In Luke’s Gospel is an incident we love to dwell on, the story of the prodigal son. The story Jesus told was recorded by the wonderful person, the physician Luke. Who would understand more about the cruel ways of sin than a godly doctor? He knows what sin will do to the body; he sees wretched lives, wretched spirits, and deals with them. But in the seventh chapter of Luke we read of the prodigal daughter who came to Jesus as He was in the house of a Pharisee. The Lord hated the ways of the Pharisees. He called them hypocrites, but He never missed a chance to redeem a lost soul regardless of who was involved. Exactly what Jesus thought of the Pharisees is made plain in Matthew 23:13-15: But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat (Luke 7:36). The Bible says the Pharisee desired Him. He probably begged Jesus to come to his home, persuaded Him to come. Why the Pharisee wanted Jesus to come we don’t know. Perhaps he wanted to embarrass Jesus; he didn’t treat Jesus like a guest; he wasn’t a wonderful host to Jesus the way he was to the others who came to the dinner. If you studied how Jesus was treated, it could break your heart.

An Alabaster Box

And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment (Luke 7:37-38). Notice what a contrite and broken spirit the woman displayed. Why did she wash Jesus’ feet? Because that arrogant, self-righteous Pharisee didn’t have them washed, as was the custom. All the other guests at the table had their feet washed and their heads anointed. Simon the Pharisee had bestowed on them every courtesy, but he ignored Jesus because he thought Jesus wasn’t worthy of common courtesy. Jesus wasn’t a Pharisee.

Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it [saw what the woman was doing], he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner (Luke 7:39). The Pharisee didn’t realize that the Lord knew his thoughts. He was thinking, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known…she is a sinner. But the Pharisee was in a worse condition than that of a mere sinner; he was a despised hypocrite. The Lord loves a sinner, the Bible teaches, but He despises a hypocrite.

Jesus Had Somewhat to Say

And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on (Luke 7:40). I like that. Jesus spoke up, put things in perspective. Now the Pharisee calls Jesus Master: There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman (Luke 7:41-44)? Jesus wanted Simon to see that this woman had humbled herself the way he should have done had he not been so haughty and full of ego. Not feeling the need of God, the Pharisee thought he was better than anyone else. Jesus knew him for the hypocrite he was. With her humble spirit, the woman who had been so sinful was much greater in the eyes of Jesus than was the Pharisee.

Jesus pointed out the way He had been treated: I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet [That omission was an insult]: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss (Luke 7:44,45). It was the custom to greet guests with a kiss. The men would kiss other men, usually on both cheeks; they still embrace that way in the Holy Land today.

But this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet (Luke 7:45). Such great love she displayed as she humbled herself, weeping, falling to her knees! She didn’t feel she was worthy to even stand in His presence.

My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment (Luke 7:46). You anointed all the guests except me, Jesus was saying. You didn’t anoint my head, but this woman anointed my feet with ointment, bestowed an honor upon me.

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much (Luke 7:47). She had committed many sins; she knew she was a sinner. It’s the hypocrite who never admits his sins no matter what he does. God can’t deal with a sinner who refuses to confess his sins.

But to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little (Luke 7:47). Jesus was talking about knowledge of sin, not the number of sins a person has committed. This Pharisee didn’t want the knowledge of what sin really was, didn’t want to know he was a sinner, didn’t care that he was. He had little love—if any—no forgiveness because he didn’t have enough love to ask for any.

When God lays conviction on your heart, you come to the knowledge of sin and the weight of that knowledge. You feel you’re the worst sinner in the whole world. Sins you had not worried about in the past, you now realize had caused you to trample the precious blood of Jesus underfoot, to count it as nothing. How terrible! You’ve come to the knowledge of that awful sin and of the great divine love salvation brings.

Thy Faith Hath Saved Thee

And he [Jesus] said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also (Luke 7:48,49). This was a hard saying for the hypocrites to accept. They thought to themselves that this man Jesus must be in fanaticism or else outright blasphemy. But they evidently were afraid to talk out loud because they had seen the authority with which Jesus rebuked their host, and they were reluctant to face the same kind of chastisement. Jesus spoke with great authority.

And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace (Luke 7:50). There is a wonderful message here of love and humility: She hath washed my feet with tears (Luke 7:44). Any sinners who will humble themselves at the feet of Jesus can have deliverance, forgiveness. You find penitent sinners at the feet of Jesus in all humility like the woman who had washed His feet with her tears.

This story of the prodigal daughter is just plain wonderful! The two accounts, the prodigal son and the prodigal daughter, are hanging on the walls of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, hanging on walls of love for all to see, for every mother, every daddy with a wayward son or a wayward daughter. The unmistakable message is Come on home; you are forgiven! Come on home; you will find you are special after all. Come on home; you are loved!

