XLIII. Jesus dines with Simon the Pharisee in Capernaum, and at table is anointed with fragrant oil for the first time. Luke vii. 36,-50. See § 110, 125.

WHEN Jesus had finished these discourses, a Pharisee named Simon, who it seems was a man of better disposition than the generality of his sect, invited them to dinner. Luke vii. 36. And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And · he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. Jesus accepted the invitation, and went with him, never chunning any opportunity that offered of doing good.-37. 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, with a design to testify her respect for Jesus. The character given of this woman, that she was a sinner, renders it probable that she had formerly been a harlot. But her action on this occasion proves that she was now awakened to a sense of her folly. She is said to have lived in the city; the evangelist means Capernaum, the place of our Lord's ordinary residence, which is often described in that general way. Probably she was acquainted at the Pharisee's house, for she got easy access even into the room where the company was sitting. Being come in therefore, she placed herself behind Jesus, and from a deep conviction of her many sins, and of the obligations she lay under to him for bringing her to a sense of them, she shed tears in such abundance, that they trickled down on his + feet, which were then

bare.

Ver. 37. A svoman in the city which was a sinner.] It is generally supposed that the woman who anointed our Lord in the house of Simon, was she who in the gospels is called Mary Magdalane. But I know of no rea son for the opinion, excepting that Mary Magdalane is mentioned by Luke in the beginning of his next chapter, as our Lord's attendant, and one out of whom he had cast seven devils. Some indeed attempt to prove it out of the Talmud, which speaks of a lewd woman called Mary Megaddela, or the plaiter, viz. of hair, an epithet which perhaps was given to all prostitutes in those times, on account of their nicety in point of dress. But this has no relation to the name Magdalane. Mary Magdalane seems rather to have been a woman of high station and opulent fortune, being mentioned by Luke even before Joanna, the wife of so great a man as Herod's steward, chap. viii. 2. Besides, the other evangelists, when they have occasion to speak of our Lord's female friends, commonly assign the first place to Mary Magdalane. She was called n paydaλnm, the Magdalene or Magdalite, probably from Magdala, the place of her nativity, a town situated somewhere beside the lake, and mentioned, Mat. xv. 39.

Feet, which were then bare.] Neither Jews nor Romans ware stockings; and as for their shoes or sandals, they always put them off when they took meat; for at meals they did not sit on chairs as we do, but lay on couches covered with stuffs, the quality whereof was suitable to the circumstances of the entertamer. These customs are alluded to in the law of the passover, (Exod. xii. 11.) which orders the Jews to depart from their ordinary way, and to eat the passover standing, with their foins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their staff in their hand.

bare. When the woman took notice that her tears had wetted Christ's feet, she immediately wiped them with the hairs of her head, then kissed them (see on John xx. 16. § 151.) and anointed them with the sweet scented ointment she had brought. Luke vii. 38. 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. In the eastern countries, at entertainments, they poured fragrant oils on the heads of such guests as they designed particularly to honour. Very probably, therefore, this woman, when she came in, designed to anoint Jesus in the usual manner. Nevertheless, being exceedingly humbled on account of her former wicked. life, she durst not use so much freedom with him; but she poured it on his feet, and thereby shewed at once both great love and great humility. The Pharisee seeing what was done, immediately concluded that Jesus could not be a prophet. 39. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have kuown who, and what manner of woman this is that touched him: for she is a sinner. Instead of allowing her to anoint, or even to touch him, he would certainly expel her from his presence forthwith, as the tradition of the elders directs in such cases. though Simon did not speak out, his thoughts were not hid from Christ, who, to shew him that he was a prophet, and that he knew not only the characters of men, but the inward and invisible state of their minds, conversed with him immediately upon the subject of his thoughts. The scope indeed of what he said, was to convince Simon how absurdly he reasoned. Nevertheless, Jesus did not expose him before the company, by making what he said within himself public, but with great delicacy pointed out the unreasonableness of his thoughts to Simon alone, without letting the guests at table know any thing of the mat

ter.

But

41.

40. And Jesus answering, said unto him, Simon, I have something to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor, which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? 43. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 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 feets

but

Verse 44. Thou gavest me no water for my feet.] These words sound somewhat harsh to us, who live in the western parts of the world, where servants perform all menial offices. Nevertheless, they will be found aprecable to the nicest propriety of goed breeding, if the manners of the eastern countries are considered.. There persons of the highest rank did

not

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. Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. The kindness which this sinful woman shewed to Jesus, was very extraordinary. Therefore, as he had all the softer and finer passions of the human nature in their perfection, he was greatly moved with the tenderness of her love, and in a very obliging manner expressed the sense he had of it. For in the hearing of all the guests, he recounted particularly and with approbation, the several actions by which she had testified her respect. And because by accident she had happened to do what some might think a rude thing, had wetted his feet with her tears, he gave it an agreeable turn, well knowing from what spring her tears had flowed. That the company might know it was not offensive to him, he called it a washing of his feet, a compliment which was usually paid to guests on their coming into a house, especially after travelling, but which Simon, some how or other, had happened to neglect. Moreover, by running the comparison between her behaviour towards him in the other instances, and Simon's, he did not so much complain of the latter for failing in point of civility, as insinuate that the woman had out-done him. At the same time, that nobody might put a wrong construction upon her behaviour, he declared that her regard for him proceeded purely from a sense of the favour he had done her in bringing her to repentance, and in raising her to the hope of pardon. For though he had not yet given her any express intimation of the pardon of her sins, yet having made her sensible of them by his sermons, and raised her to the grace of true repentance, without doubt she was assured of her pardon by the general doctrine of the gospel, and particularly by the promise of rest which Jesus had lately made to all weary and heavy laden sinners. But the favour of pardon bearing a proportion to the multitude and greatness of the sins pardoned, this

