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We invite people over to dinner for a variety of reasons—maybe for a night with our neighbors or friends, or for a special celebration like a birthday party or wedding reception. Sometimes people seek to do business during social events like these, or perhaps they are trying to get to know each other better.
When a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus over for dinner, his invitation probably fit into this last category. It seems he wanted to find out more about Jesus and the things he was teaching. It’s not clear whether Simon was honestly seeking more insight or trying to get Jesus to let his guard down and make a critical mistake.
Whatever Simon’s motivations were, things took a dramatic and unforeseen turn when a woman who was known as a prostitute came to the house and, weeping, proceeded to anoint Jesus’ feet and dry them with her hair. To Simon, this woman was little more than a condemned sinner who had violated the Law of Moses. But Jesus knew that there was much more to this woman than the sins she had committed.
The story of Jesus’ encounter with the sinful…
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