Jesus’ heart is filled with love for sinners. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus is still seeking to save the lost today.

Two Extremes

In this incident of the woman with the alabaster box we see two extremes of society: the rich and the poor.

The rich Pharisees sought the praise of people; everything was a show. They wanted people to gather around and hear them recite long prayers. Jesus, however, let them know that His Father didn’t listen to them, for their hearts were not right.

The Pharisees made sure people had unmistakable proof of their fasting: failure to bathe and groom themselves. They felt stinking like a goat for a period of time would let everyone know how religious they were.

When giving dinners like the one Jesus was invited to, the wealthy would let the poor line up to observe. Although the hosts wouldn’t serve them any food, they would allow the poor to stand around the walls. The poor didn’t dare come in to the actual feast. Simon the Pharisee wanted to put on a big show, wanted an audience. He didn’t know the prodigal daughter was standing against the wall that day, didn’t know what manner of person she was.

Her Tears Poured Like Water

Imagine how disgusted Simon felt when this woman fell at the feet of Jesus. Her tears streamed like water, enough tears to wash the feet of Jesus. After she had washed His feet, she dried them with her hair. Her heart was filled to the very depths with unutterable gratitude that she had been forgiven of her sins.

Although the woman was a guest, notice that Simon didn’t give her any food, nor did he offer her a seat.

Simon was thinking to himself that Jesus ought to know she was a sinner. After all, wasn’t it obvious? She was a woman of the streets. Perhaps Simon himself had been with her, as well as some of his other guests. Now there they were, condemning her.

This woman of the streets with the alabaster box probably had learned about Jesus’ miracles. She may even have heard Him a number of times. Perhaps she had been in the crowd on the Mount of Beatitudes.

Some biblical scholars believe that this was the woman taken in adultery whom we read about in John 8: And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him [Jesus] a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more (John 8:3-5,7,10,11). If she had met Jesus before, great love and compassion had been kindled in her heart for Him; but we don’t know for sure that she was the one.

The Bible is a fact book. If you die in your sins you go to hell. If you die in the righteousness of the Lord and in the blood of Jesus you go to Heaven; those are facts. I like it like that: right and left, no in-between.

The Pharisees Hated Jesus

Why did Jesus accept the invitation to the house of Simon the Pharisee? He never turned down an invitation if He could help a soul, win a soul; and that made dining with hypocrites worth His while. Jesus knew those hypocrites, and He must have thought it important to expose them for what they really were.

The inflated ego and smug arrogance of Simon the Pharisee were completely shattered by an outcast woman and the words of Jesus. Simon probably wished he had never seen Jesus. I used such poor judgment in inviting Him. What must my friends think!

The manner in which Jesus pointed out the wrongs of Simon should give you a glimpse of what judgment day will be like. You didn’t even offer to have my feet washed since I’ve been here, Jesus said. You didn’t anoint me, but you anointed all the others. You didn’t give me one kiss, one hug. You’ve treated me like an outcast, not the way you’ve treated your other guests.

Little wonder the Pharisees hated Jesus. As the prodigal daughter knelt at the feet of Jesus, the power of the Lord was so strong that it held them in their seats. Simon couldn’t even open his mouth to call: Throw her out! Not one hand was raised against her.

We have no record that Jesus was ever invited back to the house of Simon the Pharisee. Simon had a wonderful chance to receive salvation; but he probably never found the Lord and is in hell today.

Jesus Knew the Value of a Soul

I study Jesus, marvel at Him. I like to examine His every move that we have record of. In this story of the prodigal daughter one can learn much about Him. The more I learn of Him, the more excited I become.

A penitent soul at the feet of Jesus meant more than anything else in the world to Him. Jesus said one soul is worth more than all the wealth of the world. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul (Matthew 16:26)?

Jesus didn’t seek money. Money and material things meant nothing to Him. He said, Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). My heavenly Father owns it all; He will look out for you. Didn’t He promise to open up the windows of Heaven if you would be obedient to Him? Prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10).

David said the sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise (Psalm 51:17).

She Was Emotional about the Lord

This woman with the alabaster box pushing her way to see Jesus was emotional; she was on a mission seeking the Man of Galilee. The favored guests were dining and wearing fine clothes, but she wasn’t looking for someone prosperous and well dressed; she was looking for a Savior, a deliverer.

