that enlightening Spirit who will
show us our true selves, and fill us with a due sense of our greatunworthiness
and our manifold transgressions. -C.

Biblical Illustrator
And, behold, a woman in the city which was a sinner.
Luke 7:36-50
Jesus anointedby a weeping penitent in the house of Simon the Pharisee
J. Grierson.
I. IT IS TO THIS INDIVIDUAL THAT OUR ATTENTION IS, IN THE
FIRST PLACE, TO BE DIRECTED. Hername is not given, but only her
character. This poor sinner had very different reasons from those of the
Pharisee for wishing to see Jesus. The recentmiracle of restoring to life the
widow of Nain's son, had produced, in regardto its author, a deep and general
impression. "There came," we are told, "a fear on all: and they glorified God,
saying, that a greatprophet is risen up among us, and that God hath visited
His people. And this rumour of Him went forth throughout all Judaea."
Simon, among others, wished to know something more perfectly concerning
Him. The motives of the poor sinner were of a far higher and more interesting
nature. She also had heard the fame of Him who had raised the dead, and,
instead of merely musing whether He was a prophet, she seems to have been
fully persuaded that this was the case;nay, that He was the GreatProphet —
the promised Messiah— the Saviour of sinners. Yet all that she had heard of
Him only made her wish to hear more. She had already tastedof the fountain
of living waters;and the language ofher soul was, "Letme drink again — let
me drink abundantly."

1. She evinced her humility and her godly sorrow. Nordid her humility
proceedonly from the profound sense whichshe had of His surpassing
excellence anddignity. It proceededpartly from the feeling of her own past
guilt and exceeding unworthiness. Her humility, in other words, was closely
associatedwith her deep and godly sorrow.
2. But, by her conduct in the guest-chamber, the penitent also evinced her
gratitude and affection. Greatas were her modesty and humility, she did not
permit these feelings to keepher back, even in the presence ofuncharitable
observers, from expressing her unspeakable obligations andardent
attachment to Jesus. Theywere tears of affection not less than of sorrow. They
were what she could neither repress nor conceal.
3. The penitent here evinced her profound sense of the veneration and homage
that were due to Christ. She came for the express purpose of anointing Him —
not only of acknowledging herpersonal obligations and attachment to Him,
but of owning and honouring Him as the MessiahorAnointed One. lie was the
objectof her faith not less than of her love.
II. The next subject, then, which now solicits our attention, IS THE WAY IN
WHICH OUR LORD MET THE INWARD SURMISES AND
COMPLAINTS OF THE "PHARISEE, AND IN WHICH HE NOT ONLY
VINDICATED THE CONDUCT OF THE WEEPING PENITENT, BUT SET
IT FORTHAS AN HONOURABLE CONTRAST TO THE CONDUCT OF
THE PHARISEE HIMSELF.
(J. Grierson.)
The penitent
B. Beddome, M. A.
In the conduct of this penitent we may observe the following particulars:
1. Her deep humility — "She stoodat the feet of Jesus." Mary, the sisterof
Martha, satat His feet, which might signify the calm, settled, and composed
state of her mind. But this woman stood;a posture which denotes humility,
reverence, and fear. She stoodlike a servant in waiting, ready to put in
practice what she had designed for His honour.
2. Observe the holy shame of this penitent — "She stoodat Jesus'feetbehind
Him." Such was the beauty of His holiness that she was ashamed, and such
the glory of His majestythat she was afraid to look Him in the face.

3. Her unfeigned sorrow "She stoodbehind Him weeping." Thoseeyes, which
had been the inlets of temptation and sin, now become the outlets of godly
sorrow.
4. Her sorrow was not only sincere, but abundant — "She stood weeping, and
washedHis feet with tears." It was not a sudden gust, but a continual flow.
5. Witness the ardour of her love to Christ — "She kissedHis feet, and
anointed them with the ointment." A pardoned sinner will think no expense
too greatwhereby he may honour Christ or testify his love to Him.
6. Her contempt of the world. She did not mind the things of the world any
more than the men of the world. The box of precious ointment was of little
value to one who had found the pearl of greatprice.
7. Her gratitude and joy. All her grief was mingled with love and
thankfulness; her tears were tears of joy for sin pardoned, as wellas of sorrow
for sin committed. Her ointment became a thank-offering to her Saviour.
From this instructive history we may learn that the displays of Divine mercy
have always a practicaltendency.
(B. Beddome, M. A.)
A greatsinner and a greatSaviour
J. Irons.
1. First, THE CHARACTER OF THE WOMAN. Everything in Scripture is
addressedto character. Oh, how true is that statementof the Apostle Paul,
when he declaredthat "JesusChrist came into the world to save sinners, of
whom I am chief." Witness the recordgiven in the Word of God of a variety
of prominent characters who have been the recipients of the grace of God. Go
back to old father Abraham; an idolator amongstthe Chaldeans, yet the grace
of God found him, add brought him out, and distinguished him. Mark the
characterof Jacob. I cannotadmire it, exceptin that which grace did for him.
He was a deceitful, supplanting young man; and who would not censure him
for the conduct he pursued in obtaining the blessing? Beloved, I wish you to
be brought to a deep consciousness thatsinnership belongs to us, as well as to
the womanof the city, and that our sinnership is such that nothing but the
blood of Christ can meet our condition before God. Mark yet further. This
poor woman was evidently overwhelmedwith the consciousnessofher
sinnership. It is not simply a cold admissionof the fact, but compunction is
felt, distress of soul realized, a broken and a contrite heart bestowed, an
overwhelming consciousness thatyou deserve nothing but eternal wrath.

II. Now let us glance atTHE OPPORTUNITYWHICH THE POOR
WOMAN HAD OF COMING TO JESUS. There is something interesting in
the factthat it should have been in a Pharisee's house. Think for a moment,
here, of the display of discriminating grace. Simon might look upon her to
hate, but Jesus lookedupon her to manifest that the distinguishing grace
which He is accustomedto exercise in the most sovereignmanner had reached
her heart; and thus, in Simon's own house, the discriminating grace ofGod
was exhibited to take the sinner and to leave the Pharisee. Moreover, this poor
woman must have been informed where Jesus was, andwhat He was as the
sinner's Friend; and this is the very pith of the messageofthe gospelof Christ.
Our greatbusiness, from Sabbath to Sabbath, and from week to week, is to
publish the name and the fame of the sinner's Friend. There must have been
after all, an influence put forth upon this poor woman s soul to bring her to
the feetof Jesus, or she would never have come there.
III. WE NOW COME TO THE MANIFESTATION OF FEELING IN THIS
POOR WOMAN. What are the feelings that she must have been the subject
of? The first I shall mention is the feeling of necessity, andthe secondis that of
a new nature's affectionfor what she had discovered. She loved much. This
feeling of necessitynot only brings the sinner to Jesus under Divine power and
might, but constrains the sinner to put forth the emotion which is described of
this woman — weeping. I do actso much regard the literal effusion of water
from the bodily eyes as I do the weeping of the soul — the compunction of the
spirit; though, with persons who are naturally sensitive, this very
compunction will flow forth in external tears, but in other constitutions not so
visibly. I am very much afraid that many who pass for Christians have glided
into their Christianity in a very smooth and easymanner; and I as strongly
fear that they will glide out of it as easily, and perish for ever. The best
repentance which is known on earth is that which flows from Calvary, from
atoning blood, from pardoning love in the contrite soul. What knowestthou,
my hearers, ofthese feelings? Many persons are greatly frightened about
going to hell, and sometimes, perhaps, grieve lest they should do so.
IV. Let us now pass on to say A FEW WORDS CONCERNINGTHIS POOR
WOMAN'S EXPECTATIONS. No doubt they were great. They are not
recorded, but I should think we might sum them up in two particulars. She
expectedto eye the glories ofHis person, and gaze upon Him with delight; and
she expected, also, to receive absolutionfrom Him, and she gotboth. Now, if
you are brought to the feet of Jesus, I would have you encourage this two-fold
expectation. The first is, to eye the personal and official glories of Christ.
Think, for a moment, of the privilege of gazing by faith upon Him, who is

