Luke 8:40

Luke 8:40 says, And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.  When Jesus returned Galilee, the people were waiting for Him and gladly received Him.  Today we need to gladly receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, but too many people still drive Him away.  Verse forty-one adds,  And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:   One man in particular, Jarius, a leader of the synagogue, came and fell at the feet of Jesus.  He may have been a powerful religious leader, but he was willing to humble himself before Jesus.  No matter how powerful we may be in the world, or even in the church, we must always humble ourselves before Christ.  Verse forty-two continues, For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.  Jarius's only daughter who was about twelve years old was dying, and he could not save her, but believed that Jesus could.  Though they may be okay physically, until our children accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, they are dying spiritually, and we cannot save them.  That is why it is so important that we come to Jesus in prayer and ask that He be able to reach them with His spiritual healing power, or salvation.  The key is, that like Jarius then, we cannot save them ourself, but must put them in the hands of Jesus.  Verse forty-three states, And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,  The people had crowded around Jesus as Jarius was there seeking His help, and in the crowd was a woman with an issue of blood that the physicians had been unable heal, even though she spent all her money on them.  Some physical problems today cannot be healed by doctors, no matter how much money we spend on them.  Jesus can always heal us physically, though He doesn't always choose to do so, but He can always heal us spiritually if we allow Him to, and that is what really matters.  Verse forty-four adds, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.  The women came up behind Jesus and touched the hem of His garment, and was immediately healed.  It was not the physical act of the woman touching the garment, but her faith in Jesus's ability that made her whole.  We cannot touch Jesus physically today, and even if it could be proven beyond a doubt that a garment belonged to Jesus, it would have no healing power.  We can be saved, spiritually healed, by faith in Jesus Christ alone.  Verse forty-five declares, And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?  Jesus asked who touched Him, and Peter asked how would He know when their was such a crowd around Him.  Even in the largest crowd, Jesus knows when any individual comes to Him for salvation.  Verse forty-six adds, And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.  Jesus always knows when we reach out to Him spiritually, and when we reach out to Him spiritually His healing power will always flow out to us.  Verse forty-seven says, And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.  The woman, when she knew that she couldn't hide from Jesus, told the crowd that she was the one who had touched Him, and why.  We should never attempt to hide our relationship with Jesus, but should always be willing to tell the world what He has done for us.  Verse forty-eight adds, And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.  Jesus told the woman to go in peace, because her faith had healed her.  When we come to Jesus by faith, we can go in peace because we have been spiritually healed.  

 

Luke 8;26

Luke 8:26 says, And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.  When Jesus and the disciples got to the land of the Gadarenes, they got off the boat and were met by a demon possessed man.  The man had been demon possessed a long time, was naked, and lived in the tombs.  There are people in the world today who are almost as bad, even if sometimes their demon is drugs.  Verse twenty-eight continues, When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.  Even in his demon possessed state, the man, recognized Who Jesus was, the Son of God, though it was probably the demon himself who recognized Jesus, and asked what Jesus had to do with Him.  When we recognize Who Jesus is today, we may question what He would have to do with a sinner such as we are.  The man asked Jesus not to torment him, and as sinners who come to Jesus, we may feel that He deserve His torment, but if we truly come by faith in Him as our Savior and Lord, we know He is only here to forgive us and restore us to spiritual wholeness.  Verse twenty-nine states, (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)  This tells us that Jesus had commanded the demon, which had controlled the man many years and made the man uncontrollable by anyone else, to come out of the man.  We may not be as bad as the man, but until we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are following the devil.  Verse thirty adds, And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.  Jesus asked the demon his name, and he said Legion, because many devils were in the man.  Some people today have many demons they fight against, or sometimes just give in to, but Jesus is able to cast them all out if we only allow Him to by accepting Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-one continues, And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.  These devils knew Jesus was more powerful than they were and begged Him not to throw them into the deep.  All they had the power to do then is all they have the power to do today when confronting Jesus, and that is to beg.  Verse thirty-two says, And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.  The demons saw a herd of many swine nearby and asked Jesus to allow them to enter the swine.  Though Jesus could easily destroy all the demons, until He returns in the final judgment, they will still be allowed to exist, which is why we must continually put our faith in Him.  Jesus allowed them to do as they requested.  Verse thirty-three adds, Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.  The demons left the man, went into the swine, who ran violently down the steep place, and drowned in the sea.  The demons escape from death was short lived, and no matter how long they may be allowed to roam free in the world, all demons will one day face everlasting punishment.  Verse thirty-four states, When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.  Those in charge of the swine fled into the city and the country and told what had happened.  It doesn't say whether their emphasis was on the healing power of Jesus and the restoration of the man to wholeness or on the destruction of the swine.  Some people today who see a miraculous work of Jesus saving someone from their sins are only going to focus on what it may cost them materially.  Verse thirty-five continues, Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.  The people came to see what was happening  and found the man who had been uncontrollable clothed and sitting at Jesus's feet.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we should be found at His feet spiritually, learning daily from Him.  Those who had witnessed what had happened told those who came to see what had happened.  The people who cam were afraid, but we don't need to be afraid when we come to Jesus.  Verse thirty-six says, They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.  The witnesses also told the others the method by which the man was healed.   We need to tell others that we come into contact with the way that we were healed as followers of Christ, and that is by putting our faith in Jesus alone.  Verse thirty-seven adds, Then the whole multitude of the cousntry of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.  Instead of accepting Jesus by faith, they asked Him to leave out of fear, and He got into the ship and left.  We should never let our fear of what it may cost us to keep us from inviting Jesus into our heart as our Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-eight continues, Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,  The man who had the devils cast out wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus sent him away.  This does not mean that Jesus rejected the man, but that the man had another purpose.  We today must seek God's purpose for us as Christians and realize that it may not always be what we may think it would be.  Verse thirty-nine concludes, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.  Just as Jesus sent this man to his own house to tell the people there what great things Jesus had done for him, so should we begin where we are to tell people the great things that Jesus has done for us when we accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  The man did as Jesus asked, and so must we as Christians today. 

