IT is remarkable how Luke in his Gospel brings these two ways together in the case of two people spoken of at the same time. He gives at least seven samples of this, and we do not doubt they will be of great profit as well as interest to our readers.
It is a simple principle that underlies each incident, but a principle that is of eternal importance to everyone in God’s universe. Those who go the way of blessing are those who go down to the place God in His wisdom has provided, where He can meet them in Christ for blessing, and for His own glory. On the other hand, the way of woe is the way of the natural man, whether religious or otherwise; pride of heart is manifest in all his ways, and it is the same in rich and poor, high and low, for a ragged coat often covers a proud and, alas, a rebellious heart as to the things of God.
The first example of this is in chapters 7:36-50, when Simon, the proud Pharisee, invites the blessed Lord to eat with him. This He does; and a poor woman of the city, hearing of it, comes to Him, sinner as she is, and brings all that is precious to her, an alabaster box of ointment, and, standing at His feet weeping, she washes His feet with tears, and wipes them with the hair of her head, and anoints them with the ointment.
What a picture, dear reader, drawn by the Spirit of God for us to look upon! How did it affect Simon? Listen to the reasonings of his heart: “This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that touched him, for she is a sinner” (vs. 39). Now note the answer. Jesus said unto him, “Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said, Master, say on. 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? 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. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which were many, are forgiven: for she loved much... And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven” (vers. 40-48).
Reader, where are you in this? Debtor you are, but how are you treating the One who will frankly forgive you all? This woman took the way of blessing, and got it; but Simon, alas, in the blind reasoning of his own heart, missed it.
The next is in chapters 13:11-17. Here the blessed Saviour finds a poor woman in a helpless condition, bowed together; for eighteen years she has not straightened herself. Jesus had compassion on her, and loosed her from her infirmity; both love and power were at work for her blessing. But the ruler of the synagogue is there to hinder; he cannot take in such grace himself, and would hinder others: “And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them, therefore, come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day” (vs. 14). Listen to the Lord’s withering rebuke: “Thou hypocrite... ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond?” Well might the people rejoice, and the adversaries be ashamed. How the Lord strikes at the root! ― “whom Satan hath bound.” What deliverance for the poor helpless woman! But who doubts that this blind ruler was left in Satan’s power, on the way to eternal woe? Beware, reader, how you resist any workings of the Spirit of God.
The third is in chapters 15:11-32, and is seen in the different dispositions of the two sons. The younger takes at last the way of blessing, by lowliness and dependence; he is nothing and has nothing, and owns it; but he is made much of, and gets everything to make him happy in his father’s house: “They began to be merry.” In the elder brother we see the acting’s of a proud heart; he will not fall in with the father’s purpose to bless, hence he is outside, and note well that he is outside from choice. He will not bow down his proud heart for his father’s pleasure.
Some have thought the fourth (16:19-31) to have reference to the two sons in their eternal positions—he who was the poor dependent one, now in Abraham’s bosom, the place of blessedness; and the other in hell, in torment. It is true that riches, luxury, and pride of heart often go together, and drown God’s voice and call to repentance. Those who take a low place and go down, down at the feet of Jesus in true humility, He will lift up. This we see in our fifth (chap. 17:10-14), where we hear the two prayers; first that of the self-righteous man, who has everything in himself and wants nothing from God, and then that of the poor publican, who had nothing, and was nothing, but must have all from God: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Listen now to what the Judge of all the earth says of these two: “I tell you this man (the publican) went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (vs. 14).
Our sixth is a very solemn picture (ch. 22), where Judas and Peter appear in contrast as to their latter end. Both lived and walked with Jesus, the lowly Man; both had a profession, like the ten virgins in Mark 25. Here the test is put, and it brings to light the real and the unreal. Peter has godly sorrow, and true repentance, and finally gets restored. But Judas goes to his own place. Awful thought!
Our seventh and last is the case of the two malefactors (chap. 23:39-43), on either side of the Lord of life and glory as He hung on the cross, the one a reviler and the other a receiver from Jesus. “Lord, remember me.” “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (vs. 43). Even man’s extremity does not alter the evil workings of the heart. The way of blessing is to take the low place before God, owning that we are poor, undone, hell-deserving sinners, and nothing but His salvation will do for us. We then get a place in Christ, where there is nothing but joy and happiness, and the bright prospect of soon being with Him and like Him. As to the way of woe: I once asked a company of children, “What must we do to be lost?” Various things were suggested, and at last one little fellow put up his hand and said, “Nothing at all, but go on day by day as we are doing.” This is so, dear unsaved one. It is not some great sin that brings judgment upon us, but the thinking and doing according to our own hearts. “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (Prov. 28:2626He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. (Proverbs 28:26)). May you be led to enter the way of blessing by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, for “there is none other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)).
J. L.