declaredto be "the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of
His person." "BeholdMe," is His cry. Look off from everything else to gaze
upon the precious Christ of God, and know more and more of Him; yea, till ye
"know even as ye are known." This poor woman expected, also, to receive
absolution from the Saviour, and she obtained it. A word relative to the
difference betweenthe declarationof the doctrine of absolution, and the
receptionof it from Christ by the poor sinner. They are two different things.
Unto Simon the Lord Jesus Christ said, "Her sins, which are many, are
forgiven." But that would not have satisfiedher if she had stopped there.
(J. Irons.)
A bruised reed
H. W. Beecher.
Probably when Simon invited our Saviour to dine there were a greatmany
that wonderedwhy. Simon was, I suppose, a very good-natured fellow,
evidently shallow, but easily excitedand easilyforgetting it. He was a slate, on
which you could write that which you could easilyrub out. Everybody was
running after the Saviour, and Simon was one of those men that liked to catch
lions and parade them in his house. He was, therefore, patronizing Christ.
Still he did it cautiously. He professedsimply to be His gracious entertainer.
Christ went. It is of more importance perhaps to ask, "Why did He go there?
" Well, He went, because He was neither an ascetic nora rigorous moralist,
after the modern sense ofthe term. He never was afraid of soiling Himself. He
carried in Him the light that dispels darkness. Nordo I suppose He ever once
thought, " What will folks say? Is it best for Me to go?" While they were
reclining there was an uninvited guestthat came in, "And behold!" — an
exclamation, to arrestattention — "a woman which was a sinner." Her
outward life had been bad. But there was a womanwithin the woman, a soul
hidden within the body. How knew she of Christ? She had heard Him
doubtless. She had beheld His face and His eye of mercy, and the gentleness
with which He treated children and the poor, and she had said within herself,
"If there is a goodman living, that man is good." So, hearing that He was
gone to dine with the Pharisee, she determined to go and see Him. What kind
of a teachermust that man have been who could inspire in a harlot's bosom
those conceptions ofhuman and Divine greatness as manifestedin Christ, and
who could also draw towards Him from out all the lines of wickednessa
creature like unto this woman? Christ was a prophet, and more than a
prophet. He saw not only the woman, but also the man; her depth and power,

his shallownessandfeebleness. He then preaches a short sermon to Simon. No
words had passed, but He answers Simon's thought. Let us believe, with all
true charity, that from the hour of her resurrectionshe followed the footsteps
of her new-found Master, and that she dwells with Him in the purity and the
bliss of immortality. Now translate from the wonderful scene some lessons.
1. Your own duty. Separate not yourselves from those that have gone wrong.
2. Have faith to believe that under bad appearancesthere yet lurks and there
yet sighs a soul, a moral conscience.
3. Neverforgetthat when a man has gone wrong he can go right. God is on the
side of every man that, having stumbled and fallen, gathers himself together
and gets up; and, though his garments may for a long time be soiled, he is on
his feetagain, and prepared to resist again. Do not forgetthe all-loving heart
of God.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Jesus in Simon's house
D. Longwill.
I. THE FORBEARANCE AND CONDESCENSION OF CHRIST.
II. LOVE IS IN PROPORTION TO THE GREATNESSOF THE BENEFITS
FELT TO BE RECEIVED.
III. From Simon's mistake learn THE DANGER OF SPIRITUAL PRIDE.
1. Spiritual pride blinded his eyes as to himself.
2. It misled him in estimating the characterofthis woman.
3. It prevented him understanding Christ.
(D. Longwill.)
Much forgiveness, much love
A. Bruce, D. D.
The woman had a definite purpose in coming to the house of Simon. She
came, not to be a mere spectator, but to anoint her benefactorwith a box of
precious ointment. Her benefactorwe must assume Jesus to have been, though
we know nothing of the previous relations. Conduct so unusual could not fail
to create a generalsensationin the guest-chamber, and especiallyto arrestthe
astonishedattention of the host. Happily for the object of his harsh judgment,

there was One present who could divine the realsituation. One brief, simple
parable serves at once to apologize for the accused, and to bring a counter-
charge againstthe accuser. The parable was spokenwith a threefold aim.
I. TO DEPEND THE CONDUCT OF THE WOMAN BY SUGGESTING
THE POINTS OF VIEW UNDER WHICH IT OUGHT TO BE REGARDED.
II. TO IMPUGN THE CONDUCT OF THE PHARISEE.
III. To DEFENDTHE CONDUCT OF JESUS HIMSELF IN ACCEPTING
THE HOMAGE RENDERED.
(A. Bruce, D. D.)
Lessons
W. M. Taylor, D. D.
1. Let sinners of every name and degree be encouragedby this narrative to go
at once to Christ.
2. If we would be successfulin raising the fallen, and reclaiming the
abandoned, we must be willing to touch them, and to be touched by them.
3. If we wish to love God much, we must think much of what we owe to Him.
(W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Faith and forgiveness
Phillips Brooks, D. D.
1. Does it not seemas if the Pharisee, if he had had a larger heart, would have
gained something of the experience of the woman's sin without entrance into
the sin in the midst of which she had lived, and so would have known the
richness of love with which she came to the Saviour?
2. The Pharisee has preciselythe same reasonfor thanking Godfor having
been savedfrom falling into sin that any vilest sinner has for thanking God
when he has been draggedout of sin after falling into it.
3. Remember(1)that you have the right and the powerto rescue your brother-
man, and share in the enthusiastic and ecstatic gratitude of the rescued
soul;(2) that every soul has sin enough in it to warrant a consecrationofthe
whole life to the God who has rescuedthe soul, even from that degree of sin in
which it has lived;(3) that the sense ofpreservationmay lay as deep a hold
upon our affections as the sense of rescue.

(Phillips Brooks, D. D.)
The weeping penitent
J. Dobie, D. D.
I. Love for the Saviour brought her into His PRESENCES.
II. HUMILITY for her sin brought her to His FEET.
III. Sorrow for her sin made her WEEP AT HIS FEET.
IV. GRATITUDE for sin forgiven led her to WASH AND ANOINT HIS
FEET.
(J. Dobie, D. D.)
Oriental feasts
W. M. Taylor, D. D.
The guests are in their places, not sitting cross-leggedon the floor, like
modern Orientals, nor seatedonchairs, as with ourselves;but reclining, after
the old Roman fashion, on couches, the head being towards the table, and the
feet, unsandalled, stretched out behind, while the body rested on the left side
and elbow. Around the walls of the room sit some of the inhabitants of the
place who have heard of the feast, and who have come in to see the banquet,
and to listen to the conversation. In one of the earliest, and still one of the best,
of the books ofEasterntravel, being the report of the party of which Andrew
Bonarand Robert McCheyne were members, we find the following statement:
— "At dinner, at the Consul's house at Damietta, we were much interestedin
observing a custom of the country. In the room where we were received,
besides the divan on which we sat, there were seats all round the walls. Many
came in and took their places on these side seats uninvited and yet
unchallenged. They spoke to those at table on business or the news of the day,
and our host spoke freely to them."
Jesus and the woman
W. M. Taylor, D. D.
There was an unrecorded history behind this manifestation. The two must
have met before. This was not the first time she had seenthe Lord. On some

previous occasionvirtue had gone out of Him to her, and had awakenednew
hope within her. She saw the possibility of being forgiven, even for her life of
sin. She felt uprising within her the determination to become a pure and noble
woman. Nay, she had the persuasionthat she was already pardoned and
acceptedby God; and so, unmoved by all surrounding discouragements,
conscious ofnothing but that He was there to whom she owedher new-born
blessedness, she eagerlythrew herself upon His feet, and took this method of
telling Him "all that was in her heart." She came to Him, not as a penitent
seeking pardon, but as a sinner already forgiven; and so that which looked
like extravagance to others was perfectly natural in her, and thoroughly
acceptable to Him. It was but the "return and repercussion" ofthat love
which He had already shownto her. Her tears were, as Luther calls them, ',
heart-water";they were the distillation of her gratitude. She had not come
indeed to weep;she had come designing to use the ointment only. But her
tears had, as it were, stolena march upon her; they had come unbidden and
unexpected, and had rather interfered with the fulfilment of her purpose. But,
in order that her original intention might be thoroughly carriedout, she
wiped them from His feet with her flowing tresses, andthen poured over Him
the precious ointment, whose odourfilled the house.
At His feet
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. IT IS A BECOMING POSTURE.
1. As He is Divine, let us pay Him lowliestreverence.
2. As we are sinful, let us make humble confession.
3. As He is Lord, let us make full submission:
4. As He is All in All, let us manifest immovable dependence.
5. As He is infinitely wise, let us wait His appointed time. The best are at His
feet, joyfully bowing before Him. The worstmust come there whether they
will or no.
II. IT IS A HELPFUL POSTURE —
1. Fora weeping penitent (Luke 7:38).
2. Fora resting convert (Luke 8:35).
3. Fora pleading intercessor(Luke 8:41).

