And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ So, he said, ‘Teacher, say it.’ ‘There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered and said, I suppose the one whom he forgave more.’ And He said to him, ‘You have rightly judged.’ Luke 7:40-43
Jesus’ encounter with the sinful woman in the house of Simon the Pharisee reveals a critical principle if we would live faithfully before Him. One of the most powerful drivers in a life of faith is love generated by gratitude. Gratitude only exists where one understands the goodness he/she has received. This reality is portrayed in living color in the narrative of Luke 7:36-50. A few observations of Jesus’ treatment from Simon versus that of the unnamed “sinful woman” should move us to deeper appreciation of the Lord’s gracious gift to us all producing greater faithfulness to Him.
While Jesus was dining in the house of this Pharisee, the narrative took a startling turn as a sinful woman barged in on the dinner party causing quite a stir among those in attendance. Her actions displayed the highest degree of love and gratitude for Jesus imaginable. When this woman heard Jesus was dining with the Pharisee, she only cared about seeing Him, thanking Him, and expressing her love for Him with complete disregard for the consequences of her actions.
As if barging in on a dinner party to which she received no invitation was not enough, she completely abandoned any sense of propriety and dignified behavior. Weeping openly, she got down in the floor and began washing Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, and anointing them with fragrant oil. It would be virtually impossible to express one’s submission to another in a more profound way. This was reckless love on display.
Simon’s callous response to her display of devotion puts the depth of her love into even sharper relief. His immediate response to the woman was to deny that Jesus was a prophet because any prophet worth his salt would never let such a base woman touch him (7:39). Such was the harsh attitude of the Pharisees towards the lost sheep of God’s pasture. The definition of “Pharisee” is a separate one because they separated themselves from the sinful elements in society. This mindset has been employed in a host of circumstances, one of the most prominent being the notion of monasteries and convents. The trouble with all such efforts is they are antithetical to the Lord’s attitude towards His lost sheep. He has always intended to gather them back into the safety of His fold, and if we separate ourselves from the lost, we can never bring them in as Jesus demands (Isaiah 40:10-11; Ezekiel 34; Luke 15:1-7, 8-10, 11-32; 19:10; Matthew 28:18-20).
So, to enlighten the self-righteous Pharisee of his own lost condition, Jesus told of a moneylender who forgave two people debts they could not pay. One owed ten times as much as the other, so Jesus asked Simon which one would love the benevolent moneylender more. He rightly deduced that the one who was forgiven much would love more. Jesus confirmed his answer and drove home His point contrasting Simon’s lack of hospitality towards Him with the woman’s unabashed adoration for Him (7:43-47). The determining factor was each one’s perception of how gracious the Lord had been to them. Simon thought he was in good standing before God on the basis of his own goodness. The sinful woman had no such illusions.
Understanding that love generates faithfulness (John 14:15, 23; 15:14; 1 John 5:1-3), it is imperative that we all embrace this sinful woman’s attitude towards Jesus. No matter the size of our sin debt, we have no ability within ourselves to pay it. Therefore, may we strive to live the “much-forgiven life” bowing at Jesus’ feet like this sinful woman did. Such will ensure our continued faithfulness and the eternal blessings which are tethered to it.