Yes, this woman was emotional about our Lord. Some people think it isn’t dignified to cry, but everyone is going to cry some day. In Luke 13 we read that one day the Lord will say, Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out (Luke 13:27,28). Multitudes are crying now in hell. But the wise have done their crying ahead of time at Calvary. When I found Jesus at Calvary, fell at His feet, I cried my heart out before Him; and He recognized that I was sorry for my sins. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of (II Corinthians 7:10).

The woman with the alabaster box wept, not caring how she looked. Somehow she had gotten faith for her salvation. Forgiveness comes through faith. You can’t have forgiveness without faith; it’s an impossibility.

Many Prodigals Today

The prodigals are out there, Mother and Daddy; and if they knew all that we know, they’d come home. I read a touching story one time: A woman’s daughter had disappeared, run away from home to one of the big cities where she had become a girl of the streets. She had degraded herself in the lowest way and was ashamed to go home. The devil whispered in her ear again and again, “You wouldn’t be accepted; you can never go home.”

This mother had prayed and prayed, but sometimes prayers need legs. She decided to go to the city where she knew her daughter was, see if she could find her. God had a hand in it, and she met a minister who worked in the slums of the city. “Can you help me find my daughter?” the mother asked. “She ran away from home, gave herself over to sin and ungodliness, degraded herself, and I’ve come to find her.”

“Well,” the minister answered, “if you’ll do what I tell you to, I believe I can help you. Have your picture made and have it enlarged. I want a hundred large pictures.”

The mother didn’t know what the minister was going to do, but she had the pictures made, and went back to the minister.

“Here are the pictures,” she said.

The minister told her to take a pen, sit down and write only two words on the pictures, Come Home. One hundred times she wrote, Come Home.

“Do you mind your picture going up in saloons?” he asked. “They’re wicked places, awful places, devil dens, but I will go in and post your picture in each one of them. A hundred places I’ll put your picture; it’s your message of love to her to come home.”

The minister put up the pictures, and time passed. Then one night the daughter straggled into a smoky saloon with a rough looking gang. The picture on the wall seemed familiar from a distance, and so she walked over to it. Astonishment crossed her face, “It’s my mom!” Tears began to flow. She raced out without telling anyone good-bye, and caught the first train she could get. In a few hours she was at her mom’s door and in mom’s arms. Tears rolling down both their cheeks, the mother was crying, “I forgive you honey! Welcome home!”

That’s the kind of forgiveness Jesus has. He’s waiting for the prodigal, that prodigal girl, that prodigal son to come home.

Jesus Is Waiting for All the Prodigals to Come Home

The Lord is just as interested in the prodigal daughter as He is in the prodigal son. He’s waiting for all the prodigals to come home the way that mother was waiting with wide-open arms for her daughter. She didn’t say, “What have you done?” She said, “I forgive you. Welcome home! Your place is still here waiting for you!” Needless to say, that girl found Jesus and her ticket for Heaven. It’s wonderful what the Lord will do, what the Lord can do! God is on the throne.

The Just Shall Live by Faith

I read another story one time about Martin Luther, that great man of God who many, many years ago turned the world upside down for the Lord with the doctrine: The just shall live by faith.

At one time Martin Luther was very ill, and the devil came to torment, to unroll a scroll that listed hundreds of sins that Martin Luther was supposed to have committed. Everything the devil could think of—and things that Martin Luther had never thought of doing, I’m sure—were on the scroll. The devil knows how to aggravate a man of God in a weakened condition. Martin Luther went down the list and when he got to the bottom, he looked up at the devil and said, “But, Devil, there’s one thing you forgot. Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.” The devil had no more to say about it.

When you use the divine blood of Jesus, you put the devil to flight. Born again, you know your sins have been washed away, and those sins don’t count now. The devil may keep track of them, but not God. Jesus cleanseth us from all sin through His blood. Trust in the blood; there’s nothing like the blood of Jesus!

Without faith and love in the world, fear would dominate. Instead of peace, there would be only unrest. Unless you receive pardon for your sins, you have no real love for God because love cannot come into your heart and mix with the sins that are there. The blood must first wash that soul clean and fill it up with God’s great, pure love. Then you love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength.

Love Brings Faithfulness

The woman with the alabaster box took advantage of salvation, made her way and found Jesus. Unlike Simon the Pharisee, she, no doubt, is in Heaven today. She must have turned into a devout follower of Jesus. I feel sure she, weeping her heart out, was at His trials and crucifixion. Hearing He was resurrected, she probably was among those who rushed to see the empty tomb. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that she followed Jesus those forty days after He was resurrected while He taught the disciples, getting them ready to go forth with the Jesus Church. She could have been on the Mount of Olives and watched Jesus ascend back to Heaven. I can see her in the Upper Room with her heart of love and more tears rolling down her cheeks—but they’re tears of gladness now—praising the Lord until the Holy Ghost came in. I can almost hear her out on the streets crying, “Come to Jesus! Come to Jesus! He loves you! Come on home now!”