4. Fora willing learner (Luke 10:39).
5. Fora grateful worshipper (Luke 17:16).
6. Fora saint beholding his Lord's glory (Revelation1:17).
III. IT IS A SAFE POSTURE.
1. Jesus will not refuse us that position, for it is one which we ought to occupy.
2. Jesus will not spurn the humbly submissive, who in self-despaircast
themselves before Him.
3. Jesus will not suffer any to harm those who seek refuge atHis feet.
4. Jesus will not deny us the eternal privilege of abiding there. Let this be our
continual posture — sorrowing orrejoicing, hoping or fearing, suffering or
working, teaching or learning, in secretor in public, in life and in death.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Pharisee's mistake
J. Ker, D. D.
I. AS IT REGARDEDCHRIST.
1. He could not read Christ's nature, and undervalued it.
2. In regard to Christ, he mistook also His way of rescuing from sin.
II. AS IT REGARDED THE WOMAN.
1. The Pharisee thought that as a sinner she was to be despised.
2. He did not see that into her heart a new life had entered.
III. As IT REGARDED HIMSELF.
1. The Pharisee showedthat he did not know his own heart.
2. He did not see that in condemning this woman he was rejecting the
salvationof Christ.
IV. SOME TRUTHS WHICH WE MAY LEARN FROM THE PHARISEE'S
MISTAKE.
1. Those who profess religion should be carefulhow they give a false view of it
by uncharitable judgments and assumptions of superiority.
2. On the other side, we must remind those who profess to be seeking religion
that they are bound to form their judgment of it from its Author.
(J. Ker, D. D.)

She is a sinner
Archbishop Thomson.
This is the Pharisee's compendious trial and verdict and sentence ofone in
whose soul, it seems, the sore but wholesome struggle ofrepentance was
actively going on. "She is a sinner"; accursedfrom God she is, and must
continue. There is abomination in her touch, and falsehood in her tears. All
that a prophet cando for her is to pass her by on the other side. Thus
reasoneda sincere, respectable manamong the Jews;not a monster of
intolerance;Dot a brutal scornerof the suffering; but a respectable Jew ofthe
most exactsect among the Jews, speakingin the interests of society, and
echoing an acknowledgedsocialprinciple. And thus reasonmany sincere and
worthy men amongstourselves almosttwo thousand years after the Lord has
taught lessons ofanotherspirit and a more loving wisdom. "She is a sinner."
One word suffices to classifyall that have gone astray; the Pharisee makes no
inquiries, draws no distinctions, indulges no hopes. It is all one to him whether
a depraved will or a giddy vanity made her a willing victim, or the sheer
presence ofstarvation drove her to ruin. It is all one whether, every day when
she rises and every night when she lies down she hates herself, and in bitter
anguish compares the thing she is with what she was;or acquiescesin her own
destruction, and does all she can to hasten the darkness that is settling down
upon her moral nature, and to welcome the perfect night. We pass our hasty
sentence upon thousands and tens of thousands of erring beings, not
considering for a moment how many among them are devoured by an
unspeakable remorse;how many are capable of sorrow, though they stave it
off; hew few, comparatively, are the hopeless children of perdition, lostin this
world and the world to come. Now there are two facts which may well make
us pause ere we adopt the hard and thoughtless rule of societyin dealing with
guilt; and they are facts, not surmises.
1. Societyis, in a large measure, responsible for the very sins which it so
readily condemns and casts out.
2. That there is hardly any escape forthose who have once entered the path of
sin. "She is a sinner"; no one will take her into a blameless home to employ
her; no one will visit her and give her counsel. Thus does one step in sin
utterly destroyone whom Godcreatedto serve and praise Him. God bids the
sinner turn from evil ways, and we will give her no chance of turning.
(Archbishop Thomson.)

Representative characters
Preacher's Lantern.
The woman represents humanity, or the soul of human nature; Simon, the
world, or worldly wisdom; Christ, Divinity, or the Divine purposes of goodto
usward. Simon is an incarnation of what St. Paul calls the beggarlyelements;
Christ of spirituality; the woman of sin.
(Preacher's Lantern.)
The secretofdevotion
C. S. Robinson, D. D.
I. We find here an illustration of THE RECOGNIZEDVALUE OF ALL
ACTS OF SIMPLE-HEARTED DEVOTION TO CHRIST. In the actof
justification God is entirely sovereign, and man is entirely passive;but in the
work of sanctificationwhich succeeds it we are permitted to co-operate with
the Holy Spirit. And all along in our career, as the forgiven children of the
Highest, we are welcomedin the ministries of affectionwhich evidence our
appreciationof Divine grace. The early reformers had no confusion in regard
to this point. Their notion as to the proper blending of faith and works may be
seenin the two seals which Martin Luther used indiscriminately in his
correspondence.Onone was cut his family coat-of-arms — two hammers laid
crosswise,with a blunt head and a sharp head, his father's tools at the time
when he was a miner; and Martin used often, in connectionwith this, to quote
the saying of Achilles: "Let others have wealth who will; my portion is work."
Upon the secondsealwas cut the device of a heart, with wings on eachside of
it spread out as if soaring, and underneath this was the Latin motto: "Petimus
astra."
II. Our secondlessonis concerning THE ACTIVE PRINCIPLE ON WHICH
ZEAL PROCEEDS, AND FROM WHICH COMES ITS VALUE.
1. Many men feel the superior power and dignity of a Christian life, and so
seek something like conformity to its maxims. They move on in a correct
living of outward morality, because it brings a reputation with others and
satisfactionin their own minds: they are wont to speak pleasantlyof
themselves as " outsiders, with a greatrespectfor religion, you know I " No
value whatever in this. The instincts of an honestheart make us claim, as the
very first characteristic offriendship, its disinterestedness. We "willnot suffer
ourselves to be used or patronized; can we suppose God will endure it?

