The worst sinner in the city

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 My favorite hymn. The background of it, if you would only know what ... how it come about. My friend, Brother Booth-Clibborn, wrote that on his knees by inspiration in a cornfield one night, with pasteboard pieces in the bottom of his shoes for soles on his shoes. Sold it to Wickliffe, for one hundred dollars, and he taken the copyright of the song. And that's my favorite of the hymns. It expresses the extreme deity of the Lord Jesus. And especially in a day like this, when they try to make Him just a prophet. He was more than a prophet. He was God.

2 In the Scripture lesson tonight, in Saint Luke the 7th chapter and the 36th verse. And then when you go home, finish reading this chapter; I just read this, because I know tomorrow is Sunday. We don't want to stay long, but tomorrow you have Sunday school and many services.

3 While visiting here, I certainly had lots of good friends that I really would have liked to visit. The Stadsklev's sitting here, and Peterson's and so forth. But, my reason is for the preaching services, but looks like wherever I go, it starts healing services. And then, of course, I can't visit when we're healing services. I have to place my time on fasting and waiting on the Lord. I'm sure my friends understand this, though.
The 36th verse, we read this:
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 eat.
Shall we pray.
Heavenly Father, we pray that You'll bless these words to Your glory. In Jesus' name, we ask it. Amen.

Luke 7:36 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.

4 There seems to be something wrong. This is not just exactly right. Why would a Pharisee ask Jesus to come eat with him? Well, that's not just right, because the Pharisees didn't like Jesus; they hated Him. They had no dealings with Him at all. And usually, when we want somebody, when we love somebody, we want them to come eat with us, but you don't ask your enemies to come eat with you. So, there's something wrong with the picture: when this Pharisee wanted Jesus to come and eat with him.
And usually, it's fellowship we want. And the Pharisees had no fellowship with Jesus, 'cause they were a stiff, starchy, sectarian group. And Jesus was the lovely Son of God. And you know, just like, young women, they have things together. They have their own talks, they like to be together---young women. And the older women, they have their times together. They like to associate together. And the young men, and the old men, the little children, they have their fellowship with each other. They get in the street and play. You know, the Bible speaks of that in Isaiah, the little children playing in the streets.

5 But what could this Pharisee want with Jesus? You know, you take a little girl, little girl, and let her follow around with grandma all the time, there's something wrong. There's too much difference in their age. They don't have things in common. You can depend on this: that's either grandma's pet, or grandma has got a sack of candy somewhere. There's something up the sleeve, when you see a little girl following grandma.

6 And you notice, people gather together. Like in the city, the Kiwanis gathers. When they do, they have things in common. They like to talk about the affairs of the city and relief for the poor, and every... Everyone.
My mother had an old proverb she used to say: "Birds of a feather flock together." There's a lot of truth to that. Because we have things in common. That's why we're here tonight: We have things in common. The reason you didn't go to the bioscope or something on that order, because that we have things in common as Christians. We come to fellowship around the Word of God, and to talk about the Lord Jesus.

7 But what could this Pharisee want with Jesus? That's the next thing. It was getting late. The sun was just about ready to go down. And as it begin to sink across the western horizon, I can see him standing, this courier, that had been a runner. He had been two days' journey coming up through Palestine, trying to find the thing that he had just discovered. He would go into the city. "Well, He was here a week ago, but He is gone."
So, now we see him standing just outside the great huge crowd that had gathered, listening to the words of a man that never a man spake like this. He spoke with authority. And He was speaking. And this courier, his legs dusty from running over the hard Palestinian roads, and from city to city, seeking, trying to find where this Jesus of Nazareth was, 'cause he was on an errand for his rich master, the Pharisee.

8 And after Jesus left off speaking, perhaps, He starts the prayer meeting for the sick. I can see Him as He stretches forth His sacred hands to touch the lame, and the feeble, and the blind. And this little courier, a-running for the Pharisee... I can see him elbowing his way through the crowd, coming up to where he could get in contact with Jesus; many people trying to push him back. But after a while he comes to the final line, where there's twelve apostles standing, with the line drawed, that no one could get any closer than them, unto the Lord Jesus. And he bumps into somebody, maybe it was Philip, or maybe, Peter. And he says, "Could I see your Master? I have a message from my master to Him."
"Well," the apostle said, "He's speaking now. I will ask Him when He finishes the healing service."
And as the healing service went on for a length of time, after a while, they thought it was just about time to have Him to leave off praying for the sick. And some of them said, "Master, I think we ought to stop the line now, because this is enough for today. We have other places to go."
And then Peter spoke up and said, "Now I will ask Him now, if He will have a word with you."
So, he said, "Master, here in our audience stands a young lad who has come from south Palestine, and he has been two days' journey. He says he has a message from his master for You. Would You be able to speak to him just now?" And you never ask to speak with Jesus, unless He always gives you the opportunity. He was then, as He is now. For He's longing and waiting to have an interview with every person, no matter what your errand is, or what your trouble is; our loving, lovely Lord Jesus is always waiting, and trying to get an opportunity to speak to everyone.
And so, "Certainly." He said He would be glad to see what he had.

