A conversation is recorded in Luke 7:36-50 between Jesus and a Pharisee, Simon as they dine. In this text, Simon receives an implicit and then explicit teaching about f o r g i v e n e s s.
As Jesus is reclining at Simon’s table eating the meal, a woman ─unnamed in the Gospel of Luke─ with a well apparent, ill reputation as a sinner in her city enters the house, stands behind Jesus, and weeps at His feet. She has brought an alabaster jar of perfume with her. As her tears are wetting His feet, she is drying them with her hair, kissing them, and pouring the perfume on them. Appalled, Simon the Pharisee says to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of a woman she is” (Lk. 7:36, NIV84). Then Jesus addresses Simon’s muttering (what he had said t o h i m s e l f) with the implicit teaching…
“Two men owned money to a certain money lender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (vv. 41-42, NIV84) To this Simon replies, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled” (v. 43, NIV84).
He had judged correctly─ the one who had the bigger debt canceled would be the one who expressed the more love toward the lender. Then came the explicit teaching…
Jesus says to Simon, “Do you see this woman?” (v. 44, NIV84). And He continues by contrasting what Simon has failed to do and what the woman has done:
“You gave Me no water for my feet, BUT she has wet my feet with her tears” (v. 44, AB);
“You gave Me no kiss, BUT she…has not ceased [intermittently] to kiss My feet tenderly and caressingly” (v. 45, AB);
“You did not anoint My head with [cheap, ordinary] oil, BUT she has anointed My feet with [costly, rare] perfume” (v. 46, AB);
“Therefore I tell you, her sins, many [as they are], are forgiven her─ because [or for] she has loved much” (v. 47, AB).
Ouch! If this account was presented in cartoon-form, I could just picture that Simon’s jaw would drop to the ground right about here. Wouldn’t yours? Jesus comes to your city. You invite him over for a Sunday afternoon meal. You don’t greet Him at the door, you don’t offer to take His coat, and you forget to give Him something to drink. As you sit down at the table, some overtly-emotional woman who people like you go to extremes to avoid association, let alone all contact, with barges in your house with the puffiest, pinkest eyes you have ever seen and dives under the table to untie Jesus’ shoes! And what does Jesus do at this moment but begin to discuss finance with you!
As His initially irrelevant finance lesson progresses in the madness of this ridiculous scene, you come to progressively realize that the lesson just might not be so irrelevant. The question echoes in your head, “Which of the debtors expresses more love toward the lender who canceled their debts?” And you realize that this is the point of the lesson: the attitude of the two debtors toward the lender who forgave both of them. [1]
The Bible often describes sin in likeness to debt: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Lk. 11:4, NKJV). Even the account in Luke 7:36-50 moves from talk of cancelation of debt to forgiveness of sins. In the concluding verses, “Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ [and’ [t]he other guests began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?'” (vv.48-49, NIV84).
Remember the implicit teaching─ both debtors were, well, debtors and neither of them had the money to pay back their debt? Yet, we learn that the lender alone had the sovereignty to satisfy the debt on their behalf. You see, God alone forgives sin. He has sole sovereignty to satisfy the debt of our sin ─for we are all debtors─ and only Christ’s blood is satisfactory ─for we could never satisfactorily pay for the forgiveness our sins.
So just how much does the cancelation of your debt ─ which you did not have nor could ever have the capability to satisfy ─ mean? Does it mean enough to c r y o u t, not merely in the contriteness of heart for mercy but equally in the overwhelming joy of your salvation and love of your Savior with thanksgiving and praise and gladness?
“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to Me, I will call on Him as long as I live…The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion…when I was in great need, He saved me…How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?” (Ps. 116:1-2, 5-6, 12, NIV84).
Victoria
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1 Robertson, A.T.. “Word Pictures in the New Testament”. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems. 1997. Luke 7:42.
With True Hope 