woman,

not think it below them to honour their guests, by performing offices of this kind to them. Thus Gen, xviii. 7. we read. that on the arrival of the three angels," Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf, and took butter and milk, and the calf which his servant had dressed, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree," to serve them, "and they did eat.' Thus also in the 9th Iliad, v. 205.

Achilles at the genial feast presides,

The parts transfixes, and with skill divides:

Mean while Patroclus sweats the fire to raise, &c.

Dr Shaw, in his Travels, p. 301. tells us, these customs subsist among the eastern nations to this day, and particularly among the Arabs, who ave, remarkable for retaining their ancient manners; and that the person who first presents to give a stranger welcome and wash his feet, is the master of the family. For as they still walk bare-footed, or with sandals only, this piece of civility is absolutely necessary.

bare. When the woman took notice that her tears had wetted Christ's feet, she immediately wiped them with the hairs of her head, then kissed them (see on John xx. 16. § 151.) and anointed them with the sweet scented ointment she had brought. Luke vii. 38. 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. In the eastern countries, at entertainments, they poured fragrant oils on the heads of such guests as they designed particularly to honour. Very probably, therefore, this woman, when she came in, designed to anoint Jesus in the usual manner. Nevertheless, being exceedingly humbled on account of her former wicked life, she durst not use so much freedom with him ; but she poured it on his feet, and thereby shewed at once both great love and great humility. The Pharisce seeing what was done, immediately concluded that Jesus could not be a prophet. 39. 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 whs, and what manner of woman this is that touched him; for she is a sinner. Instead of allowing her to anoint, or even to touch him, he would certainly expel her from his presence forthwith, as the tradition of the elders directs in such cases. But though Simon did not speak out, his thoughts were not hid from Christ, who, to shew him that he was a prophet, and that he knew not only the characters of men, but the inward and invisible state of their minds, conversed with him immediately upon the subject of his thoughts. The scope indeed of what he said, was to convince Simon how absurdly he reasoned. Nevertheless, Jesus did not expose him before the company, by making what he said within himself public, but with great delicacy pointed out the unreasonableness of his thoughts to Simon alone, without letting the guests at table know any thing of the mat

ter.

40. And Jesus answering, said unto him, Simon, I have something to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41. There was a certain creditor, which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? 43. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 4. 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

Verse 44. Thou gavest me no <water for my feet.]. These words sound somewhat harsh to us, who live in the western parts of the world, where servants perform all menial offices. Nevertheless, they will be found agreeable to the nicest propriety of good breeding, if the manners of the eastern countries are considered. There persons of the highest rank did

but she hath avashed 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. Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint; but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. The kindness which this sinful woman shewed to Jesus, was very extraordinary. Therefore, as he had all the softer and finer passions of the human nature in their perfection, he was greatly moved with the tenderness of her love, and in a very obliging manner expressed the sense he had of it. For in the hearing of all the guests, he recounted particularly and with approbation, the several actions by which she had testified her respect. And because by accident she had happened to do what some might think a rude thing, had wetted his feet with her tears, he gave it an agreeable turn, well knowing from what spring her tears had flowed. That the company might know it was not offensive to him, he called it a washing of his feet, a compliment which was usually paid to guests on their coming into a house, especially after travelling, but which Simon, some how or other, had happened to neglect. Moreover, by running the comparison between her behaviour towards him. in the other instances, and Simon's, he did not so much complain of the latter for failing in point of civility, as insinuate that the woman had out-done him. At the same time, that nobody might put a wrong construction upon her behaviour, he declared that her regard for him proceeded purely from a sense of the favour he had done her in bringing her to repentance, and in raising her to the hope of pardon. For though he had not yet given her any express intimation of the pardon of her sins, yet having made her sensible of them by his sermons, and raised her to the grace of true repentance, without doubt she was assured of her pardon by the general doctrine of the gospel, and particularly by the promise of rest which Jesus had lately made to all weary and heavy laden sinners. But the favour of pardon bearing a proportion to the multitude and greatness of the sins pardoned, this

woman,

not think it below them to honour their guests, by performing offices of this kind to them. Thus Gen. xviii. 7. we read. that on the arrival of the three angels," Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf, and took butter and milk, and the calf which his servant had dressed, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree," to serve them, " and they did eat." Thus also in the 9th Iliad, v. 205.

Achilles at the genial feast presides,

The parts transfixes, and with skill divides:

Mean while Patroclus sweats the fire to raise, &c.

Dr Shaw, in his Travels, p. 301. tells us, these customs subsist among the eastern nations to this day, and particularly among the Arabs, who are, remarkable for retaining their ancient manners; and that the person who first presents to give a stranger welcome and wash his feet, is the master of the family. For as they still walk bare-footed, or with sandals only, this piece of civility is absolutely necessary.