Who was Simon the Pharisee?

Simon the Pharisee, who invited the Lord to his house, where a woman 'who was a sinner' anointed the feet of the Lord. The Pharisee judged that the Lord could not be a prophet, or He would have known that the woman was a sinner; but he was rebuked, and the woman was forgiven. Luke 7:36-50. There is no authority for supposing that this woman was Mary Magdalene.

Matthew, Mark and John all record the same event, John telling us that the woman was Mary of Bethany, and Matthew and Mark revealing that the anointing took place in the house of Simon the leper. The anointing of Luke 7 was in the house of another Simon, even Simon the Pharisee. There are many Simons named in Scripture, the nine of the New Testament all being carefully distinguished the one from the other. There is nothing that would make us suppose that Simon the Pharisee was the same person as Simon the leper.

183 Luke 7:36. — "One of the Pharisees." Not the same as Simon the leper (Mark 14:3).

In this brief narrative, we have recorded the ways of Jesus when in company with a sinner, a religious man (Simon the Pharisee), and others that sat at meat with Him.

The circumstances were very simple. The Pharisee, like religious people in our day, had a certain respect for one who had the reputation of being a prophet, or a teacher sent from God. Jesus was therefore an object of interest to him, though he knew Him not as the Son of God, the Saviour of sinners. It is lamentable how many seem to make the Lord, or even the Bible, a matter of interest, instead of being a matter of salvation. The Pharisee had invited the Lord to eat with him, and as He came, not to judge the world, but to save, He accordingly went. While there, a notoriously wicked woman came into the house, and, among all the guests, her heart singled out the Lord as the one who alone could meet her need; she cast herself down at His feet behind Him, and it was evident that her soul-distress was very considerable. This fact was enough to appeal loudly to the conscience of the religious Pharisee. He was surprised at his guest allowing a woman of that character to touch Him, so that he really began to suspect whether he had not been estimating Him too highly in thinking Him to be a prophet. This opened the way for the Lord of glory to pour forth, in the presence of them all, the blessed testimony of divine grace — the grace of God which bringeth salvation — and to manifest the fact that He came, not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Simon little thought that his guest was the Son of God. Little either did he suspect that his heart and conscience were laid bare to the eyes of Him whom he had desired to eat with him. The Pharisee feared to tell out his thoughts; but "he spake within himself, that 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." (v. 39.) Yes, he spake within himself; but the Lord searches the heart. He can read the inmost thought. All is naked to His eye; and He declares that every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil, and that continually. (Gen. 6:5.) Such is man before the eye of God — only and continually evil. But Simon, like many others, thought himself righteous, and therefore he despised this sinful woman; he was evidently grieved to see her in his house, and was astonished that his guest should have allowed such a person to touch Him. He marvelled how Jesus could welcome such a sinner; and it is a wonder to unbelieving hearts still, because they think that it is religious or good people that Christ embraces; and they do not believe the blessed fact, that Christ died for the ungodly, and that He saves sinners — guilty, hell-deserving sinners.

Sins forgiven. — The existence of the kingdom dated, as we have seen, from a time subsequent to John the Baptist's ministry. Of blessings connected with it, viz., recovery from sickness and from death, we have read, both sickness and death being fruits of sin. Now we are to learn of another blessing connected with it, viz., plenary forgiveness of sins, and that apart from the removal of governmental dealing, of which the palsied man of chapter 5 was an example. For this we are now taken to the house of a Pharisee, named Simon, who had invited the Lord to eat with him. The Lord accepted the invitation; but Simon, whilst outwardly honouring Him by entertaining Him, did not think Him worthy of those customary proofs of courtesy — the kiss, the feet-washing, and the anointing. The Lord in humiliation was of little account in Simon's eyes. But wisdom is indeed justified of her children. For there entered the house a woman, who probably had never before crossed its threshold, and who went behind the Lord, and weeping 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 ointment. The Lord allowed all this, nay, He accepted it, Simon the Pharisee looking on, and forming a judgment of his guest adverse to His being a prophet.

