The scripture reading this morning is Luke chapter 7, verse 36 through 50. Luke chapter 7, verse 36 through 50. And the scripture reading will also be our text this morning. We read the word of God in Luke 7, verse 36. And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisees' house and sat down to meet. And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meet in the Pharisees' house, brought an albaster box of ointment and stood at his feet behind him, weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears. And it wiped them with the hairs of her head and kissed his feet and anointed him with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee, which had bidden him, saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering, said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors. The one owed 500 pence and the other 50. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house. Thou gavest me no water for my feet, but she hath washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss. But this woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint, but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much, But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee. Go in peace. Dear congregation, our text this morning is about the love to Christ. We see two people in different relationships to Jesus. We see the woman who loves Jesus and comes close to Jesus. She shows all her love. The Pharisee lives close to the Word of God. And somehow, he feels attracted to the Lord Jesus. But he has no real love to Jesus. And the question for you this morning is, who are you like? The answer of this is also an answer to the following question, what love do you have to Jesus? We write above the sermon, our love to the Lord Jesus. First of all, the love of the woman. Secondly, the love of Simon. And thirdly, the love of Jesus. Our love to the Lord Jesus. The love of the woman, the love of Simon, the love of Jesus. The account we listen to is written only in the Gospel of Luke. There is another comparable story in other Gospels, but it is not the same. You can think about the anointing of Jesus by Mary in the house of Simon the leper. Some commentators say that this is the same story because both stories are about Simon. But with the Jews, Simon is a common name. It's also not the account of Mary of Bethany who came to anoint the feet of Jesus. She was not a sinner in the same way as this woman. Both the circumstances and the location are different. So we conclude that the evangelist Luke is the only one who tells us the story of the anointing of Jesus by a sinful woman. It's remarkable. that a Pharisee named Simon has invited Jesus to dine with him. Because we read in Luke chapter 6 that the scribes and Pharisees communed one with another about the question what they should do with Jesus. We would think that Simon is not the type of Pharisees that watches him to find an accusation against him. Why has he invited Jesus? Perhaps it was out of curiosity. Of course, he knew something of Jesus, and he had heard the words of Jesus, and he had seen some deeds performed by Jesus. He hears the people speaking about Jesus. They regard him as a great prophet. Simon likes to know more about Jesus. But one thing is sure, he did not invite Jesus out of love. But we will see that later in the sermon. And Jesus accepts the invitation. We read in verse 36 that Jesus went into the Pharisees' house. Jesus does not avoid the Pharisees, although he has come to seek and to save that was lost. Jesus has come to call sinners to repentance, not only the tax collectors like Levi, but also the Pharisees, because they belonged to the lost sheep of Israel as well. Jesus went into Simon's house to uncover him, expose him, with the purpose to save him. That is why Jesus came into this world, to seek you, whether you know you are a sinner or not. In verse 37, a special event takes place. It's introduced by the words, and behold, the Holy Spirit asks for our particular attention to the things that follow, especially for what the woman is doing. And behold, a woman in the city which was a sinner. We do not know her name, but we know how she was named by the people, a sinner. Luke indicates that this woman no longer lives in sin because it will become clear that she has repented from her sin. God has converted her. So she is named a sinner because she once lived in sin. She had indulged in sin. Maybe she had sold her body to man and was a harlot. Maybe she had committed other sins in public. Anyway, this woman retains her nickname. even after she has received grace. People never forget the sins we have committed. Only God can forgive and forget sins. This woman has heard that Jesus is in the house of Simon the Pharisee to eat with him. She finds Jesus in his house and enters in. Jesus is reclining at a table with the others who are invited by Simon. You need to know that in those days houses were not like ours. There was a room attached to the house where everyone could come. A room where passers-by could stand and watch the people who sat at the table across from them. It was even possible to talk with one or another that was invited. That was the hospitality in Israel. And behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, she knew Jesus. In some way, she had knowledge of Jesus. She must have gotten to know Jesus directly through his own words or from words of Jesus passed on by other people. Words that found entrance into her heart and had done a fruitful work. Which words found entrance into her heart? We don't know. Maybe she had heard the words spoken by Jesus. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Perhaps her heart was broken by the words, learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. However, the words of Jesus must have driven her to go to the house of Simon, looking for Jesus. She needs him. Why? Well, let us listen to the little note of Luke in this verse. She brought an alabaster box of ointment. An alabaster box of ointment. That is a vial of radiant limestone. Of radiant limestone. It was a vial, or maybe we should say a little flask, with a long neck. It was expensive ointment, probably myrrh, a very costly perfume. Thereby, she wants to express her love to Jesus. She wants to honor him with this ointment. She shows her love because of the love that the Lord had poured out in her heart. In our minds, we see her coming into the door. She sees the Lord sitting at the table. She recognizes Him, one in a million. She is coming and approaches His feet. There is silence in Simon's house. Everyone recognizes this woman. She is that sinner. She is the woman that had lived an immoral life. Does she feel all eyes on her? I don't think so. She sees only one man, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's only one thing she wants, namely to anoint his feet. Standing at his feet, teardrops are falling. She falls to his feet in deep humility, and her tears flow freely. Her tears are flowing over her cheeks and drop on the feet of the Lord Jesus. Because she has nothing to wipe his feet, She loosens her hair. Probably she had her hair pinned up. She loosens her hair and dries his feet with her hair. Then she kissed his feet continuously. She takes the jug with the expensive ointment. She took it with her especially for him. She breaks the neck of the jug and pours it out on his feet, the room immediately fills with the smell of the ointment. This woman came to express her love to Jesus. Her heart is filled with humility and deep respect. But when she sees the Lord Jesus, feelings of deep sadness, and at the same time unspeakable joy flowed her heart. That is something we must pay attention to. In spiritual life, sadness and joy are often very close to each other. How is that possible? When the Lord pours out his love into our heart, our heart will be broken. It will be broken under our sin and guilt. We feel sorrow over our sin. And when the Lord's power becomes too strong for you, you will break with sin. There will come sadness over our sin. And this woman, she must have felt in her heart something what we read in the prayer of David. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. She must have known something of the humble prayer. Have mercy upon me, O God. according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions." Hence her tears. These are tears of sorrow, tears of repentance of her sins. But not only that, because in this way, she needs the Lord Jesus so desperately By His grace, she sees something of His forgivenesses of sin. And that gives an unspeakable joy in her heart. Seeing the Lord Jesus makes her feel her guilt again. She experiences her condemnation for the Lord anew. But she also experiences the amazing grace of the Lord anew. And that gives her unspeakable joy. That is why she is weeping with tears, tears of sorrow, tears of thankfulness. She experiences the wonder of God's love over her. All her deeds express what we could say in one word, humility. Do you want to know a mark of regeneration? Here you find an important one. It is the beginning of spiritual life. It also ends with it. Christian life is a humble life. Once students of Church Father Augustine came to him and asked, Father, what do you first learn when you repent? Augustine thought for a moment and said to his expectant class, humility. A little bit disappointed with the answer, they asked further. And then, Father, what do you learn after that? Augustine answered, humility. And then they continued. He said again, humility. True spiritual life is characterized by humility. Humility caused by love. When the Lord pours out his love in your heart, you become humble and there will be love in return to him. You become desirous to live for him. That is to live by his words, to live according to his will. And that brings you to another question. What shall I render to Jehovah now for all the riches of his consolation? That is what this woman is doing in the house of Simon the Pharisee. At Simon's table sits her Savior and Redeemer. There is nothing that can withhold this woman. There is no one that can hold her back in expressing her love to the Lord Jesus. In this way, we have to read verse 47. The sins of this woman are forgiven, not because she has expressed so much love to him. No, the expressions of her love were the fruit of the grace of the Lord. not the source of it. Let us focus on ourselves. The question I opened this sermon with was, how is your love to Jesus? Is there any love? Because real spiritual life brings forth love. That's the essence of the new life. Where love is missing, everything is missing. When we do not have love, we are nothing according to the word of the Apostle Paul. True love comes from a renewed heart. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. This is a fundamental trait of spiritual life. Paul says, but the greatest of these is charity. Instead of charity, you could also say love, because we naturally do not have this love. It is necessary that God pours out his love in our heart for the first time, but also anew. Do you know this love? Let us now pay attention to our second thought, namely the love of Simon. We ask, what has Simon seen of the Lord Jesus? He was a very learned man. He knew much more of the scriptures than the woman. In an outward sense, he lived closer to the Word of God than the woman did. And yet, spiritually, she saw everything clearly, but Simon did not. Simon was blind. Look at verse 39, and we see his ignorance. because he questions whether the Lord Jesus is a prophet. In his opinion, it is impossible that Jesus is the Messiah. Otherwise, he would have known who this woman was. Imagine, this woman wants to anoint his feet. He surely would have rejected her if he had known her. What is Simon doing? He prefers judging other people than his own heart. It is easier for him to see the sin of this woman than to see his own sin. By condemning this woman, he thinks himself to be free. But the Lord sees through his heart and knows his thoughts. Jesus has a complete knowledge of what is in the man's heart. Now, Jesus will subject him to a deep spiritual lesson, so that he will be revealed to his own sin and guilt. At the same time, he will see that Jesus is more than a prophet, that he is the Son of God that can even forgive sin. The lesson Jesus is giving him is deeply humiliating. Because Simon the Pharisee will see who he is in himself. That he, Simon the Pharisee, is a sinner. Why does Jesus want to do this? Not because Jesus takes pleasure in humiliating people or condemning them, but because he is pleased when Simon begins to see his need of Jesus. In that way, the Lord still works. When the Lord Jesus reveals himself, he never steps over our sins, but shows them to us. How do He show us our sins? By speaking to us personally. Jesus says to Simon, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. Simon's reaction is as if nothing had happened. He answers as he views Jesus as a prophet, Master, say on. And then Jesus tells him a story about a creditor, a money lender who had two debtors. The one owed him 500 pence and the other 50. A pence is equal to a daily wage for someone who works in the field. The parable states that both debtors cannot repay. What happens? The creditor frankly forgave them both. Then the Lord Jesus asks Simon, tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Who will express the most love and thankfulness is actually the question to Simon. And Simon answers carefully because he feels this parable is about him. He also feels that this question is degrading him as a Pharisee because now Jesus is the master, the teacher who asks the questions, and he is the student who has to answer. And he responds, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most, he who is far more than Simon says, thou hast rightly judged. And after this answer, Jesus directs himself to Simon. He looks at the woman and asks Simon, if he has seen her, and what she has done. Jesus names three customs that are considered normal in welcoming guests. Washing one's feet, greeting the guest with a kiss, and honoring him with ointment as a symbol of joy. Normally, inexpensive ointment was used. Simon has failed on all accounts that this woman expresses her deep love to Jesus by employing these three welcome gestures. You ask, what is the thing that Jesus demonstrates so incisively to Simon? Well, this. that Simon is less grateful than the man in this parable that is forgiven fifty pence. Because Simon did not just express a little love, but no love at all. Simon failed to express even the slightest amount of love. He does not know real love to Jesus. Why not? because he has never become a sinner before God. That does not mean that Simon does not know what sin is. Every Pharisee knows that he sins. Just think of the story of the adulterous woman. No Pharisee or scribe threw a stone to her because they knew that they were not without sin. All the scribes and Pharisees went away, because every right-minded Pharisee knew he had sinned. But for that sin, he did not need Jesus. For the sin in his life, he did not need the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, because he did not make him feel ashamed. In the parable, Jesus is not teaching that Simon has less sin than the woman. Jesus simply connects the parable to Simon's thoughts about sin. He thought that he had only little debt. This woman has much debt. But the problem of Simon is that even if he only had little debt, he was not ashamed of it. Simon is haughty. That's the opposite of humility. Oh sure, he likes to do something for Jesus. He even invites Jesus to dinner. Jesus should be thankful for that honor. He welcomes Jesus himself, but love is lacking. He misses what is the essence of the fear of the Lord. Now, Simon comes close to us, doesn't he? Like Simon, we can live close to the Word of God. Like Simon, we can live quite properly. We do not commit any grievous sins. We are respectable people. Of course, we know that we are sinners. We can name a lot of things that are not right in our lives. Isn't that true? But we even know that we must be delivered from our sins. But tell me, have you ever poured out your heart unto God? Have you ever felt pain on account of your sins? Did sin ever make you feel ashamed? If you cannot say so, you are still like Simon. If that does not change, then you are lost. Because if we live like Simon and die in that way, we will perish. When we never confess our sin as our guilt, when we never feel sin as a debt to God, then our guilt will abide with us. Then our sins remain. And when your sin remains, There will be no atonement and we will perish. What is necessary is that we repent of our sin, that we confess our debt to Him. When you are exposed as a man like Simon, as a man, woman, or child that gives the Lord some room in your life, and at the same time continue your own way of life. When you never confess your sin as guilt, and it never brings you on your knees, may then the Spirit use this lesson to bring you on your knees, so that you will confess, Lord, I do not know much, but I know one thing. I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and I am no more worthy to be called thy son, thy daughter. It is not the point whether you know the depth of your sins, The point is whether you have fallen from your supposed dignity. That you see that your dignity, your