9 This young man walks up and he said, "You are Jesus of Nazareth. And my master, the Pharisee in a certain city, a doctor, and he is going to have a great banquet. And he wants You to come and be his guest at this banquet."
I can see all the eyes of the apostles looking. What's He going to say? He said, "I will ... tell your master that I will be there at such-and-such a date." Ask and you shall receive, always with Jesus. And He said, "I'll be there at such-and-such a date."
I can hear Peter say, "Oh, no, Lord. You don't want to go down there. Why, that Pharisee has got something up his sleeve. He don't want You for any good thing. Why, there's too many sick people here to be ministered to, and people who love You are crowded around You, trying to get just a moment with You. Why, you don't want to go see that Pharisee."
But no one ever asks Jesus but what He always replies to your desire. He said, "We will go."

10 And this runner, a young fellow, flunky from the house of this rich Pharisee. Well, his errand was over and he turned away from Jesus and started his road back down home feeling satisfied that he had completed everything, because he had carried out the wishes of his master.
What an error! The man standing in the presence of eternal life, standing before the very God of heaven. And yet, after he had done all of his religion, his church duties, walked away without even asking for pardoning of his sin.

11 I wish I could stand where he did. Wished I could stand in that place where he was standing. You know what I'd do? Oh, I wouldn't be interested in so much church affairs; I'd fall on my face and say, "Dear Lord Jesus, the Master of life, give to me Your pardoning grace," if I had the opportunity to stand before Him.
I believe that's about the feeling of everybody here tonight. We'd do the same thing. But, today is just like it was then. We're so taken up with so many things in the church we got to do. So much the church requires us, and so much places to go, till really we fail many times to receive the opportunity. And maybe, some night, we got to go practice for song service. We got to do something else. Something, maybe, religious nature. But when the Holy Spirit is speaking at your heart, the best thing you can do is answer, always, no matter what it is. What time of night, or what kind of an errand you're on, because He might not speak no more for a long time, and maybe, never.

12 But this young fellow standing that close to eternal life, and never even asked for it. Well, we condemn that man, but you know what? Perhaps, maybe you and I have been guilty of the same thing: standing at mouth ... or, voice distance of eternal life, looking at it, watching it, and walk away from it, just as blank as he did. That's right. We're too took up with other things.
So many people today, you have so many things you have to do. You have to do your shopping. You got to hurry, this and that. You just hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry and getting nowhere. Getting farther away from God all the time. Now that's right. But he thought he had completed just exactly what he was supposed to do and that's all.
Many times we come up to the church and sign our name to a paper, and shake hands with the pastor, be baptized with water, and think, "We've done our religion now." And you leave off the main thing: a talk with the Lord Jesus. Many times you have the opportunity and don't do it.

13 I wonder what caused this young man to do this. I can see, maybe, a week beforehand, way down in another city, a great gray synagogue, and a pastor there... We'll call him "Doctor Pharisee," just for a name. And I can see him as he's walking up and down his great halls, and his great rugs on the floor, and fine furniture, and a house, rubbing his little fat, chubby hands. And saying, "Well, you know, I'm a respected man of this city. I have a degree, a bachelor of art. I'm called 'Doctor.' Everybody, when I go downtown, they regard me as 'Doctor Pharisee.' 'Good morning, Doctor Pharisee.' Oh, I'm the head of a lot of lodges and things. And when the clubs meet, they ask me to speak. I'm a very influential speaker, too. And the city looks up to me." There is just so much, "I" in it. I, I, I, I.

14 Here sometime ago, an outstanding minister, wrote me a letter, and less than a half a page, and I counted twenty-two "I's" in it. I, I, I. "I have this. I have that. I have..." And after all, you haven't got nothing that God didn't give to you. So, you ought to see where Jesus comes in.
I went to a city where they was going to have a meeting one time. And there was pictures of the minister all over the city, "The man of the hour. God's man for this. The man with a feeling for the people." And I never seen Jesus' name anywhere.
I thought, "Why, maybe Jesus isn't coming to the city. Maybe, it's just the man." So, that's about right.
But just, "I, I, I." This Pharisee had it, and it's still loose.

15 So, we notice that he walked up and down his floor and he would say, "Now, I have such influence in this city. And they all regard me as a holy man, because I pastor, you know, the biggest church in the city. And I'm sure that everybody regards me highly. I do my religions every day. And I think it's about time that I showed some of my religion and I think I'll just have a dinner. And I'll bring over Dr. Levy Pharisee. And I will bring over Dr. Ezra Pharisee. And I will bring over... I'll have them all over. But it looks like that I need a keynote for that dinner somewhere. If I only had a keynote, trump card, what they call it. If I just had that, that would just be what I would need. Now, where could I find such a something for a great entertainment to just really show these other pastors what a great man I am? And you know, by doing something like that, it'll perhaps, throw a lot more influence of this city my way. And maybe, by that, many of them will come over and join my church."
It's too bad, that kind of a spirit still exists, that's right, in too many of our churches today.

16 So, after a while, I see him as he rubs his little chubby hands, and walking on his great Egyptian rug and his fine place. Those Pharisees were rich. They had plenty of money. And they lived in the best of homes. That didn't mean they were right with God. Not at all. And they were smart, educated. That didn't mean they were right with God.
I've seen lots of people that had smart degrees out of all kinds of seminaries and colleges, and knowed no more about God than the first A-B-C of the Bible. That's right. When it comes to heart... They're educated, but they don't know Christ.