No word was uttered by the host in protest against the action of that woman. One only perhaps knew what was passing in the Pharisee's mind. To the woman the Lord had as yet said nothing: no word of recognition had passed His lips. Her service He had received, and continued to receive, without any inquiry as to the reason of it. A convincing proof, thought Simon, that He was no prophet. Could He have allowed such a one to touch Him, if He knew, as well as Simon did, her character and life? To Simon's surprise, doubtless, the Lord addressed His host: "Simon, I have somewhat to say to thee." "Master (i.e. teacher), say on," was the quick reply; little thinking, we may be sure, that the parable about to be spoken, and the application of it that would follow, would answer the questioning of his heart, and demonstrate that the Lord was indeed a prophet, who could read Simon's heart, and was more fully acquainted with that woman than any one of the company.

All this was lost upon the Pharisee; or rather, it stirred up the unbelief of his heart. "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 touches him, for she is a sinner." His thought was that the being a sinner would unfit for Jesus. Yet he had no adequate notion of the glory of Jesus, nor of His holiness, nor, of course, of His grace: he would not even allow Him to be a prophet. Had He been so, as he thought, He must have seen through the woman who touched Him. Simon knew that the woman was a sinner. It was known commonly in the place. If Jesus had only known her character, it was inconceivable to Simon that He would have allowed her to take such a liberty with His person. But Jesus thoroughly knew her as well as Simon; and if she was a sinner He was a Saviour. Alas! the Pharisee neither felt the sin nor saw the Saviour according to God. Phariseeism is an attempt to take a middle ground between a sinner and a Saviour, and this ignores both the misery of the one and the grace of the other. All worldly religion avoids a real, deep confession, as of sin so of a Saviour. It contents itself with generalities and forms. It admits sin, and it acknowledges a Saviour, after a sort: but the golden mean which in the world's things is so valuable is fatal in what is Divine. This is what Christianity was intended to bring people out of. It is what the faith of God's good news disproves and banishes: for the gospel of salvation stands expressly on the ground of total ruin through sin. Now man, religious man, dislikes all extremes, likes moderate views; but by this moderation of view the depths of sin are unfelt and the Saviour is unhonoured. The Pharisee shows it out in contrast with the woman. He was not a child of wisdom: "wisdom is justified of all her children." He found ignorance where she found perfect grace; and she was wise. She was a child of wisdom. Wisdom was not justified by him. It was unseen and denied. "This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touches him, for she is a sinner." He did not know: such was the Pharisee's account of Jesus.

But Jesus answered what he did not utter. — "Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee;185a and he says, Teacher, say [it]." And the Lord then tells him the parable of the creditor. "There were two debtors of a certain creditor: one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty" — one a comparatively large and the other a small sum; but neither could pay, and he186 "forgave both of them [their debt]." Who would love him most? The Pharisee would answer on human ground with correctness, "I suppose he to whom he forgave the most." The Lord owned that he had rightly judged, and then He at once applies it. "Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house; thou gavest me no water for my feet."

The sorrow and contrition of the woman was nothing to the proud Pharisee. Satisfied with himself he was critical of Jesus, imputing to Him the feelings which he would have entertained toward such a person. As a result he felt sure that Jesus was no prophet at all. Verse 16 has shown us that the common people at least thought that He was a prophet, and a great one; Simon had not got as far as that. They had a glimmer of light; he was totally blind, for false religion is the most blinding thing on earth. However, the Lord quickly gave Simon a sample of the mighty prophetic powers that He possessed.

Simon only "spake within himself." He thought that Jesus had no discernment as to the woman. The Lord at once showed him that He knew his hypocrisy, and read his secret thoughts, by propounding to him the parable of the two debtors. One debtor was involved in liabilities ten times "mater than the other; yet, since neither had any assets, both were equally bankrupt. And the creditor treated them alike; there was forgiving mercy for both. This parable was intended to bring home to Simon that though his sins might be fewer than the woman's, he too was utterly insolvent and he needed forgiving mercy just as she did.

Now debtors do not usually love their creditors, yet a sense of the grace that forgives does provoke love, and even Simon could judge rightly as to this. But then, the application was easy. Simon had studiously refrained from offering the Lord the most ordinary courtesies according to the customs of those days. Neither the water for His feet, nor the kiss of welcome, nor the oil for the head had been forthcoming. He had received the Lord in a way that amounted to offering Him an insult; yet the poor woman had made up for it all in abundant measure. He had no sense of guilt, and no love for the One who came in the grace of forgiveness: she had a true and deep repentance, coupled with faith in Jesus, and a fervent love for Him.