Lukp 8:19

Luke 8:19 says, Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.  Jesus's mother, Mary, and His brothers, her other children tried to get to Jesus, but the crowd prevented them from reaching Him.  Some people claim that Mary only had one child, Jesus, but this is not what the Bible tells us.  We will never have anyone or anything keep us from coming to Jesus if we desire to reach Him and come to Him by faith.  Verse twenty adds, And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.  Someone, or more than one person, told Jesus that His mother and brothers were standing outside desiring to see Him.  Some today may tell Jesus that we are standing nearby waiting to see Him, but that will never bring anyone salvation.  Evidently, Mary and Jesus's brothers either identified themselves or were recognized by those around Jesus.  Verse twenty-one continues, And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.   Jesus said that His mother and brothers were those who heard and did the word of God.  Jesus was not being disrespectful to Mary and His brothers, but was pointing out that physical relationships were not what was important, but spiritual ones are.  It doesn't matter who our parents or brothers and sisters are in order for us to be saved, but only if we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.   Verse twenty-two states,  Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.  One day, Jesus got on a ship with His disciples and told them that they were going to cross over to the other side.  As Christians, we must be ready to go wherever Jesus sends us today, but we must always remember that the Holy Spirit is with us when we go.  Verse twenty-three adds, But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.  While Jesus was asleep, a storm arose that threatened to sink the ship.  As followers of Christ, we may encounter storms in life that seem to be ready to destroy us, but we must remember that Jesus is never asleep, or more accurately in our case, the Holy Spirit is never asleep.   Verse twenty-four continues, And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.  The disciple woke Jesus up and told Him they were about to perish.  If we are in trouble today, we should bring our concerns to Jesus, but I don't believe that we should ever do so in fear, but in faith.  Jesus calmed the winds.  Verse twenty-five concludes, And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.  Jesus asked them then where their faith was, and He may ask us the same thing today if we are always afraid of what is happening in the world.  Those on the boat with Jesus asked what manner of man Jesus was, that even the winds obeyed Him.  People who have nor accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord may still ask what manner of man Jesus is because they have not accepted Him as their Savior and Lord and still see Him as only a mortal man, but we as Christians should never ask that question.  We know Him as the only Savior that anyone can ever have and should rest peacefully in our relationship with Him, no matter what storms may be raging in our life.

Luke 8:9

Luke 8:9 says, And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?  Jesus's disciples asked Him what the parable of the sower meant.  If we ever have doubts about what the Bible means, we need to go to Jesus in prayer and ask Him to help us understand.  Verse ten states, And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.  Jesus said the disciples had been given the ability to understand the parables because He gave them that ability, but those who did not put their faith in Him would hear them and not understand.  Understanding the parables, or any of the Bible, depends on our relationship with Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse eleven adds, Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.  Jesus then began to explain the parable to them.  He said the seed was God's word, and this is what we must sow today as Christians.  Verse twelve continues, Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  Those seed that fell by the wayside were those people that the Devil kept the word of God from taking root in their life, and there are many, many people today who will never allow God's word to take root in their life.  Verse thirteen says, They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.   Jesus said the word of God that fell on the rock were those who gladly received God's word, but when temptation came, they fell by the wayside.  There are still people today who gladly claim to put their in Jesus, but as soon as some problem or something seemingly better in the view of the world comes along, they turn their back on Him.  Verse fourteen adds, And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.  Jesus said that those that fell among the thorns took root, but allowed the cares and riches and pleasures of the world to keep them from bearing fruit of perfection.  Some people accept Jesus, but allow concerns about of the world to keep them from ever bearing fruit for Him.  Verse fifteen continues, But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.  We want to be like the good ground, those who allow God's word to take root and produce good fruit in our lives as we hear and keep His word with patience.  Verse sixteen declares, No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.  Jesus moved on to the parable of the candlestick.  People do not light a candle and then cover it up where it cannot cast light, but put it on a candlestick so that it can light up things around it.  We cannot hide the word of God, the light of our way, from all those around us if we are to be effective Christians.  Verse seventeen adds, For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.  Jesus tells us that nothing is a secret to Him.  Whatever we think we have hidden from God will one day be made manifest.  Verse eighteen continues, Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.  Jesus said that those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord, or who have put their faith in Him, will be given everlasting life, and those who do not accept Him, even if it seems that they have a lot, will lose everything when God's judgment comes.  For this reason, we must take heed how we hear God's word,

