“When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, He went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this Man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner. Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said. Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give Me any water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give Me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing My feet. You did not put oil on My head, but she has poured perfume on My feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ The other guests began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’ Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” Luke 7:36-50 (NIV)
Along with Jesus, we have two main characters in this passage: Simon, a Pharisee, a religious leader, and a woman who was a former prostitute - who, at the feet of Jesus, breaks out in worship and weeping. She even kissed Jesus’ feet and anointed them with expensive ointment.
This is a story of contrasts. The woman shows full devotion to Jesus and Simon the Pharisee does not. The woman sees herself as needing and receiving forgiveness, and Simon sees himself as not needing forgiveness. The woman believes in Jesus’ righteousness, and Simon believes in his own righteousness. Simon was satisfied with himself but judgemental of others. “When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this Man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” Luke 7:39 (NIV).
All this brings us to a key question: If you could measure all the sins you’ve committed in your life, how would you compare to other people? This is a fundamental problem in Simon: he compares himself to others and is the poster child for “But I am a good person”. But Simon is blind in his sins and far from God.
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Luke 7:41-42 (NIV). This seems like a pretty obvious answer–“the one who has been forgiven more.” But Simon doesn’t realize the point.
There are several important lessons we can learn from this parable:
EVERYONE IS A DEBTOR
We are all debtors. “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.” Isaiah 53:6 (NLT)
WE ALL CAN’T PAY THE DEBT
Currently, the United States debt is over $33 trillion dollars, which is about $97,000 per US citizen. But there is a debt that is much more important. The debt of our sins.
We have debts we can't repay, but the Gospel reminds us of the depth of God's forgiveness in Jesus. It is what Jesus wanted Simon to understand. When we realize and comprehend the huge debt, we begin to see the greatness of what God through Jesus offers. And then we, like the woman, will express appreciation, gratefulness, and love to Jesus. The woman is expressing: “Thank You, Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins.”
“For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14 (NIV)
FORGIVENESS IS AVAILABLE
Forgiveness always costs something. In the parable, it cost the lender 500 denarii to forgive those indebted to him–a huge amount.
When Jesus offers forgiveness, there was a huge cost also. There was pain, suffering and agony of Jesus on the cross. Before there was forgiveness paid for, there had to be the cross, the burial, and His resurrection. The last words of Jesus on the cross were: “It is finished.” All had been paid in full.
SINNERS BECOME WORSHIPPERS WHEN CHANGED BY JESUS
In the parable, two men owed money: One owed 500 denarii, and the other owed 50. Both owed a lot of money, but neither one had the means to pay it back. Then the lender canceled the debt of both. Which one will love him more? The one who has been forgiven little or the one who’s forgiven much?
We too, owe a debt that we cannot pay. It is a debt that Jesus paid, a debt He washed as white as snow. Don’t be Simon mode. Believe in Jesus, find forgiveness and discover walking in peace with Him.