Verses 41 - 42. Simon thought that the presence of this woman and her actions proved conclusively that the Lord Jesus was not a prophet. However what follows shows that he was wrong about the woman, about the Lord Jesus and about his own person and ability to judge in these matters. The woman may well have been an immoral outcast before, but this was no longer the case. She had already been forgiven before she entered the house, and she entered because she was forgiven. We are not informed as to when this took place-it may have been quite recently-nor are we informed as to how she had been brought to faith in the Lord Jesus, but the parable and the Lord's application of it imply this had taken place already. This fact is the explanation of her actions.

The Lord Jesus was not only a prophet, He was much more and Simon was exposed as a poor bankrupt sinner contrary to his own estimation of himself. He may have thought that he would compare favourably with this notoriously immoral person, for no doubt, he had not committed the same sins, but he was nevertheless a bankrupt sinner.

The Lord told this parable to bring home to Simon's mind the lessons he was reluctant to learn. He lays down fundamental principles which even Simon would have to admit, though he may have had difficulties in applying the principles to himself. If a creditor forgives a debt the former debtor will love him, and the bigger the debt, the greater his love will be. The woman and Simon were different in many respects, and Simon was occupied with the difference though it is doubtful whether he felt flattered at all by being compared with her; it was more or less an offence to his refined feelings of high self-esteem. The Pharisee in chapter 18 did not really compare himself with the tax collector; he only found contrast. But according to the Lord Jesus there was a fundamental likeness in spite of all differences. They were both destitute: utterly bankrupt with nothing to pay. It might be possible to distinguish the amount of debt, but nevertheless they were both inexorably cast on the mercy of their creditor. They may have been different in life, one an immoral person, the other moral, respectable and strictly religious, but neither of them could pay a farthing. The Bible says of all men: 'There is none righteous' (Rom. 3:11). In the same context it is written that: 'There is none that does good' (Rom. 3:12). The teaching of these two verses is that not only is man a debtor, but he is completely without ability to pay his debt.

'This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.' 'Who is touching him.' This is the word he uses to give expression to her actions-her wiping of His feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the ointment-'touching' but nothing more. When she touched the Lord's feet Simon had perhaps expected some indignant outburst from Him, but He did not say anything. No prophet professing to be the mouthpiece of God would allow 'a sinner' to touch him. Perhaps Simon felt deeply hurt his sense of what was seemly infringed by the Lord tolerating her behaviour.

In spite of the fact that Simon was annoyed by the 'sinner's' behaviour in his house, she was not in the focus of his attention. Having seen what he saw Simon did not start to reason about the woman, but drew conclusions about the Lord Jesus Himself. Simon reasoned in the following way: Either He did not know the character of this woman (and if that was the case He was not a prophet of God, because a prophet should be able to discern the moral character of the person who was touching Him) or He knew it all but still allowed her to touch Him and consequently was defiled by her hands, (lacking the holiness which is required by one who represents God, for God is holy). Simon would soon understand from personal experience that the Lord was able to discern men's thoughts and all their surmisings. And in addition to this he would see, though dimly, that there is a holiness connected with grace which he had never contemplated before. The fact was that Simon did not know his guest nor himself.

Simon was absolutely blind as to his own unworthiness to entertain such a holy guest. He had invited a person whom he thought might be a prophet, without, it seems, so much as a thought as to whether his own house was clean and in a condition suitable for His presence. He thought himself different, more respectable and worthy than this woman at least. We are reminded of v. 6 where a Gentile says: 'Lord, do not trouble thyself, for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.' Simon did not share this understanding and attitude. He was influenced by the attitude expressed in Isaiah 65:5, 'Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am holier than you!' The way Simon judged the Lord Jesus reminds us of how many religious men assess the Bible. They draw their conclusions on false premises and obvious prejudices, and therefore it is no wonder that their conclusions are wrong.

The two invitations are quite distinct in character. Simon the Pharisee evidently invited the Lord to eat in his house so that he could scrutinize more closely the One whose teachings and actions were drawing so much public attention. His erroneous and harsh judgment of the Lord revealed the true condition of his heart, and called forth the Lord's exposure of it in contrast with that of the poor repentant sinner's. How very different was the invitation at Bethany, where they made the Lord a supper, and where He is surrounded by those who love Him, and where they admire, adore, commune, serve and worship.