2. Another motive, which gives to many a life a sortof religious cast, is found
in conscientiousness. We are all by nature devout; something draws us, and
keeps drawing, to God; we grow uneasy under its tension. We seek a kind of
temporary relief by yielding a little, without at all intending to yield the
whole; just as the foolish fish is saidto run up towards the fisherman for a
moment, to ease offthe stress ofthe hook, and yet without purposing ever to
leave the water. Such a service of God we call "duty." Now there is no value
either in the surrender we make, or in the acceptancewe profess. Whenwe
give up sin from mere pressure of pain, we are apt to choose those whichwill
be missed the least, and have grownthe weariestin indulgence. Nor is our
obedience any better; we go on with a round of duty-doing as senselessas the
whirling of a Japanese praying-machine in the market-place. Our motive is
the refinement of selfishness,forwe work like a galley-slave who is afraid of
the lash. Becausewe mean to cheaton the "principal" by and by, we
scrupulously keeppaying the regular"interest" now. And all this is mere
hypocrisy.
3. The true motive for all Christian zeal is found in love — simple, honest
affectionfor Christ as the Lord of grace and glory. A gooddeed is measured
by the temper and feeling which underlies it.
III. THE RECOLLECTION BYWHICH TRUE ZEAL IS STIMULATED.
"To whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." The one greatmatter of
notice here is that alabasterbox. It becomes the symbol of a heart full of
experience, which no possible language could describe. It would have been
more properly named a phial or a jar. It was one of those small vessels,wont
to be cherishedin that day by vain and silly women, containing rare and
curiously-perfumed cosmetics, usedby the fastidious Orientals for a
meretricious and luxurious toilet. Two things, therefore, were exhibited in the
act of this woman — penitence and faith.
1. Her penitence appears in the surrender of the unguent; it was one of the
tools of her trade. By this actshe avowedher definite and final relinquishment
of that old, gay life she had been living.
2. Observe, also, the faith in this action. She ventured much when she came to
that feastunbidden. If Jesus should rebuke her, she would be excluded with
contumely and contempt. But she trusted Him with all her heart; she believed
in her forgiveness in the very moment of asking for it. So she offeredher
Saviour the highest of all she had. She gave Jesus herlast glory; He gave her
His full pardon of her sins as His rewardand benediction in return.
(C. S. Robinson, D. D.)

Jesus in the house of the Pharisee
M. G. Pearse.
Then one of the Phariseesdesiredthat Jesus wouldeat bread with them; and
as the crowdfalls back they go on their way togetherto this Pharisee's house.
And now He lies reclining on the couch. LET US TURN TO LOOK AT THE
HOST. He has given Christ a very heartless welcome,and a very scanty
entertainment. The commonestcourtesies oflife were wanting. There was no
hint of enthusiasm, no whisper of affection; no tokenof any loving regard. Not
even was it a statelyformality — all was as empty as it was cold. Yet do not
put down this man as a hypocrite or a knave. Notat all. We overdo the
characterof the Pharisee, and so we destroy it altogether. This man is just a
fair type of a greatmany religious people to-day — people who are quite
willing to extend a kind of patronage to the claims of Jesus Christ, but who
never put themselves much out of the way for Him. They give their heart and
energy to their business — for that no care, no toil, nothing is grudged. They
give their enthusiasm to politics, if they live in the city; if they live in the
country they share it with their horses and guns. They keeptheir money for
themselves. Forreligion they are willing to expend an occasionalhour on
Sunday, and a .vet more occasionalsubscription. Alas! that our Blessed
Redeemer, the King of Heaven, should find still so cold a welcome and so
scanty an entertainment in many a house to-day! With such people there may
be a degree of orthodoxy on which they pride them. selves, but what is much
more rigid and essentialis a certain refinement of taste, which is really the
only religion of many; there is, too, a certainstandard of morality, less
important, however, than the standard of taste;and for everybody who does
not come up to their standard either of manners or morals, there is a stoning
to death with hard judgments — and an equal condemnation for those who
venture to go beyond their standard. Look at it. It is religion without any love
to God and without any love to man. It is religionwithout any deep sense of
indebtedness, and without any glad devotion. There it is: religion without any
deep sense ofsin, and so without any glad sense of forgiveness;religion
without any need, and so without riches; religion without a Saviour, and so
without any love. This man knew of a law which demanded a certain degree of
goodness:that was exactly the goodness whichhe himself lived up to. And
goodpeople like himself, of course, should go to heaven for everand ever. And
bad people like this woman should go — elsewhere;and he went on his way
quite comfortable and contented with an arrangementaltogetherso
advantageous to himself. Look at this man carefully; and see in him a peril

that besets all of us who are brought up in religious forms and observances. It
is religion without the Holy Spirit of God, who is come to convince of sin, of
righteousness, andof judgment to come;to make these the great and awful
realities, by which the world is tested and all things are esteemed, forwithout
that Holy Spirit who is come to shed the love of God abroad in the heart, God
is but a name; religion is but a form; sin is but a notion. Now LET US TURN
TO THE UNINVITED VISITOR, The Easterncustom of hospitality meant
very literally "openhouse." The curiosity with which the people followed
Jesus everywhere would be sure to follow Him here, and though He has
entered into the house He cannot be hid. And yet of all heresies the most
persistentand most deadly is that of which the Church makes but little ado. It
is this — that Jesus Christ is come into the world to save goodpeople who
don't think they need any saving; and if realsinners come to Him — dreadful
sinners: black sinners — it is a presumption and an intrusion which good
people cannottolerate. SEE HERE THE RIGHT CHARACTER, IN THE
RIGHT PLACE, SEEKING THE RIGHT THING, IN THE RIGHT WAY. A
sinner at the feet of Jesus — here is a sight that all heaven shall come forth to
rejoice over; and they shall go back to celebrate it in the sweetestmusic that
even angels eversang. "She is a sinner" — it is the only certificate of
characterthat Jesus wanted. The only thing for which He came, the only work
for which He had qualified Himself, had to do with sinners. "She is ignorant,"
said Simon, within himself. "The people that knowethnot the law is accursed.
What does this wretchedwoman understand of the mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven? What appreciationcan she have of its lofty promises and high
glory?" She knew that she was a sinner and in that she knew more than
Simon knew;and knew all that she neededto know. A sinner at His feet. Oh,
blessedhiding-place! A refuge sure and safe, in His shadow, within reachof
that Hand, there, where all the heart may pour forth its sorrow and the story
of its sin, where all His love may look its benediction, and may touch with
healing power. Coming in the right way. She just castherselfupon His love
and help. Having no hope but in Him, feeling that the torrents sweptand
surged about her, but that Hand held her and was lifting her up, and should
sether feet upon the rock. She came unto Him and found the restthat she
sought. The hold of the past was loosedand broken; its record was blotted out
and forgotten. The touch of that gracious Hand healed the broken heart. His
words fell like the very music of heavenupon her soul. "Thy sins are forgiven
thee." And there came a new life, fresh, sweet, pure, beautiful, like the life of a
little child. This is Jesus, ourSaviour, who speaks to us this day. "Come unto
Me, and I will give you rest.'" But the story is not finished yet. There with the
sobbing woman down at His feet, with that graciousHandlaid on the bent

head — that Hand whose touchhealed the broken heart — Jesus became her
Advocate and Defender. The silence was brokenas Jesus lookedup and said,
"Simon, I have somewhatto say unto thee." With what rich blessing must
every word have fallen upon her — what gentle courtesyand tender grace was
His!
(M. G. Pearse.)
The woman that was a sinner
C. H. Spurgeon.
Here are two silver bells, let us ring them; their notes are heavenly — O for
ears to hear their rich, clearmelody! The first note is " grace," andthe second
tone is "love."
I. GRACE, the most costlyof spikenard:this story literally drips with it, like
those Oriental trees which bleed perfume.
1. First, grace is here glorified in its object. She was "a sinner" — a sinner not
in the flippant, unmeaning, every-day sense ofthe term, but a sinner in the
blacker, filthier, and more obnoxious sense. Grace has pitched upon the most
unlikely casesin order to show itself to be grace;it has found a dwelling-place
for itself in the most unworthy heart, that its freeness might be the better seen.
2. Grace is greatly magnified in its fruits. Who would have thought that a
woman who had yielded her members to be servants of unrighteousness, to
her shame and confusion, should have now become, whatif I call her a maid
of honour to the King of kings? — one of Christ's most favoured servitors?
This woman, apart from grace, hadremained black and defiled still to her
dying day, but the grace ofGod wrought a wondrous transformation,
removing the impudence of her face, the flattery from her lips, the finery from
her dress, and the lust from her heart. Eyes which were full of adultery, were
now founts of repentance;lips which were doors of lascivious speech, now
yield holy kisses — the profligate was a penitent, the castawaya new creature.
All the actions which are attributed to this woman illustrate the transforming
powerof Divine grace. Note the woman's humility. She had once possesseda
brazen face, and knew no bashfulness, but now she stands behind the Saviour.
3. I would have you remark, in the third place, that grace is seenby attentive
eyes in our Lord's acceptanceofwhat this chosenvesselhad to bring. Jesus
knew her sin. Oh, that Jesus should ever acceptanything of me, that He
should be willing to acceptmy tears, willing to receive my prayers and my
praises!