17 As I said the other night, to know Him is life, not to know the Book, not to know the church, not to know the catechism, but to know Christ is life---the person Christ.
And they got a cut out of all the offerings, and all the sacrifices, they got the tithings of the people. And they were rich people, many of them, lived in fine homes and they could afford to throw a great big... As we'd call it today, a big dinner, like that. And there was many poor people in the day.

18 Now, a lot of my information I get on my text tonight, I've got it from Josephus, and many of the historians, of the way that they lived in that day. And I've been there, also, to see the modern days and the old ancient customs. And many of them are right yet, today. And their great fine homes and things.

19 And I can see him as he walks back and forth, up and down the floor with his big fine robe trailing behind him, like that, and all of his religious hats on, and his garb. I can see him say, "Ho, ho, why didn't I think of that? Well, that's just what I should do. Well, I ought to have thought of that a week ago. That's what I'll do. You know, Pharisee Jones just hates that Galilean anyhow. He just thinks because that He bawled him out one day, and told him that he was a snake in the grass. And I tell you, does he hate Him. Hmm. And I'll invite Him over. And I'll have, also, Pharisee Levy, I'll bring him over, and does he hate Him too. My, how he hates Him. So, why didn't I think of that? Just exactly the thing." So that's why the courier was up there.

20 Now, he said, "I tell you what we'll do. Now, He claims to be a prophet. And He claims that He sees things and foreknows things, but we know that He's a faker. We know there's nothing to Him. We church people, we who has got the education, we who are smart and know all the degree, we know there's nothing to that guy. He's nothing in the world but a Beelzebub. And you ought to have heard Rabbi Jones, when this Galilean told him what he was. Oh, did he blow up. And now will he have fun to know that I've got Him right down here, and we'll pin Him down good, right here, and prove that He's nothing but a faker. So, we'll get Him here. So, I'll just send my favorite runner, flunky, up there. He'll get Him. Oh, I ought to have thought of this a long time ago. Well, I better get busy now and get my invitations out." Because you couldn't attend a Palestinian banquet without having an invitation.

21 So, now I hear him say, "I tell you what I believe I'll do. You know, instead of having out here so that people can see what I'm doing, and I'll send and have the very best of cooks to come. And I'll get me a lamb and I'll barbecue it and roast it in spices, and oh, I'll make everybody just lick their lips and I'll have a great big dinner for everybody that I want... Or, not everybody, not the poor, but them that I want. And then, after the dinner is all over, will we have some fun out of this here Jesus of Nazareth. We'll prove that He is no prophet. And will Jones and them laugh. Oh, that'll be wonderful.
You know what, I believe I just won't have it inside the houses here, and the corridors of the house. You know, I've got a nice big front yard there, and those delicious grapes, white grapes, oh, they're just now coming in ripe. And won't that be wonderful just to set my table out there?"

22 And can they put on, what we call, "the dog"! They sure can. And they really fix things up in a big way. You ought to see the way they do it. My. But that's just about the way we try to entertain Jesus: cooking up a big soup supper somewhere and selling it for fifty cents a plate to pay the preacher. That's right. We're not much different. That's right.
I told you I was going to talk to you tonight on the worst sinner in the city.
Now, so he had everything. He said, "I'll fix that up out there and what a time I will have. And we'll be right on the outside, right back under where these great big grapes are hanging down. It'll be beautiful. The odor is fine and I'll cook up my lambs."

23 Could they really... They got those Indian servants over there. And many times, they're so trained, the Indians are, till they wear little bells on their shoes. And when they walk, they just almost can play a tune, with that, as they're walking. And they're so polite how they handle the platter, you know, just with all the dignity that you could think of.
Said, "Oh, I will have it really fixed up." And in that day, poor people all over the country. Well, he was going to get it all fixed up. So, he gets everything groomed and everything together.
And after a while, the final time is just about to draw near at hand. So, he goes in and he decorates his room. He fixes it all up beautiful. And how they can decorate, too, with their interior. You know, how they put on that, fix everything looking so nice.

24 You know, we have a lot of that, yet, today in America. The President can come to the city, and what do they do? They hoist all the flags up and the colors and they fly them. And they have flower girls to meet him out at the train, and they strew the flowers along the street, and everybody standing out with your very best clothes on and waving at him. That's all right. That's okay. But the thing of it is, Jesus can come to the city, and there's nothing said about it. Nobody don't know about it. You don't welcome Him like that. Yet, we pray all the time, "God, give us a big revival." But when He comes, you never make Him welcome. You always give Him third or fourth place.

25 You know, lots of times, we have so much to do, so many things to do that keeps our mind so occupied, we can't worship Him when He comes. He'll come to the meeting where they was having a revival in the city, the whole city; the ministerial association will get together and have a breakfast, and they'll draw up plans, and they're going to have a big meeting.
And then when Jesus comes to the church and begins to deal with somebody, they'll say, "Put that fanatic out."
Jesus wants to bless you. He wants to ... He wants the first place. And we give Him the last place. Oh, yes. We got time for everything else, but you see Him just a few minutes before you jump in bed, maybe, at night, once a week, see.
"Dear God, bless me, and my brother, and father, and mother, Mr. Jones and... Amen." Get to bed. Last place, but He never turns you down. He's good to you anyhow. That's what makes Him real to me.

