Forgiven Much, Loving Much

Simon receives Jesus at his table

Because diners recline with their feet extending away from the low table, the woman can approach Jesus from behind. Her tears unexpectedly become water for dusty feet; her loosened hair becomes a towel; her repeated kisses express devotion; her perfume becomes an offering of honor. The action is socially arresting, but Luke withholds her name and the nature of her past. Her identity in the story is not a sexualized stereotype but a person who comes openly to Jesus.

Simon concludes that a genuine prophet would know what kind of woman is touching him and would presumably refuse her. Jesus answers the unspoken judgment by addressing Simon directly and telling a parable. Two debtors owe five hundred and fifty denarii. Neither can pay; the lender freely cancels both debts. The one released from the greater debt, Simon admits, will love more.

Two debts neither person can pay

Jesus then turns toward the woman while speaking to Simon: "Do you see this woman?" Simon has seen a category; Jesus requires him to see a person. He contrasts Simon’s restrained reception with her abundant response—no water versus tears, no kiss versus unceasing kisses, no oil versus costly perfume. The point is not that hospitality purchases salvation. Her great love shows that her many sins have been forgiven.

The parable also overturns Simon’s self-assessment. One debt is larger, but neither debtor can repay. The contrast is not ultimately between a sinner who needs a Savior and a righteous person who does not. It is between one who knows the depth of her need and receives forgiveness with love, and one whose moral comparison keeps him from recognizing his own unpayable debt.

From polite observation to trusting response

Jesus says to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven." The guests ask who can forgive sins, raising the identity question Luke has been building through Jesus’ teaching and miracles. Jesus is more than the prophet Simon is testing. He exercises God’s prerogative and then says, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Her tears, kisses, hair, and perfume do not earn grace. They are the embodied overflow of faith in the One who forgives.

The scene asks every reader how Jesus is received. Polite proximity, a meal, theological curiosity, and a well-ordered room can coexist with unbelief. The woman brings no respectable résumé, but she entrusts herself to Jesus and leaves with peace. The measure of grace is not the reputation from which a person starts but the Savior to whom that person comes.

Read, trace, and live the teaching.

This lesson belongs within the whole Gospel story. Read the principal passage slowly, follow the supporting texts in their own contexts, and notice how the words and works of Jesus reveal the kingdom he brings.