4. Further, grace is displayed in this narrative when you see our Lord Jesus
Christ become the defender of the penitent. Everywhere grace is the objectof
human cavil: men snap at it like evening wolves. Some objectto grace in its
perpetuity, they struggle againstpersevering grace;but others, like this
Simon, struggle againstthe bounty of grace.
5. Once more, my brethren, the grace ofGod is seenin this narrative in the
bestowalofyet richer favours. Greatgrace savedher, rich grace encouraged
her, unbounded grace gave her a Divine assurance offorgiveness."Go in
peace."
II. Love.
1. Its source. There is no such thing as mere natural love to God. The only
true love which can burn in the human breast towards the Lord, is that which
the Holy GhostHimself kindles.
2. Its secondarycause is faith. The fiftieth verse tells us, "Thy faith hath saved
thee." Our souls do not begin with loving Christ, but the first lessonis to trust.
Many penitents attempt this difficult task;they aspire to reachthe stair-head
without treading the steps;they would needs be at the pinnacle of the temple
before they have crossedthe threshold. Grace is the source of love, but faith is
the agentby which love is brought to us.
3. The food of love is a sense ofsin, and a grateful sense offorgiveness. The
service this woman rendered to our Lord was perfectly voluntary. No one
suggestedit, much less pressedit upon her. Her service to Jesus was personal.
She did it all herself, and all to Him. Do you notice how many times the
pronoun occurs in our text? " She stood at His feetbehind Him weeping, and
beganto washHis feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her
head, and kissedHis feet, and anointed them with the ointment." She served
Christ Himself. Forgetfulness ofthe personality of Christ takes awaythe very
vitality of our religion. How much better will you teach, this afternoon, in
your Sabbath-schoolclass,if you teachyour children for Christ! The woman's
service showedher love in that it was fervent. There was so much affectionin
it — nothing conventional; no following chilly propriety, no hesitating inquiry
for precedents. Why did she kiss His feet? Was it not a superfluity? O for
more of this guileless piety, which hurls decorum and regulationto the winds.
This woman's love is a lessonto us in the opportunity which she seized.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The woman that was a sinner

J. Burns D. D.
I. THE PERSONDESCRIBED.
1. She was a sinner. This applies to all.
2. A notorious sinner.
3. A mourning and deeply penitent sinner.
II. THE COURSE WHICH SHE ADOPTED.
1. Strong desires after the Saviour.
2. Deephumility and lowliness ofmind.
3. Deepcontrition.
4. True and hearty affectionto Christ.
5. Liberality and devotedness to Christ.
6. An after-life worthy of the professionshe now made. She attended Christ in
many of His journeys, &c.
III. THE PUBLIC TESTAMENT SHE RECEIVED. She had honoured Jesus;
and He now honours her, by testifying of her.
1. He testified to her forgiveness.
2. He testified to her faith as the instrumental cause.
3. He testified to the greatness ofher love.
4. He testified to His approval and acceptanceofher.Application. Learn:
1. The condescensionofChrist.
2. The riches of His grace.
3. His power and willingness to save the chief of sinners.
4. The true way of coming to Christ.
5. The effects of true love to Him.
(J. Burns D. D.)
The penitent citizen
N. Rogers.
1. Her humility. She takes her stand at the feet of Christ, esteeming the lowest
place too goodfor her, so vile an abject,

2. Bashfulness and shame. She cloth not boldly face Christ, but gets behind
Him; being conscious ofher sins, which thus placed her deservedly.
3. Sorrow. The rock is now turned into a water-pool, and the flint into a river
of waters:she weeps, andin such abundance, as that she washethChrist's feet
with those streams of penitence.
4. Revenge. Thathair which she had so often gently combed, and cunningly
broidered againstthe glass, andthen spread forth as a net to catchher
amorous companions withal, she now employs in the wiping those feet, which
she had with her tears washed.
5. Love; manifested in kissing Christ's feet, acknowledging thereby that she
tastedof the comfort that was in Him. O how gladly will one who hath
escapeddrowning kiss the shore!
6. Bounty. She pours a precious and costlyointment upon those feet she had
thus washedand kissed. Everyway she approved herself a perfectpenitent.
And therefore no marvel (the greatprize coming) if the trumpets sound; the
news of this rare convert is proclaimed with an "Ecce, Beholda woman."
(N. Rogers.)
Jesus attracting sinners
American Sunday SchoolTimes.
Travelling along a country road in a hot summer's day, you may have noticed
the people before you turn aside at a certainpoint, and gatheraround
something that was yet hidden from you. You knew at once that it was a clear,
cold spring that drew them all togetherthere. Eachof them wanted something
which that spring could supply. Or you have seen iron filings leap up and
cling to the poles of a magnet when it was brought near to them. The
attractionof the magnet drew them to itself. So sinners were drawn to Jesus;
they felt that in Him was all fulness, and that He could supply their need.
(American Sunday SchoolTimes.)
Love produces repentance
J. Hamilton, D. D.
From this incident we see what it is that produces true repentance. If you were
going out into the open air on a frosty day, and were taking a lump of ice, you
might pound it with a pestle, but it would still continue ice. You might break it

into ten thousand atoms, but so long as you continue in that wintry
atmosphere, every fragment, howeversmall, will still be frozen. But come
within. Bring in the ice beside your own bright and blazing fire, and soonin
that genialglow "the waters flow." A man may try to make himself contrite;
he may searchout his sins and set them before him, and dwell on all their
enormity, and still feel no true repentance. Though pounded with penances in
the mortar of fasts and macerations, his heart continues hard and icy still.
And as long as you keepin that legalatmosphere it cannot thaw. There may
be elaborate confession, a got-up sortof penitence, a voluntary humility, but
there is no godly sorrow. But come to Jesus with His words of grace and truth.
From the cold winter night of the ascetic, come into the summer of the Great
Evangelist. Let that flinty frozen spirit bask a little in the beams of the Sun of
Righteousness. Listenfor a little to those words which melted this sinner into
a penitent — which broke her alabasterbox and brimmed over in tears of
ecstatic sorrow andself-condemning devotion: for, finding that you too have
much forgiven, you also will love much.
(J. Hamilton, D. D.)
Self-righteous murmuring
American Sunday SchoolTimes.
When the prodigal son returned home, that respectable elderbrother of his
was the only one who begrudged his welcome. So this punctilious Pharisee
murmured at the womanwho anointed Jesus'feet. It is told of a noted
geologistthat once, when travelling over a new district, he hired an ignorant
countryman to carry the specimens of the different rocks whichhe had
collected, to his inn. The countrymen afterwards, conscious ofhis own
superior knowledge, usedto tell of "the poor mad gentleman who went
around gathering stones." The Pharisee, cladin his own self-righteousness,
has the same difficulty regarding the mission of Jesus;he cannotsee how
Jesus stoops to even the outcast. He does not see the hidden jewelof the soul;
he forgets that the physician must lay his hand upon the loath. some sore, if he
would heal it.
(American Sunday SchoolTimes.)
An unfeeling religionist
Trench.