Look Again at Jesus

Sinner, I bring you a picture of Jesus, the crucified Jesus with the nail prints in His hands. Look at His great love picture hanging on the gallery wall of the Gospel. He’s calling to you: Come home! Come home! Come and walk with me! Come and live with me in the city whose builder and maker is God. Come, I am your door; I am your gate into that city! I am your passport!

Look again at this picture of the man called Jesus. No one has ever loved you like He loves you; no one has ever cared for you like He cares. Underneath that picture is the great welcome sign: Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37). Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).

The prodigal daughter at last has arrived home to great rejoicing. Make ready; we’re going to have a great feast! I can hear the Master saying. The wayward one has arrived home and found forgiveness, Heaven’s forgiveness. She’s free, free, free through divine blood! What rejoicing! The angels in Heaven rejoice over every prodigal daughter, over every prodigal son who comes home.

Turn to Jesus

We’re carrying this message of forgiveness and salvation to the world, to all the daughters who are in sin, all the daughters who have gone away: Oh dear one, if you’ve run away from home, no matter how much you’ve degraded yourself in sin, come home. Maybe you have some death disease working in your body through your sinning against God and going the way of the devil; maybe you feel as though no one cares for you, but come home. You may think you’ve lost Daddy, you’ve lost Mother, you’ve lost your brothers and sisters, that you have nothing. But you have everything through Jesus. Turn to Him; He’ll help you find your way back home. He’s ready, and His message is, Come home! He sent me to tell you, oh daughter of sin, daughter of the devil, Come home. Renounce sin; turn away from the devil and I will set you free. Turn away from sin and you will be liberated. Come on home!

It’s wonderful to see the prodigal daughter at home, and to see what that mother’s tears did.

One Tear on a Cold Face of Death

I read about a girl, lost and undone without God, who had one good Christian friend very dear to her. She heard her dear friend was dying and rushed to her side. The friend couldn’t speak; death was upon her. With her last bit of strength she lifted a hand and pointed to Heaven, a plea for her friend to meet her there. As she pointed to Heaven a tear fell and stayed on her cheek. Then she was gone. “That tear, I couldn’t get away from it,” her friend later said. “The image of it followed me everywhere I went day and night. That one tear on a cold, cold face in death is what brought me to the Lord.”

One tear brought the prodigal girl home, just one tear of a dying child of God who couldn’t speak anymore. She had tried to win her friend again and again to no avail, but one tear on her cold death cheek did it.

Our God is wonderful; our God is great! I say again to all who are afar off from Him: Come on home! Come home now! The Lord is calling to you; He loves you. You may feel you can never amount to anything, but Jesus will make you a vessel of honor; He won’t only save you, He can heal you of that death disease, make you well. Healing is the Lord’s promise, and He keeps His promises. Come home; Jesus loves you!

Salvation and Healing Are Offered You

I want every sinner and backslider to pray this prayer: Oh, God, I have gone so far away, gone so deep into sin that I’ve almost destroyed my life completely, but I have come home. I beg for your forgiveness. Oh, Lord, the tears coming down my cheeks are because I love you with all my heart. I am sorry, Lord, I sinned against you, but here I am; the prodigal has come home. I believe the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins, all of my sins, all of my sins! Come on into my heart Jesus! Come on in!

If you meant that prayer, Jesus has come; Jesus is yours.

You who are sick and afflicted, it doesn’t matter the death diseases working in your body or in your child’s body, you can be made whole and your child can be made whole. Your child may be deformed, but there have been so many children like that who have been healed. Children born with just part of a brain have been given a whole brain by God, and they’re as normal as any other children. That’s the love of God, the love of Calvary for you.

Lord, I bring the sick and afflicted to you. You said a believer would lay hands on the sick and they would get well. I am your believer. Heal, in the blood name of Jesus! Give that blind man his sight right now; give that paralyzed woman her help. Give life to that dying man. Heal those little children who are so close to death. Re-create the brains of those who have been born with just part of a brain and those who have a damaged brain. Heal! Heal! Heal and deliver in the all-powerful blood name of Jesus!

Jesus is here and He loves you. Decide you’re going to get well, or your little one is going to get well. If you’re the prodigal who has come home, know now that you’re loved by Heaven, and you’re going to walk in the grace of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. One day you’ll go sweeping through the pearly gates and see Heaven for yourself with a shout, “The prodigal daughter is home!” All Heaven will rejoice with you.