Luke 8:1

Luke 8:1 says, And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,  After eating with the Pharisee Simon and forgiving the woman who washed His feet of her sins, Jesus continued to travel and preach the gospel, and the twelve disciples were with Him.  Once we have done what God calls us to do in a particular situation, we must continue to move forward in doing what He would have us do next.  Verse two adds, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,  Mary Magdalene, who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities by Jesus was with Him as well.  Just like her, when Jesus heals us spiritually by the forgiving our sins, we should want to be with Him.  Verse three continues, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.  Jesus was also followed by Joanna, the wife of a servant in Herod’s court.  Matthew Henry says she was either a widow or her husband had accepted Jesus and was willing for her to to follow and help him.  Then Susanna is mentioned, and well as many others who are unnamed.  They were helping meet the daily needs of Jesus from what they had.  When it comes to serving Christ, it shouldn't matter if our name is noted by others or not, because Jesus knows what we are doing for Him, and that is all that matters.  Verse four states, And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:  When many people had gathered around Jesus, He began to teach them with a parable, which He often taught by.  We need to always look for the deeper meaning to the teachings of the Bible.  Verse five adds, A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.  This is the parable of the sower, who had some seed fall by the wayside to be trodden down or devoured by birds.  So far, this is just a story of everyday life, and for many people who read or hear it today, that is all it will ever be, because they have not put their faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse six continues, And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.  Jesus said some of the seed fell on the rocks, where it sprouted, but soon died,because it lacked moisture.  Still, just an ordinary story and not a deep, theological discourse.  The gospel is very easy to understand.  We don't have to have great theological training to understand it, but need only to rely on the Holy Spirit to give us an understanding of what the Bible says.  Verse seven continues, And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.  Some of the seed fell among the thorns and was choked out and prevented from growing.  People could easily understand this, but we know that soon Jesus would give the story a deeper meaning.  Verse eight concludes, And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.  The final seed fell on good ground and produced fruit a hundredfold.  Then, Jesus told those who had ears to hear to hear.  Now, since I am sure that most of the people there physically had ears, I believe Jesus was calling for those who had spiritual ears to hear.  We are all capable of hearing the gospel, but until we accept it personally, we will never understand its meaning.   