There is a story in the Bustan of the famous PersianpoetSaadi, which seems
an echo of this evangelicalhistory. Jesus, while on earth, was once entertained
in the cellof a dervish, or monk, of eminent reputation for sanctity. In the
same city dwelt a youth, sunk in every sin, "whose heartwas so black that
Satanhimself shrank back from it in horror." This last presently appeared
before the cell of the monk, and, as if smitten by the very presence ofthe
Divine prophet, began to lament deeply the sin and misery of his life past, and,
shedding abundant tears, to implore pardon and grace. The monk indignantly
interrupted him, demanding how he dared to appear in his presence, andin
that of God's holy prophet; assuredhim that for him it was in vain to seek
forgiveness;and to prove how inexorably he consideredhis lot was fixed for
hell, exclaimed: "My God, grant me but one thing — that I may stand far
from this man in the judgment day!" On this Jesus spoke:"It shall be even so;
the prayer of both is granted. This sinner has sought mercy and grace, and
has not sought them in vain. His sins are forgiven: his place shall be in
Paradise atthe last day. But this monk has prayed that he may never stand
near this sinner. His prayer, too, is granted: hell shall be his place;for there
this sinner shall never come."
(Trench.)
The nun and the penitent
S. C. Hall.
One of the legends of Ballycastle preservesa touching story. It is of a holy nun
whose frail sister had repented her evil ways and soughtsanctuary at the
convent. It was winter; the sheltershe claimed was granted, but the sinless
sisterrefused to remain under the same roof with the repentant sinner. She
left the threshold, and proceededto pray in the open air; but looking towards
the convent, she was startledby perceiving a brilliant light issue from one of
the cells, where she knew that neither taper nor fire could have been burning.
She proceededto her sister's bed — for it was in that room the light was
shining — just in time to receive her lastsigh of repentance. The light had
vanished, but the recluse receivedit as a sign from heaven that the offender
had been pardoned, and learned thenceforwardto be more merciful m
judging, and more Christlike in forgiving.
(S. C. Hall.)
Influence of Christ's love

A pious man relates the following incident: One day I passeda shed where I
saw severalmen at work loosening a waggonwhose wheelshad frozen into the
ice. One of the men went to work with axe and hammer, and with much
labour loosenedone of the wheels, not, however, without doing considerable
injury to it. Suddenly, the woman of the house came near, with a pailful of hot
water, and poured it on the spokes. The wheels were now quickly loosened,
and the loud praises of those standing near were bestowedonthe woman. I
thought: I will note this! The warming influence of Christ's love loosens the
icy bands around a sinful heart soonerthan the axe of carnal poweror
dogmatic opposition.
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(38) And stoodat his feetbehind him.—The common usage of the Eastleft the
court-yard of the house open while such a feastas that described was going
on, and there was nothing to hinder one who had not been invited from
coming even into the guest-chamber. It is possible, indeed, that the feastmay
have been intentionally open to all comers. Our Lord’s position has to be
remembered as we read the narrative.
To wash his feet with tears.—Manydifferent emotions may have mingled in
the woman’s soul. Shame, penitence, gratitude, joy, love, all find the same
natural relief. The word for “wash” should be noted as implying a “shower”
of tears. It may be noted that while the tenses for this and the “wiping” imply
a momentary act, those that follow for the kissing and anointing involve the
idea of continuance. The act, the sobs, the fragrance of the ointment, of course
attractednotice.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
7:36-50 None can truly perceive how precious Christ is, and the glory of the
gospel, exceptthe broken-hearted. But while they feel they cannot enough
express self-abhorrence onaccountof sin, and admiration of his mercy, the
self-sufficient will be disgusted, because the gospelencouragessuchrepenting
sinners. The Pharisee, insteadof rejoicing in the tokens of the woman's
repentance, confined his thoughts to her former bad character. Butwithout
free forgiveness none of us can escape the wrath to come;this our gracious
Saviour has purchasedwith his blood, that he may freely bestow it on every

one that believes in him. Christ, by a parable, forced Simon to acknowledge
that the greatersinner this woman had been, the greaterlove she ought to
show to Him when her sins were pardoned. Learn here, that sin is a debt; and
all are sinners, are debtors to Almighty God. Some sinners are greater
debtors; but whether our debt be more or less, it is more than we are able to
pay. God is ready to forgive; and his Son having purchasedpardon for those
who believe in him, his gospelpromises it to them, and his Spirit seals it to
repenting sinners, and gives them the comfort. Let us keepfar from the proud
spirit of the Pharisee, simply depending upon and rejoicing in Christ alone,
and so be prepared to obey him more zealously, and more strongly to
recommend him unto all around us. The more we express our sorrow for sin,
and our love to Christ, the clearerevidence we have of the forgiveness ofour
sins. What a wonderful change does grace make upon a sinner's heart and life,
as well as upon his state before God, by the full remissionof all his sins
through faith in the Lord Jesus!
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Stoodat his feet behind him - They reclined, at their meals, on their left side,
and their feet, therefore, were extended from the table, so that persons could
easilyapproach them. See the notes at Matthew 23:6.
Beganto washhis feet - The Jews wore sandals. Thesewere takenoffwhen
they entered a house. It was an act of hospitality and kindness to washthe feet
of a guest. "She" therefore beganto show her love for the Saviour, and at the
same time her humility and penitence, by pouring forth a flood of tears, and
washing his feetin the manner of a servant.
Kissed his feet - The kiss was an emblem of love and affection. In this manner
she testified her love for the Lord Jesus, and at the same time her humility
and sense ofsin by kissing his feet. There could be few expressions of
penitence more deep and tender than were these. A sense ofall her sins rushed
over her mind; her heart burst at the remembrance of them, and at the
presence ofthe pure Redeemer;with deep sorrow she humbled herself and
sought forgiveness.She showedher love for him by a kiss of affection;her
humility, by bathing his feet; her veneration, by breaking a costly box -
perhaps procured by a guilty life - and anointing his feet. In this waywe
should all come, embracing him as the loved Redeemer, humbled at his feet,
and offering all we have - all that we have gained in lives of sin, in our
professions, by merchandise and toil, while we were sinners - offering "all" to
his service. Thus shall we show the sincerity of our repentance, and thus shall
we hear his gracious voice pronounce our sins forgiven.

Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
38. at his feetbehind him—the posture at meals being a reclining one, with the
feet out behind.
beganto wash, &c.—to "waterwitha shower." The tears, which were quite
involuntary, poured down in a flood upon His nakedfeet, as she bent down to
kiss them; and deeming them rather fouled than washedby this, she hastened
to wipe them off with the only towelshe had, the long tresses ofher own hair,
"with which slaves were wontto wash their masters'feet" [Stier].
kissed—The wordsignifies "to kiss fondly, to caress,"orto "kiss againand
again," which Lu 7:45 shows is meant here. What prompted this? Much love,
springing from a sense ofmuch forgiveness. So says He who knew her heart
(Lu 7:47). Where she had met with Christ before, or what words of His had
brought life to her dead heart and a sense of divine pardon to her guilty soul,
we know not. But probably she was of the crowd of "publicans and sinners"
whom Incarnate Compassiondrew so often around Him, and heard from His
lips some of those words such as never man spake, "Come unto Me, all ye that
labour," &c. No personalinterview had up to this time takenplace between
them; but she could keepher feelings no longerto herself, and having found
her wayto Him (and enteredalong with him, Lu 7:45), they burst forth in this
surpassing yet most artless style, as if her whole soul would go out to Him.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 7:37"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And stoodat his feet behind him,.... Christ lay upon a bed, or couch, as was
the customof the ancients, both Jews and others, at meals, with his feet put
out behind; and betweenthe couches and the walls of the room, there was a
space for servants to wait and serve, and such are therefore said to "stand at
the feet";and the phrase is used, as descriptive of servants in waiting (n); and
in such a situation this woman put herself, as being also ashamedand afraid
to come before Christ, and look him in the face;and here she stoodweeping
for her sins, and melted down with the love of Christ to her soul, and at his
discourse:
and beganto wash his feet with tears:which fell from her eyes in such
abundance upon his feet, as she stoodby him that they were like a showerof
rain, as the word signifies, with which his feet were as it were bathed and
washed;his shoes orsandals being off, as was the custom at eating so to do,
lest they should daub the couchor bed, on which they lay (o). Her tears she

