Appendix A—At Simon’s House
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There was no sham humility about Him. He was humility itself.
“Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself.” When anyone
did Him a favor, with all courtesy and heavenly politeness He blessed
the giver. He never refused the simplest flower plucked by the hand
of a child and offered to Him in love. He accepted the offerings of
children, and blessed the givers, inscribing their names in the book of
life
.
“And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when
she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an
alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping,
and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs
of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them 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.”
By curing Simon of leprosy, Christ had saved him from a living
death. But now Simon questioned whether Christ was a prophet.
Because Christ allowed this woman to approach Him, because He
did not indignantly spurn her as one whose sins were too great to be
forgiven, because He did not show that He realized that she had fallen,
Simon was tempted to think that He was not a prophet. His heart was
filled with mistrust and unbelief. Jesus knows nothing of this woman,
who is so free in her demonstrations, he thought, or He would not
allow her to touch Him
.
But Simon could not read his Guest’s heart. It was his ignorance
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of the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He had sent, that led
him to think as he did. He had not yet been fully converted from
his Pharisaism. He did not realize that on such occasions God’s Son
must act in God’s way—with compassion, tenderness, and mercy.
Simon’s way was to take no notice of Mary’s penitent service, her
humble action. Her act of kissing Christ’s feet and anointing them
with ointment was exasperating to Simon. He thought that if Christ
were a prophet, He would recognize sinners and rebuke them
.
Reading Simon’s thoughts, Christ answered them before he had
spoken, thus showing that He was a prophet of prophets. “Simon,” He
said, “I have somewhat to say unto thee.... There was a certain creditor
which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other