Luke 7:40

Luke 7:40 says, Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.  While the woman was washing Jesus's feet and the host, whose name was Simon, was thinking He wasn't much of a prophet, Jesus said He had something to ask him.  If we are truly a follower of Christ, then we will never question Who He is.  Verse forty-one adds, There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.  Jesus started by saying that a creditor had two people who owed Him money.  One owed the man ten times as much as the other.  When we come to Christ, we do not all have the same amount of sin in our lives.  Verse forty-two continues, And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?  When the men had nothing to repay the creditor with, He forgave them both.  Jesus asked the Pharisee Simon which of the men would love the creditor the most.  Now, from a spiritual point of view concerning the forgiveness of our sins, we should all love Jesus the same, whether our sins were great or small.   Still, we can sometimes look at our fellow Christians, especially those who we feel were guilty of much sin, and question how Jesus could forgive them.  Verse forty-three states, Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.  Simon did not really give a definitive answer, but said he supposed the one that had been forgiven the most.  Jesus told Simon that he had answered correctly.  We may know the correct answer to spiritual questions and even answer them correctly, but until we believe, and don't just suppose, what the answer is, we cannot really apply it to our life.  Verse forty-four adds, And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.  Jesus told Simon to look at the woman and what she was doing, while at the same time pointing out what Simon had not done.  The woman had washed Jesus's feet with her tears and had dried them with her hair, while Simon had not even met what should have been his responsibility and provided Jesus with water to wash His feet.  We should never judge others as they serve Jesus, especially if we have neglected to serve Him ourselves as faithfully as we should.  Verse forty-five continues, Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.  Jesus said that Simon had not even offered Him the courtesy of greeting Him with a kiss, but the woman had not ceased kissing His feet.  Sometimes, people profess to be followers of Christ, but their actions do not show it.  Simon really did not invite Jesus to his house because he believed in Jesus, but simply to entertain himself at Jesus's expense.  Verse forty-six concludes, My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.  Jesus continued to point out how Simon had failed as a host by not anointing His head with oil while the woman had anointed His feet with oil.  She was doing many of the things that Simon should have done, and when we become Christians, we need to do what God expects us to do and not leave what we should be doing for someone else to do.  Verse forty-seven declares, Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.  Jesus said the woman who had many sins had them all forgiven, and no matter how many or few sins we have in our life, when we come to Jesus, they are all forgiven.  Simon felt superior to both Jesus and the woman, but he himself was simply a sinner in need of forgiveness.  We should never consider ourself to be morally superior to others because we believe our sins to be fewer than someone else's sins.  Jesus said that those who have much forgiven love much, and those who have little forgiven love little.  I don't believe that this means that those who have had few sins forgiven always love Jesus less, because He removed the penalty of death from all who put their faith in Him, but it may affect how we see others if we are not careful.  Verse forty-eight adds, And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.  Jesus told the woman her sins were forgiven, and that meant all of them and not just some.  Jesus did not forgive the woman's sins because she had done something for Him, but because of the faith she had in Him.  We cannot work our way to salvation, but can only receive it by coming to Jesus Christ by faith in Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse forty-nine says, And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?  Those who were eating with Jesus asked Who He was that He could forgive sins.  They were physically so close to Jesus, but spiritually so far away.  We may know a lot of facts about Jesus, but until we accept Him for Who He really is, it doesn't matter.   Verse fifty adds, And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.  Like the woman, when we come to Jesus by faith, our sins are forgiven and we should go in peace.

Luke 7:31

Luke 7:31 says, And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?  Jesus asked what He should compare the current generation of men to.  I have to wonder what Jesus would compare the current generation of people, men in particular, to today.  Verse thirty-two adds, They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.  Jesus said they were like children in the marketplace who were only looking to be entertained.  They were not serious about their relationship with God.  This generation is a generation that loves to be entertained, but so were the last couple of generations.  Too many people look more for what can amuse and entertain them than to what God has called us to do, even some who profess to be followers of Christ.  Verse thirty-three states, For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. Jesus said John the Baptist came and didn't eat bread or drink wine, and the people said he was possessed by a devil.  They did not like what John the Baptist was preaching, so they attempted to discredit him by claiming he was empowered by the Devil.  Verse thirty-four adds, The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!  Jesus said that when He, the Son of man, came eating and drinking that they accused Him of being a gluttonous, drunken man who was a friend of publicans and sinners in an attempt to discredit Him.  No matter how we worship God today, people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord are going to attempt to discredit us because of the way we worship.  What we don't need is Christians attempting to discredit other  Christians because of the way that they worship.  Verse thirty-five continues, But wisdom is justified of all her children.  Jesus said it is not how we choose to worship and even live our everyday life, but that we do so guided by the wisdom of God that matters.  We are justified not by our actions but by our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse thirty-six says, 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.  One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and Jesus did.  The Pharisees were attempting as a group to discredit Jesus, but He was still willing to associate with one of them, just as He had with publicans and sinners.  Jesus did not exclude people because of their earthly status, and neither should we today.  Verse thirty-seven adds, 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,  A woman of the city, who was a sinner, heard that Jesus was eating at the house of the Pharisee and brought and alabaster box of oil with her to the Pharisee’s house.  When we first come to Jesus we can only come as a sinner, and after we accept Him as our Savior and Lord, we can only come as a sinner saved by grace.  Verse thirty-eight adds, 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.  The women stood behind Jesus weeping and began to wash His feet with her tears and kissed His feet and anointed them with the oil.  She was very humble and contrite and wanted only to serve Jesus in this small way.  When we come to Jesus for salvation, we should come humble and contrite, wanting only to do what we can to serve Him.  Verse thirty-nine adds, Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, 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.  The Pharisee said to himself that if Jesus was a prophet, He would have known what manner of woman this was, because she was a sinner.  Jesus knew what she was, and so did she, but she did not allow the fact that she was a sinner to stop her from coming to Jesus, nor did Jesus refuse to allow her to serve Him.  Again, we must acknowledge that we can only come to Jesus as sinners saved by grace.  What the Pharisee refused to acknowledge was that he too was a sinner, and yet Jesus was associating with him.  We should never look down on anyone who comes Jesus with an attitude that we are superior and more worthy of His forgiveness than anyone else, especially as Christians.