Faith

In Bible Study this past Sunday we looked at the story of the anointing of Jesus as told in Luke 7:36-50.  In this passage, Jesus has been invited to dinner by Simon, a Pharisee.  While he is there, a woman comes in and anoints his feet with costly ointment.  The Pharisee remarks on this, and Jesus talks about forgiveness.  Who will love the one who forgives more -- the one who is forgiven little or the one who has forgiven much?

We spent a lot of time in class talking about forgiveness and the difficulties surrounding it --  good use of our time, don't get me wrong.

I couldn't help noticing, though, the vast difference between the faith of these two people.  Simon, the Pharisee, invites Jesus to dinner.  It feels like he did it out of curiosity -- to see what Jesus had to say.  He didn't treat him as a real guest; he didn't give him the hospitality that he would have offered other guests in his home.  It seems to me that if he had believed in Jesus, who would have been more welcoming.  It seems to me that he had little faith.

Compare that to the woman.  She has so much faith that she is compelled to come into Simon's home, possibly without an invitation?  She not only offers what Simon did not -- but she also does it out of faith.  In fact, at the end, Jesus says, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

The two people who separated by their sin, but also by the differences in their faith.