The Word of God is Rich
As we read the Bible, we can find precious “nuggets” of life and truth scattered on the surface of God’s Word. Gathering these morsels takes little more than reading. They are waiting for us to enjoy them. However, if we remain on the surface of the Word, we will miss the exceedingly great and even more precious gems hidden within the earth of God’s speaking. For these treasures, we must dig! We must mine God’s Word.
To many Christians, the whole concept of excavating something valuable from the Bible might be foreign. Not many have such a practice. It may be they have never been taught. Or, perhaps they are unwilling to spend the time and effort necessary to reveal what is secreted in the Word. Whatever the case might be, let us present an example of how to mine God’s Word.
How to Mine the Word
One excellent way of delving into the deeper matters of the Word is to ask the right questions from a good heart. Let us demonstrate with a passage from the Gospel of Luke.
And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he entered into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And behold, a woman who was in the city, a sinner; and when she knew that he was sitting at meat in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster cruse of ointment, and standing behind at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee that had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, that she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Teacher, say on. A certain lender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred shillings, and the other fifty. When they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most? Simon answered and said, He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath wetted my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. Thou gavest me no kiss: but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but she hath anointed my feet with ointment. 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. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that even forgiveth sins? And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. (Luke 7:36-50)
Look at the first verse. The Pharisees resisted and opposed Christ. Why would this particular one—Simon by name—invite Jesus to a dinner? Later, in verse 40, Simon readily agreed to hear what Jesus had to say to him, considering Jesus to be a teacher. Why, as a Pharisee, was he so open to the Lord? Yet, Simon was still a Pharisee as seen in verse 39 by the condemnation he held in his heart toward Christ. He also gave Christ no water for His feet, no kiss, and no anointing (vv. 44-46). That is, he did not honor the Lord, but treated Him in a rather cavalier way. What can we surmise from all this?
Simon must have been attracted by something he saw in Christ. Hearing people muse about whether Jesus was a prophet, he must have also wondered. He was somewhat open to the Lord, but his Pharisaic rejection was still strong and active within him.
Next, let us look at the woman in these verses. Why was she there? Why was she doing what she did to the Lord? From where did she get the funds for the costly alabaster cruse of perfume? According to the Lord’s own words (v. 47), what she did, she did out of love. Why did she love the Lord? Again, according to His words, it was because she had experienced the forgiveness of her sins. But, when did this happen? It must have occurred shortly before she came to Simon’s house, because Simon was not yet aware of the woman’s change in life (v. 39).
There must have been some interaction between her and the Lord. She was a renowned sinner. That is, she was a woman of ill-repute, and may very well have had the profession to which this moniker is often applied. Some word, or perhaps some look, from the Lord must have touched her. She was trapped in sin. The Lord, having mercy upon her, in some way must have opened a door to free her. Perhaps, in addressing her, He said something as simple as, “I have come to save sinners.” But His words must have pierced her heart, exposing not only her actions but also her darkened soul. Yet, with this intense light and conviction, she must have also seen the freedom and new life the Lord was offering. She was infused with faith, and with great love and deep gratitude, accepted deliverance. It was in such a state she came to the Lord that evening, washing His feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, kissing them, and anointing them with precious ointment.
Now, let us consider the wonderful Jesus. Why did He accept the invitation to a Pharisee’s dinner? Why didn’t He rebuke the Pharisee for having such evil thoughts about Him? It was because He came to save sinners, which both the woman and Simon were. Look at His gentle answer to Simon’s wicked thought. He offered a response to Simon, which Simon accepted. He then pointed out both Simon’s and the woman’s debt in sin, which only He could forgive. As His speaking sank into Simon’s heart, what did he see and sense?
Finally, let us consider one final question, which is perhaps the most crucial one in order to grasp this portion of the Word. The Lord knew what Simon was thinking (v. 39). And, of course, Simon knew what was going on in his own heart. But, how did Luke, the write of this gospel, know? It was not due to some sort of divine revelation, for Luke himself tells us at the start of this book (v. 1:3) how he learned all that wrote. He—like a good historian—traced all the matters back to the very beginning. That is, he researched these matters, talking with those who had knowledge of them. How could he have known what was in Simon’s heart? There is only one way. Before you read on, spend a bit of time to ponder this matter. Try to deduce the answer this question.
Simon must have told others what he was thinking. In particular, he must have told the believers, implying that he himself had become a believer. Consider the Lord’s words to Simon and how revealing they were. First, Simon must have realized Jesus was not only a prophet but something far greater. Jesus not only knew what kind of woman was touching Him, He also knew Simon’s own thoughts. How shocked he must have been when he recognized this. This must have opened Simon’s heart wide. Simon then saw he too was a sinner, and he had nothing with which to repay God. There was nothing he could do to atone for his sins. Furthermore, his small and narrow heart was exposed. He cared but little for the Lord. His sinful arrogance and high-mindedness—the attitude of the Pharisee—was brought fully into the light by Jesus’ great kindness and gentleness. We are not told what happened next, but evidently, Simon repented. If not at that time, then sometime later.
Now knowing all this, we can grasp the reality of what went on in this portion of the Word. A sinful woman somehow contacted the Lord, perhaps in an inappropriate manner. The Lord must have responded in such a way as to convict her and infuse her with faith. Freed from her sins and with enormous love and gratitude, the women purchased the alabaster cruse of ointment.
Shortly after this, Simon—who must have seen something in the Lord that attracted him—invited Jesus to a meal. The Lord saw this wonderful opportunity to save Simon and accepted the invitation. There, with tears and love, the woman came to anoint His feet. Simon’s inward reaction to this gave Jesus the occasion to speak His penetrating words of salvation.
In all this, what do we see? We see the wonderful God-man Jesus touching hearts in the perfect way to save from the deadly corruption of sin. We also see in Him the great wisdom to use one problem (in this case, the sinful women) to solve another problem (the sinful Pharisee). How sweet, beautiful, and marvelous this scene is!