26 You know last Easter, you put on your most lovely dress and that beautiful hat. Oh, you went to church last Easter, and the pastor sees you again next Easter. It's about the way it goes. But you give Him just a few minutes. And if the pastor spoke over twenty minutes, "Oh, my! How does he think of so much to talk about?" Isn't that about right?
Oh, you had to get out to show that beautiful dress. But He never condemns you for it. He accepted it. That's what makes Him so real to me. No matter what little...
"Lord, will You take second place?"
"Yep, I'll take second place." The God of heaven, to a creature.
"Will You take second place?"
"Yes, I'll take second."
"Will You take third place?"
"Yep, I'll take third place."
"Will You take fourth place?"
"Yeah, I'll take anywhere you give Me." He never turns you down. He'll come anytime. Any place you give Him, if it's up in the attic. You don't want Him in your parlor. When your friends come in you can all go in and talk about Jesus, and kneel on the floor and let that be your main conversation. And talk about Him and pray and thank Him for what He has done, and testify to one another.
Oh, no, that belongs to a bunch of jokes and carrying on. And then when you talk to Jesus, you have to go up in the attic, somewhere, or down in the basement every once and a while and speak to Him. You can start to go to...

27 God is just burning on your heart, wants you to worship Him and love Him a little bit and you just figure, "Well, I'll do it when I wash the dishes." And Miss Jones can call up and say, "Liddy, we're going down town to do some shopping today, dear. Do you want go?"
"Oh, yes, I'll go with you."
Then at night when you jump in the bed, say, "God, be good to me, and bless my mother, and daddy, and all them." And jump into bed. That's about the way we do with Jesus: Give Him the last place.

28 Why, when Jesus comes to the city, there ought to be the flags out, and people on the street talking about Him, and glorifying Him and the sick and the afflicted accepting His healing blessings. And out on the street testifying everybody.
But we give Him the last place. And still He continually comes on back again. He's willing. Not willing that any should perish, but that all might come to repentance.
Now, the day is drawing close at hand. After a while, he has all of his flunkies out. They have lots of flunkies. Just guys around the place. So, he puts them all out to their duties. And the first thing, a chariot comes up. Most of the travel in those days in Palestine was by foot. And that's the only transportation they had, besides the animals, and most of those were beasts of burden that packed the burdens.

29 But the great chariot rides up and the Doctor, Reverend So-and-so, got out. And he come in and he embraced him and took him into the house. And the flunky took the horses around and groomed them, and put them into the stable and made everything ready and shined his chariot up while he was at the banquet. Everything just all polished, just like a modern day "blow-out" today, as we call it. That's right. In the name of religion, too.

30 And most of the people walked. And when they walked along the roads, the animals walked the road also. And they didn't have concrete roads and asphalt like we have today. It was just a little dusty path along up over the hills and down through the deserts.
And as they went up that way, and the beasts walking along there, too, the dust taking care of the odor from the animals, of the droppings and so forth. And it got into the dust, and it ... awful smell along the road. And the Palestinians in those days wore a robe. And they had an underneath garment, just come to the knee, and they wore sandals. And as they walked, this robe swept up the dust and it got for the perspiration on the legs, and on the face and hands, and it caused an awful odor. The odor from the animals that traveled the road was on the person when they come.
And when they come to the door, they were in no condition at all to be entertained at that time, because they smelt from this road. And their faces were burning from the hot rays of the Palestinian sun.

31 And so, what they did, when a guest was coming, why, they always had a flunky at the door; the first fellow that you met, was the foot-wash flunky. The worst job in all the other flunkies was the foot-washer.
And to think of it, our blessed Lord Jesus become a foot-washer: come down from the highest place in heaven to take the lowest flunky's job on the earth. And then we think we're somebody because we wear good clothes and ride in a nice car. Shame on you. It's a pity that we got so far away from God. Oh, we're very religious. But, I mean, get close to God.

32 So few...
I hate to say this, but so few of professed Christians today, in our land, knows so little about God. Oh, they know all their religions, but to know God. Humbled Himself. And that's what makes Him great to me. That's what makes Him real to me, is to think that He was willing to come down here and not be some great somebody, and take some great name, or something like that. He made Himself humble and become a servant to all of them. That's my Lord Jesus. That's the One I love; that's the One I want to give my life entirely to serve Him, and to work for Him, and do everything I can to get people to look at Him, and believe Him, and love Him. He's lovely. He's precious.

33 Becoming a foot-washer, taking the towel and girded Himself and washed the disciples' feet, said, "Let him that's great among you be the servant of all." That was His example. But what's today? Oh, hostile. "Yes, sir. I wouldn't stoop to that fellow. That old drunk, no, I wouldn't have nothing to do with him. Oh, I'm Dr. Jones," see. That's the reason we're not getting anywhere. That's the reason our pulpits are weak. That's the reason today we don't have signs and wonders in our churches. That's the reason today we don't have an old-fashioned revival. We're thinking we're somebody when we're nothing.
The Bible says, when a man thinks him something when he's nothing he deceives himself. He knows nothing that he ought to know. And he ought to know that he's a sinner.

1 Corinthians 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

34 And then, the first flunky that met the man, he set him down in a chair, and at first it was a little, what we'd call, a vestibule in the south. And he sits him down in the chair something like this. And he sets his foot up, he takes his shoe off, gets some nice clean water, and bathes his limbs because they're sweaty and stinky with the manure and stuff on the road and the dust that's come up and it smells bad. And he washes his feet, then he dries them off good with the towel, wipes them good, then he takes the other foot, and does the same. And then if he's invited to a banquet like that, then as the host always provides him with shoes to walk on his fine carpet. He has a little rag or a satin slipper. He reaches up here and he gets one till he fits his feet right good, so he puts it on his feet.

