Simon the Pharisee

A Careful, Respected Man

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Jesus ate dinner at the house of “one of the Pharisees,” a man named Simon (Luke 7:36, 40). Who were the Pharisees, and why did Jesus spend time with them?

Who they were. The Pharisees were a group of Jewish teachers and leaders. They studied God's law and worked very hard to obey every part of it.

Extra rules. They also kept many extra rules that their teachers had added, about washing hands, cups and pots before eating (Mark 7:3-4).

Careful givers. Jesus said they gave God a tenth even of the small herbs in their gardens (Matthew 23:23). They did not want to miss anything.

Respected. Many people looked up to the Pharisees. They seemed like the most serious and godly people in town.

Some honest hearts. “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1). “This man came to Jesus by night” (John 3:2) with real questions.

Paul too. Before he followed Jesus, the apostle Paul was a very strict Pharisee (Philippians 3:5).

Jesus at their tables. Simon was not the only Pharisee who invited Jesus to a meal (Luke 11:37; 14:1). Jesus went. He loved Pharisees too.

A common problem. Some Pharisees sorted people into two groups: good people like themselves, and sinners. They asked Jesus' disciples, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30).

Jesus' answer. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). A physician is a doctor.

Simon's sorting. Simon put the woman in the sinner group. He said to himself, “for she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39). Jesus wanted him to see that he needed mercy too.

Mercy first. Jesus once told the Pharisees, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:13). God cares about a merciful heart more than a perfect show.

Nobody is good enough. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Every person, careful or careless, needs God's mercy.

What we learn. Keeping rules carefully is not the same as having a heart made right with God. Jesus loved Simon and wanted him to see his need.

What to do. When you are tempted to think you are better than someone else, stop and pray for that person instead.

Simon was “one of the Pharisees” (Luke 7:36). Knowing who the Pharisees were helps us understand both his cool welcome and Jesus' patient answer.

The name. Pharisee most likely comes from the Hebrew word perushim (say: peh-roo-SHEEM), the separated ones. They set themselves apart to keep God's law with great care.

Their zeal. They kept the written law and many traditions added by their teachers, such as washing hands, cups and pots before eating (Mark 7:3-4). They tithed even garden herbs (Matthew 23:23).

Respected teachers. Ordinary people admired them. The Pharisees taught in the synagogues and seemed to be the most serious about God.

Not all alike. Some Pharisees came to Jesus with honest questions. “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews” (John 3:1). Paul called himself a Pharisee when he described his old life (Philippians 3:5).

Jesus at their tables. Jesus accepted meals with Pharisees more than once (Luke 7:36; 11:37; 14:1). He did not avoid them any more than He avoided tax collectors.

The danger. Separating from sin is good. But some Pharisees separated from sinners instead, as if they did not need the same mercy. “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” (Luke 5:30).

The doctor's answer. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32). Jesus was not calling some people truly well. He was showing that only people who admit they are sick come to the doctor.

Mercy over sacrifice. Jesus sent the Pharisees back to Hosea: “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:13). Religious activity without mercy misses God's heart.

Simon's thought. Simon's words, “for she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39), were true. What he left out was that he was a sinner too.

Romans 3:10. “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Paul, the former Pharisee, quoted the Psalms to show that the whole human race stands on the same level before God.

Jesus' kindness to Simon. Jesus could have exposed Simon. Instead He said, “Simon, I have something to say to you” (Luke 7:40), and told a story that invited him to see the truth.

Application. Religious people can still miss grace. Going to church and knowing Bible facts are good, but they cannot replace a humble heart that knows its need of Jesus.

Nothing to Repay

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In Jesus' story the two debtors owed different amounts. But Jesus said something that was true of both men: “they had nothing with which to repay” (Luke 7:42).

Both stuck. The man who owed fifty could not pay any more than the man who owed five hundred. Both needed the creditor's kindness.

Simon and the story. Jesus' words point to Simon as the one who loved little (Luke 7:47). Simon's debt might have looked smaller, but it was still real, and he still could not pay it.

One slip is enough. “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

Our best is not enough. “All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Righteousnesses means the good things we do. Even our best cannot pay for our sin.

Paul's story. Paul had been a very careful Pharisee. But after he met Jesus, he wrote, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Philippians 3:7).

Rubbish. Paul even said he would “count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Rubbish means trash. His good record could not save him. Only Jesus could.

The worst sinner. Paul later called himself the worst of sinners. He said Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

Proud or humble. “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Proud people think they do not need much grace. Humble people know they need all of it.

A broken heart. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Contrite means truly sorry for sin.

A kind invitation. Jesus did not shame Simon. He said, “Simon, I have something to say to you” (Luke 7:40). He told the story so Simon could see his own need and be forgiven too.

The cross pays every debt. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus took our sin and gave us His goodness.

Much love. When we see how much we have been forgiven, we love Jesus much, just like the woman did (Luke 7:47).

What we learn. Nobody's debt is small enough to pay alone. Everyone needs Jesus' free forgiveness.

What to do. Tonight, thank Jesus for forgiving you. Ask Him to help you see other people the way He sees them.

Jesus' parable has one line that levels everyone: “they had nothing with which to repay” (Luke 7:42). The size of the debt was different; the helplessness was the same.

Hamartolos (7:37, 39). The word for sinner, hamartolos (say: hah-mar-toh-LOSS), describes someone who misses the mark. Simon used it for the woman. By God's standard it fits every person: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

The smaller debtor. Jesus' closing words, “to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (7:47), point to Simon. They do not mean Simon was nearly good enough. Fifty denarii unpaid is still a debt that sends you to the creditor's mercy.

The law as a whole. “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). A careful record with one failure is still a broken record.

Our righteousness. “All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Isaiah means our best deeds, not just our worst. Even good works done with mixed motives cannot pay what we owe a holy God.

A Pharisee's testimony. Paul had every advantage Simon had. After meeting Jesus he wrote, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ” (Philippians 3:7). His record moved from the gain column to the loss column.

Rubbish compared with Christ. He went further: he would “count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Paul did not stop obeying God. He stopped trusting his obedience to save him.

The chief of sinners. Paul later called himself the worst of sinners and said Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). The careful Pharisee ended up talking like the woman at Jesus' feet.

Grace to the humble. “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Pride is not only boasting; it is quietly assuming we need little grace.

The heart God receives. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). The woman brought exactly that, and Jesus received her.

Jesus' invitation to Simon. The story was not a door slammed in Simon's face. It was an open door. “Simon, I have something to say to you” (Luke 7:40).

The great exchange. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus does more than cancel the debt; He gives us His own righteousness.

Application. If you have grown up in church, you may be tempted to think of yourself as the small debtor. Ask God to show you how much you have been forgiven, so that you can love Jesus much.

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