righteousness are but filthy rags. That you acknowledge you have nothing before God but that. Do you recognize this in your life? Do you sense that you cannot live while your sins stay with you? Do you feel your debt when the Lord shows you your sin while you listen to the sermon or while you are reading the Bible? If you find no rest for your soul, then you must fight it with the Lord himself. But isn't that also the experience after we have received free grace? because there still remains so much lovelessness in our hearts. So many things you are insensible before God because you have fallen in sin or you have become slothful in exercising faith. In that case, the scripture calls you back. Turn back from your wandering path For you're wondering, Beth, pray the Lord that he might fill your heart with his love. Because a mark of true spiritual life is that we know him in his love. Then we long to love him again, to love him more. When you know something of the love of God in your heart, then you learn to die to yourself. That is mortification of the old man. You also long for the quickening of the new man. Yes, mortification is a lifelong process. Why? Because you and I have a high-minded heart. When you are proud, You look down upon others, but that is a bad thing for spiritual life. Your love to the Lord will grow cold and you slip into darkness. So be humble before the Lord. Do not forsake love toward the Lord. Let Simon be a warning to you. But let us, in the third place, pay attention to the love of Jesus. We see a great contrast. The woman, who shows all her love to him, and Simon, who did not have any love to Jesus. The woman gave everything. Simon, on the other hand, gave nothing. But in essence, this account is not about the woman or about Simon. In fact, the account is about Him who forgives sins, the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole passage we have read is not about people who surround Jesus, but about Him to whom the people say in verse 49, who is this that forgiveth sins also? Fundamentally, it is about the Lord himself. How is it possible that Jesus can forgive the sins of this woman? Was there anything in this woman why Jesus could forgive her sins, her tears, her kisses, Her alabaster box of ointment. No, nothing of her. All she had was a sinful existence. No, the only reason Jesus can forgive her sins is because of his endless love for her. Because of his love, he will suffer and die. He will give His life as a ransom for many. He bore her sins by suffering and dying in order to satisfy the justice of His Father. That is the only reason why Jesus can forgive her sins. The Apostle John shows us the endless and unsearchable love of the Lord Jesus, when he says that Jesus having loved them unto the end. That means he offered his life to save and to redeem from sin and guilt. That is why hearts can be broken, even the greatest sinners, but also of hearty people. broken by the endless love of Jesus. By this love, hearts will be broken again and again. After having experienced the Lord's deliverance, there still remain so many sins in our hearts. Simon is closer to you than you probably think. Often we live as if we are no longer in need. He has the grace of healing when you have no love. The love of Jesus remains. Do you know His love? You have to know it, and you can know it. True love seeks confirmation. Someone says, I do not see true love in myself. There are so many sins in my life, and every time I depart from the way of the Lord like a sheep that leaves the shepherds unknowingly. Or you say, if I possessed true love, I would forsake my sinful thoughts and sinful deeds. You know, When we know true love, we will encounter lovelessness in our souls more and more. The more we experience that lovelessness in our souls, the more we will need the love of the Lord Jesus. Do we have knowledge of true love? Do not seek the marks of love in yourself. True love seeks confirmation outside oneself, in Jesus Christ. What is a mark of true love? This. As long as you do not experience the love of Christ in your heart, You feel miserable. Why? Because true love seeks confirmation from the object of love that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us look one more time at this woman. Jesus taught Simon the Pharisee. But do not forget where this woman is still lying, at the feet of Jesus. She has expressed all her love, but Jesus had not yet answered her love. She is waiting patiently and humbly. Again, we see a mark of spiritual life, waiting on the Lord, waiting for His answer. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. I say, more than that they watch for the morning. This woman knew something of that life. Now she is looking for confirmation. That is what true love is looking for. This woman receives that confirmation. How? By His speaking. Thy faith has saved thee. Go in peace. In this way, The Lord responds to those who expect His grace, who as a humble man can only do one thing, sit at the feet of the Lord and remain there. Do not expect a confirmation in a special event. Do not expect His confirmation in a special feeling. expected from him by his own words. The Lord will never put you to shame. But if you still miss his love in your heart, you miss everything. But listen carefully. This morning, The Lord is calling you by the preaching of His Word. Like He called Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. Do you hear His voice? He is seeking your life. He is seeking to give His love to poor, lost sinners. Let it be your prayer. Come. Lift and work by thy word and spirit in my heart. Fill my heart with thy love. Save me from the heartiness of Simon, from the blindness of my own foolish heart. Guide me and draw me by thy love, so that I will come with this sinful woman to express my love to thee. Amen.