Luke 7:36-50
A Pharisee named Simon ask Jesus to come and eat with him at his home.
There was a woman who learned that Jesus was setting for supper at the Pharisees House. This woman brought with her an alabaster jar of ointment and stood behind Jesus at his feet, weeping, and then began to wash his feet with her tears, and swiped his feet with her hair and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
The Pharisee said to himself, if he had been a prophet, he would have known who was touching him. A sinner woman.
Jesus Speaks to Simon
He tells him the story of a creditor who has two debtors. One owing a debt of 500 denarii and the other owing 50 denarii. When both had no money to repay the debt, he freely forgave them both of their debts. He asks the question to Simon, tell me which one of them will love him more? Simon’s reply was, I suppose whom he forgave most. Jesus said, you chose right.
Jesus turns to the woman, but he speaks to Simon.
Simon, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair, she has not ceased to kiss my feet and she has anointed my feet with ointment. I say to you her sins which are many, are forgiven. For she has loved much. He who is forgiven little loves little.
Jesus is wanting the Pharisee to understand what is happening here. Thats why he had turned and spoke to Simon and not the woman.
Do you think the Pharisee saw his own sins? Do you think he thought that we get into heaven by works? Or by our own self-righteousness? God forbid. Do you think Simon loved much?
1st John 1:18 says, if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1st John 1:10 – If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and His word is not in us.
Jesus Speaks to the Woman. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.
This woman knows exactly who she is and what she has done and where she has been. No one needed to point out her past or her sins to her. Just like the woman at the well, she knew everything that she had ever done.
Point is, no one has to point out to us what we have or haven’t done, we all know within ourselves better than anyone else of our past.
The woman knew that Jesus was the Messiah. It was her faith that saved her. She came to Jesus broken and with a contrite spirit (Ps: 34:18, Isa 66:2, Ps: 51:17) Her heart was broken. This woman could not stop weeping and washing the masters’ feet with her tears and kissing his feet. The woman never speaks but only weeps, but Jesus knew her heart. Sometimes in our prayers we can’t even speak, our hearts and our lives get so broken, and sometimes we don’t even know what to pray, but our hearts do. Just like the sinner woman, he sees our hearts and forgives us and sends us on our way in peace. He puts us back into right standing with him.
My favorite part in this passage is that Jesus points out to Simon that her sins are many, but she loves much. The woman is a reflection of the one who owed the most debt in the story that Jesus told to Simon. Jesus tells Simon which one do you think loved the creditor the most? The one who owed the most debt. This woman also, owed a debt that she could not pay, but she is the one who loved much.
Jesus paid our debt that we could not pay, he did what we could not do. He went to the cross for us all and paid the price it took for the remission of sin. He did it for not just one person but for all mankind. So, we could have access to the father and have forgiveness of sins, Jesus’ forever being our advocate. We as born-again Christians get to enter into the throne room at any time, forever having access to the father. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. Do you need help? Do you need saving?
The woman came that day BROKEN, she received her forgiveness because she believed and went on her way in peace.
Jesus is always there waiting with arms wide open; he’ll give you a peace that surpasses all understanding and fill you with his spirit, the living water, where you will never thirst again.
As the song says: It is no secret what God can do, with arms wide open he’ll start a new, it is no secret what God can do. Just ask, you will not be disappointed.
Ref:
Ephesians 2:8-10
Romans 5:1
1st John 1:5-10
1st Peter 4:8
Arthur