Chapter # 7 Paragraph # 6 Study # 5
December 14, 2008
Lincolnton, NC
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AV Translation:
44 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.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore 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.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
1901 ASV Translation:
44 And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath wetted my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.
45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46 My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but she hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47 Wherefore 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.
48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that even forgiveth sins?
50 And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Luke's Record:
- I. Jesus' "Argument".
- A. He contrasts Simon's behavior with that of the "sinner" and exposes him to be a loveless and unforgiven person.
- 1. Luke had already exposed the Pharisees as those who rejected the counsel of God for themselves by rejecting John's baptism.
- 2. He had also already revealed the kinds of character assassination that they engaged in regarding Jesus.
- 3. So we already knew that they were unforgiven and unloving.
- 4. That he records Jesus as publicly confronting Simon in his own home simply means that Jesus does not spare the proud in their arrogant sneering towards others.
- B. He claims that one's behavior toward Him is driven by the presence or absence of "love".
- C. He claims that the woman's behavior belies a prior reality regarding "forgiveness".
- 1. The text of 7:47 where we find the phrase "for she loved much" is the kind of phrase that those who have no understanding delight to use in the support of their false theology. They think it means something like "if you want to be forgiven, you have to love Jesus". But Jesus meant just the opposite: because you have been forgiven, you cannot help but love Jesus.
- 2. This text cannot be used, however, to try to determine the state of a person before God in terms of justification. Peter acknowledges that those who have been forgiven can lose sight of that fact and degenerate in their "love" for Jesus (2 Peter 1:9).
- a. There is no question about the connection between "love" and "behavior". Those who claim to "love" God, but live in regular disobedience to Him are simply liars (1 John 2:4).
- b. But "love" is a daily choice and can be squelched so that regular disobedience is the norm rather than the exception. If "love" was a "constant" and automatically followed "forgiveness", all one would need to do to be "loving" would be to "repent". But the disciples of Jesus from the beginning to the present prove that it is not that simple. The very same apostle who acknowledged the degeneration of love taught in the very same passage that "love" is a goal that must be pursued with "all diligence" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
- D. He stirs the earlier controversy regarding His authority to forgive sins (5:24).
- E. He ties "forgiveness" to "salvation" and "love" to "faith".