35 Now, he feels very much better. His feet and legs are washed and the smell is going away. So then, he starts to the next door. And when he goes there, to the next door, there's another flunky who meets him. And this flunky here that meets him, is one who has a pitcher of oil in his hand.

36 Now, and this oil is made of olives and it's got a very fine spikenard smell to it. And this spikenard is a very famous apple ... kind of like a rose apple. You know when the roses quit blooming and the winter time comes on, they have a little apple. Well, way up in Egypt, or some of those countries down in there, they get this little thing. I seen one once. It's a little apple-like. And you can rub it in your hands, just once or twice, and it so saturates into your hands, until weeks later, you can still smell it.
And it's a very expensive thing to make this spikenard oil. And they grind these and put them into the oil because oil will actually become in a few days, or a few weeks, or months, it gets an old smell. So this keeps it very fresh all the time. Very expensive. That was some of the treasures that the queen of Sheba brought and gave to Solomon, was some of those things. They have to climb high in them ... high in the mountains to get these apples to make this oil.

37 And then with this cruise of oil, courtesy of the host, he holds his hands out, and his hands are dusty and sweaty too. So he takes his hands and gets some of the fine oil, he rubs them all over his hands. Then he gives him a towel and he wipes his hands off right good. Then he gives him some more of it. He puts it all over his face and the back of his neck. And it's rather soothing. If you ever put it on---if any of you people has ever visited Palestine, and know what I speak of---it's soothes.

38 And the direct rays of the sun of Palestine burns the flesh bad. Both men and women use it. And they put it on their face, and then they wipe it off with another clean towel. And now their feet is clean, they have on a nice clean pair of moccasins, we would call it; and their hands are clean, and their face is clean, the perspiration and smell from their face. And now they feel refreshed and ready now to enter in to meet the host.
And then they walk into the parlor. And when they walk in there, the host is standing to greet them. First, before he does anything, he reaches his right hand, and then he touches the right hand, they put their left hand on each other's shoulders, and the host brings his guest to him, and kisses him on one side, and then kisses him on the other side. And then, he is a full-fledged brother. Oh, he's at home then. He is washed, he's refreshed, and now he's kissed welcome.

39 Now, the kiss is the welcome kiss. After the host has kissed the guest, then the guest, he can go to the ice box or whatever he wants to. He's just at home. But until he does that, why, he isn't presentable to be kissed. He can't be kissed because he's not presentable. He smells bad, and sticky perspiration on him.
And after he's cleaned up, and refreshed so he can meet his host, then his hands are shook, and he's kissed from one side of the cheek to the other one, and then he's a real brother. He can just go around do whatever he wishes to. And that's the way it was done.
And this rich Pharisee, how he was entertaining his guest. And many had come in and they were drinking wine and tipping the glasses to each other. And as usually, a party like that, joking and jostling, and going on ... jesting, rather. Just as they do today, the same thing.

40 But I happen to look. And I hear somebody say, "Who is that sitting over there?" And there sat One over in the corner, with His head down, His hands hanging down, His head dropped, His disciples on the outside looking at Him. And there He sat, sweaty, dirty, smelly, not kissed welcome, and been invited to the party.
When I think of it: Jesus sitting there with dirty feet. How did that flunky ever let that pass? How did he ever let Jesus get by? It must have been this.
Jesus was dressed in such common clothes. He dressed as a peasant. He walked as a peasant. And they must have thought that He was just a peasant coming in.

41 And many times today, people look at people by the way they're dressed, and judge them the same way. Brother, let me tell you something now. Some of the truest old hearts I've ever known that beat was under an old blue shirt. That's right. It don't have to be a tuxedo suit with a collar turned in the back. No, sir. God can beat in an old heart under a blue shirt sometimes.
I've held a many revival and a great big, old, boy; hair hanging down in his eyes, didn't know his ABC's and a blue shirt on, patches on one another. Reach up and get me by the hand and say, "Preacher, I mean it." Brother, you can believe that. That's right. I'd rather have him with me anytime, than some slicker with a collar turned around or something, walking along, and his pigeon-tailed coat on, and called "Doctor," "Reverend," "Father," or something. And you couldn't trust him as far as you could reach your hand. That's pretty rough, but that's true. They fail to recognize Him.

42 Oh, how did he do it? How could he do it? I wished I could have been the flunky at that house that day. Oh, I'd have washed His feet. Amen. I'd have been standing there waiting for Him. I would have been watching if I'd have knowed. But as it was then, He was a fanatic. He was just fanatically.
And that's the reason, today, that we fail to see Him. You call it fanaticism when it's the power of God, when it's Christ resurrected from the dead, and people fail to recognize it. You call it slain, slanted over sideways. Say, "I don't have to fool around with that bunch of holy-rollers. I go to church. I'm as good as the next one." And you don't realize what you're doing to my Jesus.

43 There, He was sitting there with dirty feet. That kind of does something to me. They call Him there, "Jesu." Instead of "Jesus," they say, "Jesu." And I think of Jesu with dirty feet. Could you imagine it? The King of heaven with dirty feet.
Well, that's the way it is today. You do nothing about it today. They talk about Him, say everything about Him. What? About Him? When He comes into the meeting, the things He does. They talk about it, and say everything, "Oh, it's Beelzebub. It's a spiritualist. It's a devil. There's nothing to it. Dr. So-and-so knows all about it." All right. You see who Dr. So-and-so was in the Bible? He hasn't changed much today on that.

