The Night at Simon's House

Jesus was not a social recluse. He was a “people-person” who enjoyed mingling with others and having a good time. This is evident from the many dinner parties He attended in Scripture. For instance, Jesus attended dinner parties at Levi’s house, Simon the Pharisee’s house, and Simon the leper’s house. He was also present at the wedding reception in Cana. As Matthew 11:19 says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking.”

In Luke 7, we read about the night Jesus had dinner with Simon the Pharisee. As they were eating, a woman with a sinful reputation entered and began crying. Then she got down on her knees and wiped the Lord’s feet with her tears and hair. Simon was utterly offended by this behavior. He felt her actions were inappropriate and should be rebuked. In his mind, she was crossing many lines: she was a woman, she was a sinner, she was uninvited, she interrupted, and she let down her hair in public.

The Pharisee could hardly believe that the woman would act this way, or that Jesus would accept it. However, Jesus commended the woman and rebuked the Pharisee. That is because her tears were tears of affection for Him and tears of affliction for sin. Simon, on the other hand, had neglected even the basic gestures of hospitality and was filled with self-righteousness. She was crying the tears that should have been streaming down his cheeks. My question is, where are our tears?