A sinful but repentant woman entered the house of Simon the Pharisee. The woman served and worshipped Jesus, allowing Him to take away her burden. We likewise should repent of our sins, serve God and man, and worship the Savior to allow Jesus to remove the burden of sin from our lives.
The sinful woman and Simon the Pharisee differed in their attitudes toward Jesus. The woman was repentant, respectful, humble, and loving. In contrast, Simon demonstrated pride, lack of courtesy, and judgmental attitude. The qualities that the woman possessed are important as we repent and seek forgiveness, because they demonstrate the qualities of a broken heart and contrite spirit that the Lord requires of all His followers. The qualities that Simon possessed keep us from repenting, because they keep us from feeling the joy of submitting to God's will, aloof from Jesus, and in the service of the wrong master .
Elder James E. Talmage taught: “It was a custom of the times to treat a distinguished guest with marked attention; to receive him with a kiss of welcome, to provide water for washing the dust from his feet, and oil for anointing the hair of the head and the beard. All these courteous attentions were omitted by Simon” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 261).
Simon’s attitude toward the woman made her burden heavier. When we are judgmental and withhold our love from those who need it most, those with scarlet sins, we are guilty of making another person’s burden of sin heavier. From the Savior’s example to the woman, we learn that we are responsible to lighten one another's burdens and show increased love towards the sinner.
The woman was not an invited guest, but this was not unusual in those days. Feasts were held in outdoor locations, where uninvited people often stopped to watch or partake. Nevertheless, the woman was treated unkindly by Simon and his household. Still she purposely sought out Christ. We, too, must seek out Christ and repent of our sins. Some excuse themselves from repenting because they believe they are too far gone for forgiveness, they are offended at a church member, or they want to keep up appearances and keep the sin secret. These excuses will send us directly into the clutches of the wrong master. Like the two debtors our sins can be expunged whatever the crime. He loves us and wants us to love Him back. Let's repent and come unto Christ, whatever the obstacles.
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Reading the scriptures and keeping this journal are my delight. I do not keep an online journal to preach to anyone but myself. I like this format, because I can add pictures and correct my writing easier. If you enjoy reading it, I am happy. If you feel offended, please, realize it is not my intention to offend but to teach myself. No negative comments will not be published.