44 There Jesus was sitting there with dirty feet, unwelcome, and nobody paying any attention to Him. That's the way it is today. We pray for a great meeting. And Jesus will come, and then nobody will pay any attention to Him. God comes into the place, "Oh, our programs take up all of our time. We got too many things to do. So much got to be taken care of." And it'll all... Taken up like that.
And Jesus, many times, is not entertained as a guest when He comes to the church. God help us to recognize that. Jesus wants to be entertained. And when the Holy Ghost comes into the church, and wants to bless the church, people sit just as cold and starchy. That's the same thing the Pharisee did. Too busy with other things. We got too much to do. We're afraid we'll interrupt something. Don't worry, you won't interrupt nothing when you're entertaining Jesus. You'll be right in the program of God. You might be out of man's program, but you'll be in God's program, when you're entertaining Jesus.

45 There He was. Dirty feet. I can see the disciples. They couldn't come in. They wasn't invited. He was the only One invited. And He got by the flunkies. And He walked over in a corner and sat down. A "wall-flower," we'd call it today.
"Oh," you say, "Brother Branham!"
Well, that's the way He's treated yet in the churches. He's a "wall-flower" or a picture hanging on a wall, or something He used to be.
But I declare to you tonight... Tomorrow night is my last night, maybe, forever, for here, I don't know; maybe for some time. But, I declare to you, that same Jesus is raised from the dead, and is here in Minneapolis tonight, in His same power. And people are turning their back on it and calling it "fanaticism," and treating Him tonight, the same way they did then.

46 Oh, you got your big churches, you Orthodox and stiff as a board, and straight as a gun barrel. That don't spell nothing. Oh, you like to have your entertainments and your social parties and sit around, and carry on, and giggle, and joke and everything. That's not what religion consists of. It's a worship. Not sit with your head bowed, and holler "amen" like a calf bellowing. But it means to get in the Spirit of God, and to worship God, in power and in Spirit. That's right. But oh, we're so stiff and starchy today. We can't do that you know. They was too. And that's the reason Jesus, after being invited, that's the welcome that He got.

47 How many times in Minneapolis and across this America and everywhere, have people fasted, and prayed, and cried, and say, "O God, come down. O Jesus, we want You for a revival." And He'll break out somewhere and they'll throw Him in jail. Then who'd accept Him. They'll call them a bunch of fanatics and holy-rollers. It's because that you're not looking for the right person. He walked right by that flunky. And there He was sitting there, poor Jesus with His dirty feet.
I hate to say that. It just does something to me, when I think about my Lord sitting there with dirty feet; and when He'd been invited and unwelcome. And that's the reason it gets to me today, to see people who claim to be religious, and things like that, say, "Oh, the days of miracles is past. Nonsense, Brother Branham. Don't you believe nothing like that. Oh, you're just mentally worked up. There is nothing to that kind of stuff."

48 I know Him in the power of His resurrection. And I know that He's real. He's my life. He's all in all. And when I see these people calling themselves Christians, and making that kind of entertainment to Jesus, some political rally, or stand around, and have an old soup supper, and the old upper room is done gone. They don't have no more upper rooms. You're too busy, taken up with your little fantastic things around the church, and you got too many things to do, instead of an old-fashioned prayer meeting like you used to have. You got suppers, you got lawn parties, and you got rides and all these other kind of recreations and things.
Christ is not a recreation. Christ is God, to be worshipped. You put too much... That might burn and scorch a little, but that's when it's going to do you good.
What we need today is a little more scorching, little more of God's Holy Spirit to scorch the world out of you, to get the starch out.
There, Jesus sitting there, not entertained, nobody looking at Him, or nothing, after being invited. And He was... He wasn't... The dung on His feet, and on His hands, and sweat all over Him, that smell, and He was in a terrible shape. And they let Him sit like that.

49 And I think, today, that you people who call yourself ministers, lot of you (Now, this may hurt.), but call yourselves ministers, and stand and let the critical hypocritical, infidelic world, say, "Oh, that Bible is just fiction. There's nothing to it." You Unitarians, and you people that don't know God, let me tell you, just have a form of godliness, and deny the power thereof.
Why don't you clean up? Why don't you preach the Gospel? He's real Jesus, tonight, just the same as He was then. Don't let Him sit dirty like that. You claim to invite Him to your home, you invite Him to your church, and then when He comes, that's the way you treat Him. That's the way today. Pharisees! Walk around and condemn the Pharisees.
Jesus said, "You polish the tombs of the prophets and you're the one put them in there." That's right.

Matthew 23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

50 What we need today is the entertainment of the Holy Spirit, Christ. There He was, sitting there with dirty feet. He felt unwelcome among such a crowd as that. He does yet today. A great big starchy crowd telling jokes, and all kinds of religious forms and everything like that. He's just left sitting. He doesn't feel welcome. He'd feel more welcome, tonight, right down in a little old mission somewhere on the street, than some of these big starchy churches you got around here. Right. They're not ashamed of Him. And you think you got the best class in them. I don't know whether you have or not. Wasn't the best class then.