used instead of water;for it was the custom first to washthe feet before they
were anointed with oil, which she intended to do; and for which purpose she
had brought with her an alabaster box of ointment: it is said (p) of one,
"when he came home, that his maid brought him a pot of hot water, and he
washedhis hands and his feet in it; then she brought him a goldenbasin full of
oil, and he dipped his hands and his feet in it, to fulfil what is said,
Deuteronomy 33:24 and after they had eaten and drank, he measuredout oil,
&c.''
And it is: a generalrule with the Jews (q),
"that whoeveranoints his feet, is obliged to washing or dipping.''
And did wipe them with the hairs of her head; which were long, and hung
loose abouther shoulders, it being usual and comelyfor womento wearlong
hair, 1 Corinthians 11:15. That which was her ornament and pride, and which
she took greatcare of to nourish and put in proper form, to, render her
desirable, she uses insteadof a towel to wipe her Lord's feet, and her tears off
of them. A like phrase is used of one by Apuleius,
"his verbis & amplexibus mollibus decantatus maritus, lachrymasque ejus
suis crinibus detergens, &c. (r):''
"and kissedhis feet". This was no unusual practice with the Jews;we often
read of it (s):
"R. Jonathan and R. Jannai were sitting together, there came a certain man, ,
"and kissedthe feet" of R. Jonathan.''
Again (t).
"R. Meir stoodup, and Bar Chama, , "kissedhis knees", or"feet".''
This custom was also usedby the Greeks and Romans among their civilities,
and in their salutations (u):
and anointed them with the ointment; which she brought with her.
(n) Vid Alstorphium de lectis veterum, p. 106, 107. (o) Ib. p. 123, 124. (p) T.
Bab. Meuachot, fol. 85. 2.((q) T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 26. 2. Maimon. Hilchot
Biath Harnikdash, c. 5. sect. 5. (r) Metamorph. l. 5. (s) T. Hieros. Peah, fol. 15.
4. & Kiddushin, fol. 61. 3. T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 49. 2. Vid. ib. fol. 63. 1.((t) T.
Bab. Sanhedrin, fol 27. 2.((u) Vid. Aristophanem in vespis, p. 473. Arvian
Epictet. l. 3. c. 26. & Alex. ab. Alex. Gen. Dier. l. 2. c. 19.
Geneva Study Bible

And stoodat his feet behind him weeping, and beganto washhis feet with
tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissedhis feet, and
anointed them with the ointment.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 7:38. στᾶσα ὀπίσω, standing behind, at His feet. The guests reclined on
couches with their feet turned outwards, a posture learned by the Jews from
their various masters:Persians, Greeks,Romans. In delicacyJesus would not
look round or take any notice, but let her do what she would.—κλαίουσα:
excitement, tumultuous emotions, would make a burst of weeping
inevitable.—ἤρξατο applies formally to βρέχειν, but really to all the
descriptive verbs following. She did not wet Christ’s feetwith tears of set
purpose; the actwas involuntary.—βρέχειν, to moisten, as rain moistens the
ground: her tears fell like a thunder showeron Christ’s feet. Cf. Matthew
5:45.—ἐξέμασσε, she continued wiping. Might have been infinitive depending
on ἤρξατο, but more forcible as an imperfect. Of late use in this sense. To
have her hair flowing would be deemed immodest. Extremes met in that
act.—κατεφίλει, kissedfervently, againand again. Judas also kissedfervently.
Vide Matthew 26:49 and remarks there.—ἤλειφε:this was the one act she had
come of set purpose to do; all the restwas done impulsively under the rush of
feeling.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
38. stoodat his feet behind him] This is explained by the arrangementof the
triclinia, by which the guestreposedon his elbow at the table, with his
unsandalled feet outstretchedon the couch. Eachguestleft his sandals beside
the door on entering. Literally the verse is, “And standing behind beside His
feet weeping, with her tears she beganto bedew His feet, and with the hairs of
her head she wiped them off, and was eagerlykissing His feet, and anointing
them with the perfume.” As she bent over His feet her tears beganto fall on
them, perhaps accidentallyat first, and she wiped them off with the long
dishevelled hair (1 Corinthians 11:15) which shewedher shame and anguish,
and then in her joy and gratitude at finding herself unrepulsed, she poured
the unguent over them. The scene and its moral are beautifully expressedin
the sonnetof Hartley Coleridge.
“She sat and wept beside His feet. The weight

Of sin oppressedher heart; for all the blame
And the poor malice, of the worldly shame
To her were past, extinct, and out of date:
Only the sin remained—the leprous state.
She would be melted by the heat of love,
By fires far fiercerthan are blown to prove
And purge the silver ore adulterate.
She satand wept, and with her untressed hair
Still wiped the feetshe was so blest to touch;
And He wiped off the soiling of despair
From her sweetsoul, because she loved so much.”
No one but a woman in the very depths of anguish would have violated all
custom by appearing in public with uncovered head (1 Corinthians 11:10).
weeping]Doubtless at the contrastof His sinlessness andher ownstained life.
She could not have done thus to the Pharisee, who would have repelled her
with execrationas bringing pollution by her touch. The deepestsympathy is
causedby the most perfect sinlessness. It is not impossible that on that very
day she may have heard the “Come unto me” of Matthew 11:28.
kissed]The word means ‘was earnestly’ or ‘tenderly-kissing,’as in Acts 20:37.

Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 7:38. Ὀπίσω, behind) As being one who wished to make no ostentatious
display of what she was doing. Love taught her to do that which, to one who
loves not, would seemout of place [inept], and which no one would require his
servant (slave)to do: and so love taught her without human instruction.
Similar instances occur, ch. Luke 17:15, Luke 19:37.—θριξὶ)with the hairs,
dishevelled, as in mourning. Mostexquisite [refinement in her] reverence!
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 38. - And stoodat his feet behind him weeping, and beganto wash his
feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissedhis
feet, and anointed them with the ointment. It had been, no doubt, with her a
settled purpose for days, this presenting herself to the pitiful Master. She had
been one of his listeners, without doubt, for some time previously, and that
morning probably she made up her mind to approachhim. He was a great
public Teacher, and his movements would be well known in the city. She
heard he was to be present at a feastin the house of the rich Pharisee Simon.
It would be easier, she thought, to get close to him there than in the crowdin
the marketplace orin the synagogue;so taking with her a flask of perfumed
ointment, she passedinto the courtyard with others, and so made her way
unnoticed into the guest-chamber. As she stoodbehind him, and the sweet
words of forgiveness andreconciliation, the pleading invitation to all heavy-
laden, sin-burdened ones to come to him for peace, which she in the past days
bad listened to so eagerly, came into her mind, unbidden tears rose into her
eyes and fell on the Master's feetas he lay on his couch; and, after the manner
of slaves with their masters, she wiped the tear-wetfeetwith her long hair,
which she evidently loosedfor this loving purpose, and then quietly poured
the fragrant ointment on the feet where her tears had fallen. It was the
perfume of the ointment which calledthe host's attention to this scene of
sorrow and heartfelt penitence.
Vincent's Word Studies
At his feet behind
The body of the guest restedon the couch; the feet were turned from the table
toward the walls, and the left elbow rested on the table.
Wash(βρέχειν)
More literally and better, as Rev., wet, as with rain.
Wiped (ἐξέμασσεν)
See on Luke 5:2.

PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Luke 7:37 And there was a womanin the city who was a sinner; and when
she learnedthat He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she
brought an alabastervial of perfume,
KJV And, behold, a womanin the city, which was a sinner, when she knew
that Jesus satat meat in the Pharisee's house, broughtan alabasterbox of
ointment,
which Lk 7:34,39;5:30,32;18:13;19:7; Matthew 21:31;John 9:24,31;
Romans 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:9,15;1 Peter4:18
an Matthew 26:7; Mark 14:3; John 11:2; 12:2,3
Luke 7 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 7:36-50 How to Love Jesus Fervently - StevenCole
Luke 7:36-50 The TransformedSinner - John MacArthur
Luke 7:36-39 Why Did Christ Allow a Prostitute to Wash His Feet? - John
MacArthur
And there - Literally this is "And behold" where behold (idou) serves to draw
our attention to this unique scene. Beholdserves to add interestand emphasis
in this context. Spurgeon says "Forit is a wonder of grace:“Behold.""
And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner - What an interesting
description of this woman "a sinner." We should now all be engagedin what
Luke is about to say, because we are all sinners, all "dead in our trespasses
and sins" (Eph 2:1-note).
Spurgeonon a sinner - In a particular sense, a sinner; one whose very trade
was sin. A sinner by profession, a public and notorious sinner. (Ed: Methinks
we are all sadly sinners by profession!)....Hername is not given; and there are
goodreasons why it should not be given. Certainly, she was not Mary the
sisterof Lazarus, nor yet Mary Magdalene,we may be quite cure of that. Our
Saviour leaves her in an anonymous condition; and it is usually best that

converts of this charactershould not be exhibited, and their names made
known. I believe that much cruel wrong has been done to reclaimedsinners
when they have been pushed to the front. “Behold, a woman in the city, which
was a sinner,” —She was not a sinner in the ordinary sense ofthe word, but
she was “a sinner” by trade, “a sinner” by profession. It always seems to me
that, in this description of her, every word is emphatic. There is much
meaning in every separate actionofthe woman; and even in her little
mannerisms there is something that is instructive to us. Our Lord was
reclining at his meal, and his feet were turned towards the door, so that she
had not to come far into the house before she reachedhis feet;and there she
stood“at his feet.” Those are blessedwords:“at his feet.” That is where we
also would stand and weep. That is where we would sit and learn. That is
where we would wait and serve. That is where we hope to live and reign for
ever: “at his feet.” This woman “stoodathis feet behind him,” — as if she
were unworthy to be lookedupon by him, but found it honour enoughto be
behind him, so long as she was but near him: “athis feetbehind him
weeping,” — with sorrow for her sin, with joy for her pardon, with delight in
her Lord’s presence, perhaps with grief at the prospectof what yet awaited
him. And she “beganto washhis feetwith tears.” O sweetrepentance, which
fills the basin better than the purest streams of earth could everdo! Then she
unbound her tresses, — those nets in which she had, mayhap, caught many a
man when she had hunted for the precious life after her former sinful
manner. But now she uses those tresses forsomething better, she makes a
towelof her hair. That which was her pride shall now fill that humble office,
and even be honoured thereby. “And kissedhis feet.” Oh, the tenderness of
her love, and the strength of her passion — a sacredone, not born of earth at
all, — for that dear Lord of hers! she kissedhis feet; and then she poured
upon them the precious perfumed ointment which had costso much.
Sinner (268)(hamartolos)is one who misses the mark of God's will for their
life, but as viewed by the Phariseesofone who did not follow ceremonial
rituals they felt were necessaryto be "righteous" (in their eyes alone though!).
Uses of hamartolos by Luke - Lk. 5:8; Lk. 5:30; Lk. 5:32; Lk. 6:32; Lk. 6:33;
Lk. 6:34; Lk. 7:34; Lk. 7:37; Lk. 7:39; Lk. 13:2; Lk. 15:1; Lk. 15:2; Lk. 15:7;
Lk. 15:10; Lk. 18:13;Lk. 19:7; Lk. 24:7
MacArthur - This is similar in many ways to the events describedin Mt 26:6–
13; Mk 14:3–9;Jn 12:2–8, but it is clearlya different incident. That took place
in Bethany, near Jerusalem, during the PassionWeek. In the anointing at
Bethany it was Mary, sisterof Martha and Lazarus, who anointed Jesus. This
incident takes place in Galilee and involves “a woman … who was a sinner”—

i.e., a prostitute. There is no reasonto identify this womanwith Mary
Magdalene (Lk 8:2), as some have done (Note on the womanin Lk 8:2 - Mary
… called Magdalene. Hername probably derives from the Galileantown of
Magdala. Some believe she is the woman describedin 7:37–50,but it seems
highly unlikely that Luke would introduce her here by name for the first time
if she were the main figure in the accounthe just completed. Also, while it is
clearthat she had suffered at the hands of “demons,” there is no reason
whatsoeverto think that she had everbeen a prostitute.)
IVP BackgroundCommentary on this woman - That this woman is a “sinner”
may imply that she is a prostitute (surely a Jewishone—cf. Psalms ofSolomon
2:11—though many prostitutes in Palestine were non-Jews), orat leasta
woman knownto be morally loose and probably seeking something
disreputable. If the Pharisee is well-to-do, he may have a servant as a porter
to check visitors at the door; but religious people often opened their homes for
the poor, and the womanmanages to getin. In banquets where uninvited
people could enter, they were to remain quiet and away from the couches,
observing the discussions ofhost and guests. Alabasterwas consideredthe
most appropriate container for perfume.
Mattoon- Alabasterjars of perfume were so valuable in the first century they
were often purchased as investments. This box may have been extremely
expensive, as costly as one year's wages.These boxes were made from a stone
found near Alabastron in Egypt, so the Greeks gave them the name of the city
and calledthem alabastronor "Alabaster." This name was given to the stone
of which they were made. Alabaster was ideal for holding perfumes and
fragrant oils. The quality of the stone helped preserve the oils. The alabaster
that was used38 to hold these perfumes was like a whitish, soft marble that
was easilycarved and shaped. The containers usually had a long neck and
wide bottom. Many women wore smallervials that were hung around their
delicate necks and restedon their chest. This is how they carried their
perfume when they needed to freshen up. If they started to stink from sweat
or if their breath smelled, they had oils they could use to touch their tongue or
spread on their skin. Clove oil or peppermint oil, for example, is a great
breath or body freshener. Oils were used for medicine and to anoint the body
after bathing. This helped to protect their bodies from the brazen winds and
arid conditions of the desert. They would also put the oil on their clothing to
give them a pleasantsmell. Many of the perfumes were made of olive oil and
spices that had been boiled and blended together. While the waterwas boiling,
the spices were added. Common spices used that you would recognize were
myrrh, frankincense, and cinnamon. Many other ingredients were used in

different combinations. After the ingredients were blended, they were
transferred to suitable containers. To preserve the specialscents ofthe
ointment, alabasterjars with long necks were sealedatthe time the ointment
was prepared and then broken just before use (Mark 14:3). They usually
containedabout a half a pint of oil.
Vincent on the woman...a sinner - A sinner. Wyc., a sinneress. Her presence
there is explained by the Oriental custom of strangers passing in and out of a
house during a meal to see and converse with the guests. Trenchcites a
description of a dinner at a consul’s house in Damietta. “Manycame in and
took their places on the sideseats, uninvited and yet unchallenged. They spoke
to those at table on business or the news of the day, and our host spoke freely
to them” (“Parables”). Bernardbeautifully says:“Thanks to thee, most
blessedsinner: thou hast shown the world a safe enoughplace for sinners—
the feetof Jesus, which spurn none, rejectnone, repel none, and receive and
admit all. Where alone the Pharisee vents not his haughtiness, there surely the
Ethiopian changes his skin, and the leopard his spots” (cit. by Trench,
“Parables”).
NET Note on alabastervial - A jar made of alabasterstone was normally used
for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which
was sealedand had to be broken off so the contents could be used.
Robertsonon alabaster - The flask was of alabaster, a carbonate of lime or
sulphate of lime, white or yellow stone, named alabasterfrom the town in
Egypt where it was chiefly found. It was used for a phial employed for
precious ointments in ancient writers, inscriptions and papyri just as we speak
of a glass for the vesselmade of glass. It had a cylindrical form at the top, as a
rule, like a closedrosebud (Pliny).
Barclaydescribes this woman - Round her neck she wore, like all Jewish
women, a little phial of concentratedperfume; they were called alabasters
(Wikipedia); and they were very costly(Picture of an ancient alabastron). She
wished to pour it on his feet, for it was all she had to offer. But as she saw him
the tears came and fell upon his feet. For a Jewishwomanto appear with hair
unbound was an act of the gravestimmodesty. On her wedding day a girl
bound up her hair and never would she appearwith it unbound again. The
fact that this woman loosedher long hair in public showedhow she had
forgotteneveryone exceptJesus.
RelatedResource:
What is an alabaster box?

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