Luke 7b Commentary
Simon invites Jesus for a meal. He is one of the Pharisees. We can speculate, could Simon be one of the secret admirers of the Way? Jesus is never one to decline an invite. And so the Master finds Himself in the house of the Pharisee. In the storyline of the gospels, the Pharisees are the main antagonists of the Way.
There we have it. Jesus eats with just about everybody: sinners, Pharisees, tax collectors, fishermen, businessmen, and the list is endless. Who feels unworthy of a visit from the LORD Jesus? He is only an invite away!
And thanks to Simon’s ‘religious’ reasoning and reaction to the woman’s actions, we have an important lesson for our day. The LORD Jesus won’t turn away any sinner who shows up at His feet.
Jesus doesn’t need to be a prophet to know what everyone knows in town. But He has to be one to know what everyone in town doesn’t know, that the woman has repented and is now a daughter of Abraham. For her trouble, she walks away fully forgiven and with an important parcel called peace.
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace”
Salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Individuals are said to be saved when they express faith alone in the one and only Son of God, the LORD Jesus Christ. Remove faith and there is no salvation at all. Remove Jesus and there is no salvation at all. The end result is peace. That is how the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9) brings peace. It is an important product of the Salvation Factory!
In some places, the word used is healing. The woman walks away fully healed.
Not all Pharisees were this generous to Jesus! Many sought to eliminate Him completely. They are the ones who ignored John’s words. Jesus would proceed to authenticate John’s ministry. He was the Elijah that the LORD promised to send before He came. He was the sweeper to the heavenly entourage!
As for Jesus’ ministry, let all men examine it. It comes with the power and the authority to heal.
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