51 There they was tipping their glasses and drinking and going on. He said, "Now, Pharisee Joseph, you know what? I tell you. The other day, when we had that convention over there that the... Ha. Ha. Did you remember that?" All them kind of things. "I'll tell you one about the Jones what he did over at the..." That's just about what the association talks about today when they come together.
I went to a meeting here not long ago, of a great fine church, group of people. And twice as many people as sitting here. Where it was supposed to be for the spiritual benefit of the city. You know what they done? I was surprised they invited me. But when I went, you know what they done? In a famous denominational church, they said, "Now, we haven't got one of the best, but we've got the best fiddler. And the best guitar player in the country."
I thought, "Well, that's fine. We'll see what they play."
You know what they played? God is my judge. They played "Turkey In The Straw," behind the pulpit at a ministerial gathering. Oh, my!
Now, he said, "We got the famous quartet from a famous church in a city just above. And they're going to sing for us." You know what they sang? "Home On The Range." That don't belong in church. What's the matter with the people today?
Then, I got up to the floor and they throwed me out. I said, "Shame on you. The spiritual leaders of the company here and play "Turkey In The Straw" behind the pulpit. No wonder you hate me. No wonder you don't believe in divine healing. You can't! You ain't got nothing to believe with." I said, "What you need to clean up here is a old-fashioned altar call and you bunch of preachers around the altar getting right with God."
He knocked on the desk like that and said, "Sit down. Sit down."
I said, "I've got the floor now." And they throwed me out. I got to say what was right anyhow. It'll go to judgment with them anyhow. Certainly. Yes, sir.

52 What we need today is a cleaning up, at the house of God, getting ready for an entertainment of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Lord Jesus. We've asked, and begged, and pleaded, and then turn Him out when He comes. Amen. It's true. What a pity!
There sat Jesus, dirty foot, stinking, nobody paying any attention to Him. And He was... Left His place up there, where He was ministering to the people, walked two days down through that sun. Come, had to start a little early, because He never misses an appointment. He always keeps His appointments. I love Him for that. He keeps His appointments. That's the reason tonight, I got confidence in Him. He keeps His appointments. Hallelujah! He has never failed and He won't never fail.

53 And remember, man and woman, boy and girl, you've got an appointment, too, with Him. You're going to either meet Him in peace, here, or you're going to meet Him at the judgment. But you're going to keep that appointment; that's one thing you're going to do. That's right. He keeps His.
And He was right there on time. not a minute late. He come right in at the banquet. And there He was sitting there, unentertained.
Look down the street there, there's a sight. I see a door come open, and a little old shack, kind of up, come down the steps. I see walking down the street, come a woman; she's kind of ashamed to look. She has a veil over her face. She said, "It's quiet tonight. I don't know what's the matter. Seems to be nobody on the street." She's a harlot. And she's walking around in the city. "Oh," she says, "that's right, Doctor Pharisee, the pastor, has a big banquet up there." And so she said, "I believe I'll walk down to the end of the corner and look up." And she looked up. Oh, that aroma, and all the poor standing outside and their mouth watering. These Pharisees in there eating this fine lamb and drinking wine and just having them a big time. And she could smell it. She said, "Oh, that smells so good. Wonder if I'd walk just a little closer. Nobody will know me, maybe, with this veil over my face, because I have an awful name in this city."

54 So, she goes up a little closer, and, "Oh, that's wonderful." So she slips up, keeps somebody from shoving her away. She slips up between two men, and she said, "Oh, listen at them. That's the right party. They're all drinking wine, carrying on in there. That's just the right place. So, this is the rich Pharisee here. This is the man who can really do this. But look at those poor people. Look at that mother over there with that little baby. Wonder what she's doing here? Well, it looks to be sick. I wonder what she'd bring a sick baby here for. I don't understand. Why... Well, looky. There's that cripple, that there blind man, too, that used to be down on the street begging. I wonder what he's doing here. What would he do around Pharisee's house? I don't know why he'd be up here."

55 And she looks up, she said, "No. No. I..." She rubs her eyes. "There's something wrong; I'm surely not seeing right." She looks over again. She said, "That's Him! That's Him! Oh," she said, "look at Him. Well, He had to be invited, or He wouldn't be in there. But, they're not paying any attention to Him. And look how sad He looks in the corner, sitting there humbly with His head down."

56 And raises up, and His face is dirty from sweating, walking, trying to get there. Nobody paying any attention to Him, like He was a tramp, walking. Then she said, "It's... Am I just...? I must be out of my mind tonight." She said, "I ... that... Surely that isn't that Prophet. Yes, that's got to be. Oh, He... There's no wonder they're not entertaining Him. He's all full of dirt. And they haven't washed His ... washed Him yet. That's the reason."

57 And she puts her little veil around her face again. And down the street she goes, and around to her house, up a little creaking bunch of steps. She closes the door. She walks over to a little cabinet, she opens the door, and she takes out a little sack, about like this, maybe, a stocking-top. And she sets it down. It clinks. It's money. It's all she's got. And she looks at it. She pours it out on the table. And the tears are running down in her eyes. She said, "You know, there's just something about Him." Said, "Looks different from the rest of the crowd."
I tell you, I don't care who you are, if you ever get a direct look at Jesus, it changes you. It makes a difference out of you.
She said, "Oh, I don't know why I'm weeping." She said, "But I must do something for Him. It's just not right for Him to be like that. I just... Something in me just tells me that it's not right. I got to do something about it."
So, she picks up the money, and she starts towards the door. And she said, "Oh, I can't do this. I just can't do it. Because He's a Prophet, He would know where I got this money. He'd know how I got it. He would know how I got this... And I just... But it's all I got. It's all I can do. And there's something on my heart telling me that I must do it." That's the way. That's it.

