‘And he, that is Jesus, said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee. Go in peace.’

I would like to respond to the gracious welcome which has been given to me by Mr. Chris Cooper and by you all. It has been a very great pleasure and privilege for me to be in your pulpit today. And I do wish you God’s blessing as a congregation and upon your dear minister, Dr. Peter Masters, and all who with him labour in the gospel in this congregation. The Lord be with you in coming days very richly.

Now, this text shows us that there are two kinds. And to appreciate that, I shall need just to fill you in as to what has happened in this passage. A Pharisee called Simon has invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come to his house in order to receive hospitality and entertainment. So Jesus enters in. And you know, it is rather surprising that Christ got this invitation at all, because the Pharisees were no friends of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were usually his sternest critics. There were a number of people who criticised Christ and his teaching. But I think I am right in saying that no critics of Christ were so stern, or so hostile, or so unfriendly as were these Pharisees. Even so, Simon the Pharisee invites Jesus to his home and Christ enters in. So they have a meal. And as the meal proceeds, in comes a woman. She has apparently recently been brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. She is what we would call a young believer.