58 There's something about women that seems to be different from men. They seem to be, sometime, more receptive to spirit. That's right. And they seem to catch it quicker. And she said, "Oh, I just must do this. Something just telling me, I must do it." And she picks up the little old stocking again, and wraps up the money, puts it in her bosom, pulls down her veil, down the little creaking steps she goes, and down to the perfume shop.

59 And when she goes in, one of these old long hooked-nose fellows sitting back there, you know. And there had been a bad day, that day, and nobody buying any perfume. And he was all crabby. She walks in the door. He looked, he said, "Oh, now look who my customer is. Hum. My! Look who my customer is now." Didn't come with the courtesy of a gentlemen say, "Could I help you?"
Said, "Well, what do you want?"
And she said, "Kind sir." He noticed she had been weeping.
He thought, "What's she weeping about?"

60 Said, "Kind sir. I want the best alabaster box you got in the store. I want not one, but I want the best you got." That's the way. Give Him your best. He deserves the best you got. We give Him the seconds. We give Him the last. But He deserves the best. See, Something had touched her. She had got a direct look at Jesus. And she said, "I want the best you've got." We give Him the last we got.

61 You take your first, and go out and spend and have your big times, and when you go to church on Sunday morning, you give Him a quarter. But you go and buy a fifty dollar present to give to Joneses that lives next door to you, or something enough to get up in your society ranks. And then to give Jesus the last. He deserves your best. That's all she had. Jesus deserves everything that you are, and all you've got. That's the reason we can't get nowhere.
She said, "I want the best you got."
He said, "Well, now first, I got to see the money."

62 So she poured it out, he counted it, thirty pieces of Roman denarii, just exactly right. Reaches up on the box, and gets the spikenard and hands it to her, like that, in the alabaster box. And she tucks it into her bosom. She stands a little. She wipes the tears from her eyes. She looks out the door. Looks this way and that way, see nobody's coming, she pulls her veil down over her face.
He said, "I wonder where she could be going?"
I looked, as she stepped out and starts up through the street just as hard as she can. There's two men standing on the corner, said, "Look, look, look, look, look, what's going up there?" You always wanting to scorn people that's down and out.

63 Let me tell you: Before there was a bad woman, there had to be a bad man, too. That's right. Remember, that's some mother's darling. And today, the reason the church is in the condition it is, you want the big class in your church. And you fail, the church is failing to go get the prostitute, and street-walker, and bootleggers, and what there is of the city. That's where Jesus wants us to go. That's where He desires to bring them in. But, oh, we want the guy that's got money, that can pay debts and pay off the church debts and things like that. You call it "the upper crust." It's a lot of crust to it (that's right), and a lot of upper it is, but a lot of crust. We must go in the hedges, and highways, and byways, and compel them to come to Christ; the outcast.

Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

64 She goes up. I see her moving her way up. She looks in. She looks up over the top of their heads. Now she says, "Wait a minute. I shouldn't do this. I... Must be something wrong with me. I'm beside myself tonight. And I can't go in there, they'd throw me out." But she looks over again. And there He sits humbly, looking at His dirty hands. And the people passing by, and all the rest of them eating lamb; they never passed it to Him. He never had nothing; just let Him sit there. And there He was sitting at the feast. And all of them on their tables, how they lay down and eat there. That's good for you boys, see. They lay down in Palestine and eat like this, laying down on a couch. And so, all of them laying around and eating, and poor Jesus just sitting there, looking.

65 She said, "Oh, if I go in, Pharisee would throw me out. That's all." Said, "But, I can't stand it. I just can't stand it. Look at Him the way He looks. Look at those sad eyes, as He looks around." She looks down and she sees Peter and James and them, standing there, just prancing. He looks over to Peter and them, looks back down again, just waiting.

66 Said, "I just can't stand it anymore." So she says, "I've got to go in. But me, if I go in there, me, a woman of my type to go before Him, why, I couldn't do it." After while she said, "But, I remember, in Galilee, I heard Him say this, 'Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. Whosoever will, let him come.'" Said, "Surely that means me, then. If whosoever will, that's me. And I'm sure heavy laden. He told me to come. So, here I go." I wish you'd get that kind of an idea tonight.
Right down through that crowd of Pharisees she went on her way, elbowing her way to Jesus. God help us tonight. Think, "I'll elbow our way through all this stiff, starchy ideas of the church today, and get to Christ." Amen.
Yes, sir.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

67 She went right on through pushing Pharisees every way, and she got right to where He was. And she broke the alabaster box, and poured it on Him, and she fell down on the floor, at His feet, and she begin to weeping. And she was patting His feet. And she just kind of ... got kind of beside herself. She was weeping and she begin to rub His feet and [Brother Branham makes a kissing sound.] kissing His feet, and... Well, she was at the fountain of life. She was at the only place that she could ever get help. No wonder she was hysterical. No wonder she was beside herself. God help us to get beside ourself long enough to get saved anyhow.

Luke 7:37 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,